Bacon Gouda Mac & Cheese
This bacon gouda mac & cheese is seriously heavenly! It's rich, creamy, crunchy, and everything you'd want in mac & cheese. My mom always made Ina Garten's Grown Up Mac & Cheese each year at Thanksgiving! So I decided to make my own version, and dang it is good! It would be such a great side dish for Thanksgiving or you can totally use it as a meal as well (we do!) I love the mix of gouda and sharp cheddar, but you can easily use a different combination. Enjoy!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry mararoni pasta
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups gouda shredded
- 2 cups extra sharp white cheddar shredded
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup bacon crumbled (about 4 slices)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- ½ cup panko or breadcrumbs for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- To bake your bake in the oven: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lay your bacon out without overlapping. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until desired doneness. Once it's done, place bacon slices on a plate lined with paper towels and let cool completely before chopping!
- In a medium pot, bring water to a boil with a generous shake of sea salt. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente. Or until it's soft with a little crunch. Drain and set aside.
- In the same saucepan, heat the milk, butter, and flour. Stir with a whisk and heat but don’t boil. Remove it from the heat. Add in the shredded cheese, paprika, salt, pepper & nutmeg. Make sure the cheese gets fully melted in, you may have to heat it a little to get it all mixed.
- Add the pasta and crumbled bacon onto the sauce mixture. Mix until everything is incorporated well.
- Pour the mac and cheese into a 8x8 oven safe dish. Top with with a layer of panko.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until it’s nice and brown! Enjoy!
Notes
For Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.