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A deliciously cheesy macaroni cheese with homemade cheese sauce, crispy bacon and a breadcrumb topping… a homemade dinner idea that is easy and heavenly!

There is just something about macaroni cheese… I have always adored it, but how can I not?! Pasta, cheese, bacon, a crispy top and a cheesy sauce… it’s heaven in every bite in my eyes! 

Dinner ideas

I absolutely adore cooking, and I thought it was high time I start posting some savoury bits and bobs on my blog. You guys have asked over and over, and when I share anything I cook on social media it gets such a good reaction… so here is another beauty; macaroni cheese. 

Last time I posted my chicken, leek & bacon pie and oh wow… you all LOVED it! It’s an easy and delicious dinner idea, that can be quite versatile. You can serve it lightly with salad, or make it a hearty dish with some roasties and veg, it’s completely up to you, just like with this one. I have a few savoury bakes that are more lunch like, but this can also be a lunch as well if you fancy. 

Cheese

When it comes to something cheese themed, I want to add as much as possible. I do prefer mature cheeses, but that is my choice. I use a mix of mainly mature cheddar cheese, and parmesan in the homemade cheese sauce, and then I use extra mature cheddar cheese on the top. 

I tend to grate the cheddar cheese myself as I find if you buy pre-grated cheese, it has something on the cheese to make it stop sticking and I am not a fan. I also find that cheese is in pieces that are too large compared to grating it yourself. However, the per-grated parmesan is absolutely fine to use. 

Bacon

I will start by saying that bacon is optional in this recipe… if you are vegetarian, or just don’t like or want to use the bacon, you can 100% leave it out. You can replace it with something else such as tomatoes, or even some mushrooms if you fancied – but again, these are optional. 

I use bacon lardons in my cooking most of the time as I like the size of the chunks, and I find if you fry them in a dry pan until crispy and delicious they are heavenly. You can use chopped up bacon instead, or even some cooked ham however instead. 

One great tip for this recipe is if you do like the flavour or bacon, you can use the grease from the pan you fried the bacon in instead of the butter in the sauce of the macaroni cheese to increase the flavour, and have no waste. 

Pasta

As it’s macaroni cheese, I use macaroni pasta… I feel like this is obvious, but at the same time, you can theoretically use any pasta if you just want to make it with whatever you have in the cupboard for ease (sorry if that’s a sin to you!!). 

Some pasta brands take different amounts of time to cook, so a general rule is to boil the pasta for two minutes less than the cooking instructions say. You don’t want the pasta to be too cooked already, as it may end up mushy later on; you want it to be al dente.

Sauce

The cheese sauce is a key part to this recipe, as you wouldn’t have a macaroni cheese without a cheese sauce. I make my own cheese sauce, and it’s much much easier to make than you think – so please try it. 

I add the butter to the pan, and melt that down (or use bacon grease). Once that’s melted, I add the flour and stir these together. Add the mustard powder and garlic (which are both optional!), and then mix these together. One important bit here is you need to cook this mixture for a little bit, stirring well, so that you cook the flour. If you don’t cook the flour out, the mixture won’t thicken and it might have a weird taste. 

Once the flour is cooked our, you want to add the milk SLOWLY to make the sauce. I add a splash of milk at first, mix in, splash of milk, mix in, etc until the sauce is become looser. Then, still slowly, add and whisk in the rest of the milk. Simmer this, whilst stirring, until starting to thicken. Remove from the heat, add the cheese and salt & pepper and stir until the cheese is melted. 

Tips & Tricks 

  • If you like the bacon flavour, you can use the bacon grease from the frying pan instead of the butter in the sauce (if you don’t have 35g worth, make up the difference with butter) 
  • You can use any cheddar really, I just love mature cheddar cheese 
  • If you want a little kick, add 1tsp paprika to the cheese sauce along with the mustard powder and garlic 
  • This is best served fresh, but can last 2+ days in the fridge and be reheated. 
  • The bacon is optional, it and be left over if you want the dish to be vegetarian 
  • The breadcrumbs are also optional
  • This can be made ahead of time, and frozen before baking in the oven and baked at a later date for a couple extra minutes. 

Macaroni Cheese

A deliciously cheesy macaroni cheese with homemade cheese sauce, crispy bacon and a breadcrumb topping... a homemade dinner idea that is easy and heavenly! 
Print Pin Rate
Category: Dinner
Type: Savoury
Keyword: Bacon, cheese, pasta
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

  • 350 g macaroni pasta
  • 200 g bacon lardons
  • 75 g stale breadcrumbs
  • 50 g mature cheddar cheese (grated)

Cheese sauce

  • 35 g unsalted butter (or salted)
  • 35 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
  • salt & pepper
  • 565 ml whole milk (one pint)
  • 300 g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
  • 50 g parmesan (grated)

Instructions

  • Cook the macaroni pasta for two minutes less than the packet instructions and then drain and set aside
  • Cook the bacon lardons in a dry pan, over a medium high heat, until crispy
  • Preheat the oven to 200ºc/180ºc fan and grab a large baking dish
  • Add the butter to a pan, and melt on a medium heat
  • Add the flour and mix together. Add the mustard powder and garlic.
  • Once mixed, increase the heat to hot and cook the flour out for a minute or two
  • Gradually add the milk to the pan, whisking well each time, until you have added all the milk. Add very small amounts at first as it will need to mix with the flour and this prevents lumps.
  • Once you have added all of the milk, simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stiring well, so that the mixture doesn't catch on the bottom if the pan
  • Remove the pan from the heat and add the grated parmesan, grated cheddar and salt and pepper and mix together until the cheese has melted into the sauce
  • Add the bacon lardons to the baking dish, along with the cooked macaroni pasta, and then pour over the sauce. Stir it all together a bit.
  • Sprinkle over the extra cheddar, and breadcrumbs, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

  • If you like the bacon flavour, you can use the bacon grease from the frying pan instead of the butter in the sauce (if you don't have 35g worth, make up the difference with butter) 
  • You can use any cheddar really, I just love mature cheddar cheese 
  • If you want a little kick, add 1tsp paprika to the cheese sauce along with the mustard powder and garlic 
  • This is best served fresh, but can last 2+ days in the fridge and be reheated. 
  • The bacon is optional, it and be left over if you want the dish to be vegetarian 

 

ENJOY!

Find my other recipes on my Recipes Page!

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J x

© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.

16 Comments

  1. Kerry on December 29, 2023 at 7:33 pm

    Made this as I have been making your cheesecakes for years so knew it would be good. Son says it tbe best macaroni cheese hes ever tasted and I have to agree. Would feed 6 people at least in our house and more is served with garlic bread.

  2. S. Robinson on November 12, 2023 at 8:54 am

    Love your recipe. Thank you so much 💖

  3. Beth on November 2, 2023 at 12:18 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Jane – This recipe looks gorgeous and looking forward to trying it out! 🙂 Can left over portions be frozen please? x

  4. Kelly North on October 18, 2023 at 6:52 pm

    5 stars
    Literally just made this for supper. Was never a fan of Mac n cheese but I’m converted! Delicious and ultimate comfort food! Hit with the children too.

  5. Natalie on September 26, 2023 at 1:14 pm

    Hi Jane,

    Can i use panko breadcrumbs on the top?

    Thanks!

  6. J on August 23, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    I made this last night – I used low fat cheddar, which actually didn’t melt down all that well compared to full fat cheddar, but, it was still delicious! I added some onion to the bacon as I fried it off, and added the paprika 🙂

  7. Shan on April 20, 2023 at 6:16 pm

    5 stars
    Tastes incredible please make more dinner recipes.

    I made the chicken bacon and leek pie yesterday and they went down a treat. Will deffaintly be making both dishes again next week.

  8. Christine Gibbons on April 20, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    I just made this awesome recipe. However, I did not use 350 g of macaroni pasta. Are you sure that is the correct amount for 4 people? I used just slightly over 200 g and it worked out fine. Even then there was enough for at least 6 people. I must say that it was amazing and my husband loved it. It also reheated beautifully.

    • Jane's Patisserie on April 24, 2023 at 9:43 am

      Portion sizes for dinners can vary in size so it’s down to personal preference.



    • Wendy shaw on August 7, 2023 at 1:34 pm

      Can you freeze this recipe ?



  9. Mairi on April 11, 2023 at 3:28 pm

    Hi.. just wondering what you mean by
    stale breadcrumbs…
    Are they homemade breadcrumbs made from oldish bread .. and pulsed!
    or
    dried out oldish bread in oven and pulsed
    Thanks

    • Jane's Patisserie on April 17, 2023 at 1:52 pm

      Hiya! Either of these would work, or you can buy a tub of dried breadcrumbs. Hope this helps! x



  10. Trigger77 on April 11, 2023 at 9:46 am

    This looks amazing. We have macaroni cheese at least once a week so will be trying this recipe. We use crushed ready salted crisps on the top instead of breadcrumbs.

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