Blue Cheese Bacon Mac and Cheese

What is Al Dente

When making Mac and Cheese, it’s important to cook the pasta al dente to ensure the best texture possible. If you are not familiar with the term “al dente”, it means cooking the pasta so it’s still chewy and form and that it will hold its shape when the sauce is added to it.

How to Make Bacon

If you struggle to make bacon perfectly, I’ve put together a short tutorial on How to Make Perfect Bacon – 3 Ways. Check it out! My preferred method is baking it in the oven.

Bacon Grease Tip

And don’t throw away that bacon grease! Bacon is expensive and the grease is great for making Scrambled Eggs, Grilled Cheese, Popcorn and even hash browns. It can keep up to 3 months if properly stored in the refrigerator.

Gather your Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make this Blue Cheese Bacon Mac and Cheese recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Pasta – I like Penne but use whatever kind of pasta you want
• Milk
• Heavy Cream
• Unsalted Butter
• All Purpose Flour
• Salt
• Blue Cheese
• Bacon – you can also use pre-cooked bacon to save time!
• Ground Black Pepper
• Soda Crackers – you can also use bread crumbs if you want

How to Make Blue Cheese Bacon Mac and Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a 9 x 13 dish and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
   
4. In another pot, bring milk and cream to a boil then reduce to low heat.
5. In a large saucepan over medium heat, metal butter, whisk in the flour for 5 minutes. Add milk mixture and mix well.
6. Remove the pan from heat and stir in 3/4 of the Blue Cheese and mix well until the cheese has melted.
   
7. Add bacon and penne pasta to the cheese mixture and toss.
   
8. Pour pasta mixture into a greased baking dish and top with remaining Blue Cheese and crushed crackers.
   
   
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling.
   
10. Top with pepper and serve.

Printable Recipe Card

Blue Cheese Bacon Mac and Cheese

I don’t mind a good Velveeta Mac & Cheese in a pinch. But nothing compares to a Blue Cheese Bacon Mac & Cheese

5 from 3 votes

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Prep TimePrep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook TimeCook Time 25 minutes mins

Total TimeTotal Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Author Rodney

Servings 8

Calories 886 kcal

Equipment

• Baking Dish
• Large Pot
• Saucepan

Ingredients

 

• 16 oz Penne Pasta
• 2 Cups Milk
• 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 6 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
• ½ Tsp Salt
• 10 oz Blue Cheese
• 1 lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• ½ Sleeve Soda Crackers, crushed

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a 9 x 13 dish and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
• In another pot, bring milk and cream to a boil then reduce to low heat.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, metal butter, whisk in flour for 5 minutes. Add milk mixture and mix well.
• Remove the pan from heat and stir in 3/4 of the Blue Cheese and mix well until cheese has melted.
• Add bacon and penne pasta to cheese mixture and toss.
• Pour pasta mixture into greased baking dish and top with remaining Blue Cheese and crushed crackers.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling.
• Top with pepper and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 886kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 25gFat: 63gSaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 1119mgPotassium: 460mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1440IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 311mgIron: 1.3mg

Nutritional information provided for this recipe is based on 1 serving. This information is an estimate and may vary based on several factors. If nutritional information is important to you and your diet, please verify this recipe with a Registered Dietitian.

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