Beef Bacon Mac and Cheese
There is nothing quite like the magic of a crowd-pleasing mac and cheese to bring everyone running to the kitchen table. This Beef Bacon Mac and Cheese strikes the perfect balance of a rich, creamy sauce and savory beef bacon, elevating a simple meal into a celebration of comfort food.
If a creamy pasta is your thing, you might also enjoy my Truffle Chicken Meatball Pasta, Creamy Chicken Roasted Poblano Pasta, Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta, and Creamy Cajun Alfredo Pasta with Chicken Sausage.
We are building this monster from the ground up, starting with 10 ounces of beef bacon. Beef bacon brings a deeper, richer, and more distinctly savory flavor profile than pork bacon. For the noodles, we are sticking with classic elbow macaroni, engineered to trap the maximum amount of ingredients.
But the real mastery here is the cream-and-cheese emulsion. We are skipping the traditional flour roux (like you’ll find in my Creamy Baked Four Cheese Mac and Cheese, Brisket Mac and Cheese, and Chicken Meatball Mac & Cheese) and instead reducing heavy whipping cream with a spice blend of garlic paste, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried cilantro, sea salt, and black pepper.
Into that velvety reduction, we are melting a lineup of Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, and Monterey Jack, along with a sharp hit of grated Parmesan. It’s smoky, deeply savory, incredibly rich, and absolute comfort food perfection.
Why This Lineup Dominates:
Ingredients you’ll need to make Beef Bacon Mac and Cheese:
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Beef bacon is the heart of this recipe. It provides deep, steakhouse-quality smokiness and a savory crunch (with the topping) that serves as the perfect textural contrast to the creamy pasta.
- To keep this mac and cheese traditional, you’ll need small elbow macaroni. This pasta is made with a hollow curve specifically designed to trap and hold the cheese sauce inside and out.
- For the base of the sauce, you’ll need butter, heavy whipping cream, garlic paste, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried cilantro, sea salt, and black pepper.
- And we can’t forget the cheese, which completes the sauce. You’ll combine Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, and grated Parmesan cheese. The Pepper Jack brings a subtle jalapeño back-heat, the Colby Jack delivers that gorgeous color, the Monterey Jack guarantees an elite, gooey melt, and the Parmesan adds a sharp, salty, umami-rich finish that rounds out the buttery notes of the Jack cheeses.
How to make Beef Bacon Mac and Cheese:
Prepare the beef bacon. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the beef bacon strips in a single layer across a large baking sheet (paid link). Bake for 15 minutes until completely crisp. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Boil the pasta. While the bacon is baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
Cube and shred the cheeses. Take 8 ounces of the Monterey Jack block and 8 ounces of the Pepper Jack block and cut them into small, uniform cubes; set these aside. Shred the remaining halves of those blocks along with the entire block of Colby Jack cheese. Combine all the shredded cheeses and set aside.
Make the base of the cheese sauce. Place a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven (paid link) over medium heat. Melt the butter, then pour in the heavy whipping cream. Whisk (paid link) in the garlic paste, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried cilantro, sea salt, and black pepper until combined.
Add the cheese to the sauce. Bring the seasoned cream mixture to a gentle bubble. Gradually fold in 6 cups of your blended shredded cheese, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted, velvet-smooth, and glossy. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer.
Combine all ingredients. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the drained macaroni pasta, the reserved Monterey Jack cubes, and the Pepper Jack cubes. Toss gently to distribute. Pour the warm cheese sauce over the pasta and fold everything together. Finally, fold in the chopped beef bacon—reserving a small handful for later as a topping.
Transfer ingredients to a casserole dish (paid link). Transfer the creamy pasta mixture into a 9×12-inch casserole dish (paid link), spreading it into an even layer. Blanket the top with the remaining shredded cheese blend and scatter the reserved handful of crispy beef bacon over the surface.
Bake. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake the casserole for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese topping is completely melted and bubbling at the edges. Let it rest for 5 minutes before diving in.
Tips & Tricks
- Always buy cheese blocks and shred them yourself. Pre-shredded bags are coated with cellulose to prevent sticking, which can make your sauce turn out grainy or dull rather than velvety and smooth.
- This recipe skips the traditional flour-based roux in favor of a heavy whipping cream reduction. Reducing the cream allows for a cleaner, more intense cheesy flavor that highlights the quality of the cheeses. Wait until the seasoned cream begins to bubble before folding in the shredded cheese to ensure a glossy, emulsified sauce.
- Since the macaroni will continue to cook during the 15–20 minute final bake, ensure you boil the pasta only until it is “al dente”. Draining the pasta thoroughly is crucial to prevent excess water from thinning out your rich, creamy sauce.
Beef Bacon Mac and Cheese
Indulge in Beef Bacon Mac and Cheese! A rich, no-roux sauce with Pepper Jack, Colby, and Monterey Jack. Smoky, cheesy comfort food perfection.
Ingredients
- 10 oz beef bacon
- 16 oz small elbow macaroni pasta
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 16 oz Pepper Jack cheese block, separated
- 16 oz Colby Jack cheese block, separated
- 16 oz Monterey Jack cheese block, separated
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried cilantro
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
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Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place the beef bacon strips on a baking sheet (paid link) and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut the bacon into pieces. Set to the side.
3. Boil macaroni pasta per the instructions and drain. Set to the side.
4. Cut 8 oz of the Monterey Jack cheese block and 8 oz of the Pepper Jack Cheese block into small cubes. Set to the side. Shred the remaining 8oz of each along with the Colby Jack and set them aside.
5. Heat a large cooking pan to medium heat. Add the butter, heavy whipping cream, garlic paste, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried cilantro, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir together until combined.
6. Once the cheese sauce begins to bubble, add 6 cups of the shredded cheese to the pan and stir until smooth. Lower the heat to a simmer.
7. Add the cooked pasta, Monterey Jack cheese cubes, and Pepper Jack cheese cubes to a large bowl. Toss together. Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked pasta and fold the ingredients together.
9. Add the beef bacon to the bowl (set aside a handful of pieces for a later step) and continue to fold until blended well.
10. Add the pasta to a 9×12 casserole dish (paid link) and top off with the remaining shredded cheese and beef bacon.
11. Bake at 375°F for 15 – 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.