Baked Mac n Cheese

I made Baked Mac n Cheese for Matt right after we got married. He really didn’t like it and wouldn’t eat any of it. This was mainly because he was really picky at that time and wouldn’t eat anything “bad” for him. So 5 years later I decided to give it another try and this time he loved it! The recipe turned out really well and we both enjoyed the addition of chopped bacon to the traditional mac n cheese dish. Also I use panko bread crumbs instead of traditional for the topping since they have a little more crunch. I hope you enjoy this recipe and relive your childhood!


½ lb elbow macaroni
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 T powdered mustard
3 cups milk
½ cup onion finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ tsp paprika
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
8 oz gruyere shredded
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
10 slices bacon browned and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta 5 mins to al dente. In a separate pot melt the butter, whisk in flour and mustard. Keep the mixture moving for 5 mins and make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in milk, onion, paprika, and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 mins and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the cheddar and gruyere cheeses and melt. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in macaroni and chopped bacon. Pour mixture into 2 qt greased casserole dish. Mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle over the top. Spray Pam over topping so that it browns in the oven. Bake at 350 for 30 mins and allow to sit 10 mins prior to serving.