Baked Bacon Mac and Cheese with a Bacon Crumb Topping worth fighting over

Sharing is caring!

There are some recipes that simply belong at the cottage table. They are not delicate. They are not fussy. They are the kind of food you bring out in a big dish, set down in the middle of the table, and let everyone help themselves.

This baked bacon mac and cheese is exactly that kind of meal.

It is rich, gooey, and deeply comforting, with a crisp bacon breadcrumb topping that makes the whole thing feel a little more special. The cheese sauce is creamy without being bland, the pasta holds everything together, and the salty bacon crumb on top gives every bite a bit of crunch.

This is macaroni and cheese for cold nights, rainy cottage weekends, hungry kids, casual suppers, and the kind of family meals where no one is looking for a tiny portion.

A Cottage and Camp Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese has always had a place in North American kitchens. In Canada, for many of us, that first meant Kraft Dinner: bright orange, salty, cheap, and somehow always tied to childhood, university, or coming home from school on a cold day.

There is a time and place for that box. But this is not that.

This is the version you make when you want the comfort of mac and cheese, but with real cheese, proper sauce, and enough flavour to make it feel like dinner. It still has the familiar warmth of the classic, but the smoky bacon, maple, and crisp topping give it a little East Coast edge.

The inspiration for the bacon crumb topping came years ago from a barbecue cookbook that used bacon breadcrumbs over mac and cheese. That one idea stayed with me because it solves the one problem baked mac and cheese can sometimes have: the top needs to be worth fighting over.

This topping is.

Why This Bacon Mac and Cheese Works

The best baked mac and cheese needs balance. It should be creamy, but not soupy. Cheesy, but not heavy in a dull way. Crisp on top, but still soft and gooey underneath.

This recipe gets there with a rich cheese sauce, a little seasoning, and a bacon breadcrumb topping that adds texture and smoky flavour. A touch of maple brings a subtle sweetness that works beautifully with the bacon and cheese without making the dish taste sweet.

It is the kind of recipe that works just as well for a weeknight family dinner as it does for a cottage weekend, potluck table, or casual gathering with friends.

What to Serve with Bacon Mac and Cheese

Because this baked bacon mac and cheese is rich, I like serving it with something fresh and sharp on the side. A simple green salad, vinegar-based slaw, roasted broccoli, or garlicky green beans all work well.

At the cottage, it is also very happy beside grilled sausages, burgers, baked beans, or a tray of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Nothing too complicated.

Make-Ahead Tips

You can prepare the cheese sauce and pasta ahead of time, then assemble the dish before baking. For the best texture, keep the bacon crumb topping separate until just before it goes into the oven so it stays crisp.

Leftovers reheat well, though like most baked macaroni and cheese, you may want to add a splash of milk before warming it to bring back some creaminess.

Get It on the Table

This baked bacon mac and cheese is big, comforting, and crowd-pleasing. It is the kind of dish that makes sense after a day outside, on a rainy weekend, or anytime you need something warm and filling that everyone will actually eat.

It is not trying to be fancy. It is just very good mac and cheese — with bacon on top, which rarely hurts.

Pairings

Drinks – This is a rich dish, so you need something that will help cut through it. I suggest either a pilsner or some crispy lemonade.

Music – Sloan’s The Rest of my Life

Bacon Mac and Cheese Recipe

Mac and Cheese

Matt

A gooey and savoury mac and cheese recipe.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 6 strips of streaky bacon (or regular bacon for North Americans) about 100g
• 50 g salt
• 50 g maple sugar
• 2 sheets of Parchment paper
• 100 g Breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Chili powder
• ½ teaspoon White pepper
• 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 500 g Macaroni or other pasta
• 600 ml semi-skimmed Milk
• 200 g grated Cheddar Cheese
• 125 g crumbled Stilton or other blue cheese
• 125 g Maasdam Cheese or Emmental
• 75 g Butter
• 75 g Flour
• 2 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves diced
• 1 TB dried Herbs de provence

Instructions

 

• Add the macaroni to boiling salted water, cook until al dente and then drain and quickly rinse in cold water to stop the pasta from cooking.
• To make the bacon crumble topping take the bacon and place it between two sheets of parchment paper and bake this in a 180 degrees oven for about 15-20 min. This will cause the bacon to be like shards of glass, and perfect to crumble. It should be very crispy but not burnt. Mix the crumbled bacon with the salt, sugar, paprika, chili pepper, garlic powder and the bread crumbs. Spread this out onto a baking sheet and return to the oven, turn it down to about 120 degrees and slowly cook until dried out.
• In a saucepan melt the butter and add shallots, garlic and herbes de provence. Once the onion is translucent, add the flour. Whisk to form a roux. Then gradually the milk, while continuing to mix. This should form a mildly thick sauce.
• Next, add the Stilton, Maasdam and all but 75g of the cheddar. Also add the white pepper and nutmeg. Whisk until all cheese is melted. Tip in the pasta and stir until fully combined. Evenly spread this into an oven safe dish.
• Top the pasta with about 3TB of the bacon breadcrumbs and the remaining cheddar. Bake in an oven at 180 for about 20min until nice and gooey and crispy.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!