Description
A creamy, cheesy, and rich mac and cheese dish, enhanced with bacon and optional spinach, perfect for serving guests or a family meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 slices uncooked bacon
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 cups (90g) fresh spinach (optional)
- 1 pound dry elbow pasta
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, divided
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (720ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (240ml) half-and-half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 5 cups (560g) shredded cheese (3 cups sharp white cheddar, 1 cup regular sharp cheddar, 1 cup gouda)
- Optional: 1/2 cup (45g) breadcrumbs, such as Panko
- Optional: 1/2 cup (40g) shredded parmesan cheese
- Optional: chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crispy, chop, and set aside.
- Optionally sauté spinach with minced garlic until wilted; drain excess liquid.
- Cook elbow pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain, and stir in 2 tablespoons butter.
- Make the cheese sauce by melting 6 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, whisking in flour, then slowly adding milk and half-and-half. Add salt and mustard, simmer, and whisk in shredded cheese until smooth.
- Combine cheese sauce with pasta and stir in bacon and spinach.
- For an optional baked version, transfer to a greased 9×13 inch dish, add breadcrumbs and parmesan if desired, cover, and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes until browned.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, garnish, and serve warm.
Notes
Leftovers will thicken; reheat with milk to loosen the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 70mg