Tinis Mac Cheese Bacon

I discovered this version of mac and cheese while watching Keith Lee tear into a creamy, bacon-studded bowl on my phone at two in the morning, and something about his pure, unfiltered joy made me want to recreate that exact moment in my own kitchen. The next weekend, I gathered the ingredients and started building layers of cheese sauce and crispy bacon, my roommate wandering in halfway through asking what smelled so impossibly good. By the time it came out of the oven, golden and bubbling, I understood why he'd been so genuinely moved—this isn't just comfort food, it's validation on a plate.

I made this for my partner's birthday dinner last spring, and watching them take that first bite—eyes going wide, then immediately reaching for seconds—reminded me why cooking for people matters so much more than cooking for yourself. The crispy bacon topping caught the kitchen light, and for a moment it was just genuinely beautiful food on a plate, not a recipe anymore.

Ingredients

• Elbow macaroni (400g): The shape matters here because it catches and holds the cheese sauce in all its little curves—skip the fancy shapes and stick with classic elbow.
• Unsalted butter (60g) and all-purpose flour (40g): These make your roux, the foundation that turns milk into silky sauce instead of watery disappointment.
• Whole milk (720ml) and heavy cream (120ml): The milk does the heavy lifting, but the cream is what makes it feel indulgent and prevents the sauce from breaking when it sits.
• Sharp cheddar (200g), mozzarella (100g), and Gruyère (50g): Three cheeses give you sharpness, stretchiness, and nuttiness all at once—don't skip around here or you'll taste the difference.
• Garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika (1/2 tsp each): These sit quietly in the background but make people ask what your secret ingredient is.
• Thick-cut bacon (8 slices): Thick is crucial because thin bacon turns to ash before you know it, but thick slices stay chewy underneath while the edges shatter.
• Panko breadcrumbs (60g) with melted butter (2 tbsp): This topping needs fat to crisp properly—panko alone will just sit there looking sad and pale.

Instructions

Get your mise en place ready:

Preheat your oven to 200°C and grease a 23x33cm baking dish so you're not scrambling later. Having everything measured and within arm's reach is what separates a smooth cooking experience from a frantic one.

Cook the pasta until it's just barely done:

Boil salted water, add elbow macaroni, and pull it out a minute or two before the package says it's ready—it's going to keep cooking in the oven anyway. Drain it, set it aside, and don't rinse it, because that starch helps the sauce cling to every piece.

Make the bacon unmissable:

Line a baking sheet with parchment, lay out your bacon strips, sprinkle them with black pepper and garlic powder, then slide them into the oven alongside prep work. At around 15–18 minutes, they'll be shatteringly crisp and deep golden brown—listen for the sizzle to ease up, that's your signal.

Build your cheese sauce from the ground up:

Melt butter over medium heat, whisk in flour, and stir constantly for about a minute until it smells toasty but doesn't turn brown. Slowly pour in milk and cream while whisking like your life depends on it, because lumps are the enemy.

Let the sauce thicken and get silky:

Keep stirring as it simmers, and you'll feel it go from thin to coating-the-back-of-a-spoon thick in about 3–5 minutes. This is where patience wins—rushing it means a thin, sad sauce that won't cling to your pasta.

Melt the cheese trinity in:

Pull the pan off heat, then add your three cheeses one handful at a time, stirring until each addition disappears completely. Once it's smooth and dreamy, taste it and season with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Fold the pasta into the sauce:

Add your drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir gently until every piece is coated and glistening. This is comforting work—watching pale pasta transform into creamy golden mac feels like actual alchemy.

Layer it like you mean it:

Spread half the mac and cheese in your baking dish, scatter half the crumbled bacon over top, then add the remaining mac and cheese, and finish with the rest of the bacon. This way the bacon threads through the dish instead of just sitting on top.

Make the crispy topping:

Combine panko, melted butter, and Parmesan in a small bowl, then sprinkle it evenly over the top—the butter is what turns it from breadcrumbs into crispy crunch.

Bake until golden and bubbling:

Slide it into the oven for 15–18 minutes until the top is deep golden and you can see it bubbling at the edges. Let it rest for five minutes before you serve it, then finish with fresh parsley because green on top always looks intentional.

Save

There's a moment right when this comes out of the oven where the house fills with a smell that makes everyone pause and look up—bacon, toasted breadcrumbs, melted cheese all colliding into something that feels like home. That's when you know you've done it right.

Why the Three-Cheese Approach Works

Most mac and cheese relies on one cheese and hopes for the best, but mixing sharp cheddar with mozzarella and Gruyère is where the magic happens. The cheddar gives you punch and character, the mozzarella stretches and smooths everything out, and the Gruyère brings this subtle nuttiness that makes people tilt their head and ask what they're tasting. I learned this after making the same recipe with just cheddar for three years and wondering why it always felt like it was missing something—the answer was literally in the cheese drawer the whole time.

The Bacon Timing Question

Baking the bacon alongside your pasta setup seems like an extra step, but it's actually the move that separates this from every soggy, compromised mac and cheese you've had at a potluck. When you fold raw bacon into the pasta and bake it all together, the bacon steams in the sauce instead of crisping, and you end up with chewy bits that feel more like an accident than an ingredient. Separate bacon baking takes five minutes of active prep and changes everything about the texture contrast, which is what makes every bite interesting instead of uniform.

Storage, Reheating, and Variations

Leftovers actually improve slightly after a day in the fridge because the flavors settle and deepen—just add a splash of milk when you reheat it gently in a low oven so it doesn't dry out. For extra smokiness, add a pinch of chipotle powder to your cheese sauce, or swap the Gruyère for Monterey Jack if you want something milder and creamier. If bacon isn't your thing, sautéed mushrooms or roasted cauliflower give you that texture contrast and make it feel like a different dish entirely.

• Store in an airtight container for up to four days, and it reheats best at 160°C for about 20 minutes covered with foil.
• Don't skip the resting period after baking—it helps the pasta absorb any remaining sauce instead of everything falling apart when you scoop it.
• Fresh parsley isn't optional garnish, it's the thing that makes your kitchen photo look intentional and cuts through the richness on every bite.

Save

This dish isn't complicated, but it rewards attention—the difference between good mac and cheese and the kind that makes people forget their manners is usually just patience and respecting each ingredient's job. Make it once and you'll understand why people keep coming back for more.

Kitchen Guide

→ How do I achieve the crispy bacon topping?

Bake thick-cut bacon strips at 400°F for 15–18 minutes until deep golden and very crispy, then crumble before layering.

→ Can I substitute cheeses used in the sauce?

Yes, Gruyère can be swapped with Monterey Jack or extra cheddar to suit your taste preferences.

→ What is the best way to cook the pasta?

Cook elbow macaroni until just al dente according to package instructions; drain well to avoid excess moisture in the sauce.

→ How is the cheese sauce thickened?

Butter and flour are cooked to form a roux, then milk and cream are gradually whisked in and simmered until thickened before adding cheese.

→ Can this dish be made vegetarian?

Omit bacon and add sautéed mushrooms or roasted cauliflower for added texture and flavor.