Smoked Gouda and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is getting an upgrade with my Smoked Gouda and Bacon Mac and Cheese recipe! This is MY favorite mac and cheese recipe of all time! I LOVE everything about it! The gouda cheese I use is perfectly smoky without it being obnoxious. The bacon adds that salty bite I want without making a breadcrumb topping. The mustard adds a zing to all the creamy-fatty goodness. Every bite is creamy dreamy cheesy heaven.

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Although this recipe does not come together in one pot, It’s pretty close. You do boil the noodles in a separate pot, but other than that, everything is cooked in a 12″ skillet! This Smoked Gouda and Bacon Mac and Cheese recipe does come together quickly even with the process that includes the béchamel sauce technique that everyone seems to dread making. I promise it’s really easy and once you get it, you’ll feel confident in making it for many other things.

Making Smoked Gouda and Bacon Mac and Cheese

You start by Cooking the bacon pieces, then place the cooked bacon pieces on a paper towel, and keep 3 tablespoons of fat in a pan.

Next, cook the noodles. The idea here is to ensure the sauce finishes about the same time as the noodles are cooked. So immediately after the bacon is cooked, you should start the pasta (before making the sauce.

Now that your pasta is cooking, we move on to the sauce. I’ve read a few recipes in the past that shudder at the idea of a béchamel sauce starting point. But I assure you, it’s not that bad.

Béchamel basics

For me, making béchamel is seriously just making gravy, but growing up with a Texan mother, gravy is part of our diet. For anyone else, who perhaps isn’t as versed with it, here are the basics on making a béchamel style mac and cheese.

Cook the bacon fat and flour together. This makes a roux, a paste-like mixture. Usually with butter and flour, but in this case, it’s bacon fat. You get this by melting butter, whisking in all-purpose flour, and cooking the two together until it becomes a clumpy paste. The bacon fat and flour swell as they are cooked. This will thicken the liquid for this creamy, dreamy, cheesy sauce.

Add the broth while whisking, and cook until thickened. Yes, traditionally, you use milk. But this is my secret to avoiding a curdled sauce. Slow and steady is the key here. Add the broth to the hot roux as you whisk to loosen up the butter-flour mixture. Whisking as well as slowly adding are important. This process helps prevent lumps in the finished product. Once all of the broth is added, whisk, whisk, whisk to combine. Continue to cook the mixture until thick and creamy. Then you’re ready to add the rest!

Finishing the sauce

Next, you’re going to add the mustard, then shredded cheese. The key to this is to ensure the cheese is completely melted. It will start off thick, and very stringy. As it melts, it will actually become more sauce-like (reminiscent of cheesier alfredo sauce).

Adding pasta

Once your sauce is done, you’re going to add the pasta straight into the sauce. To do this, take a spider strainer and quickly add the pasta (water still draining) into the Cheese Sauce. You’ll get a good amount of pasta water with the noodles, which is what you want.

And now… the bacon!

So now you’re going to add half the bacon, mix, and then top with parsley (optional) and the rest of the bacon! That’s it! ENJOY!!!

Extra Details for Success

• ALL ingredients should be at room temp!
• Add salt to the boiling water before cooking the pasta (you need to add a good amount so the pasta has good flavor as well.
• Use quality cheeses. The cheese is the predominant flavor here. I recommend CASTELLO® Smoked Gouda Cheese and Organic Valley® Raw Mild Cheddar. (I am not paid to say that, it really is my absolute favorite). If you can’t find it in your local grocery, they will ship it to you!!!
• Grate the cheese by hand. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch or cellulose to prevent the shreds from sticking and clumping. This can, and likely will prevent you from obtaining a perfectly creamy melted cheese sauce.
• Better pasta makes better mac and cheese. I love Montebello’s organic pastas. I buy them at my local Co-op, but Barilla also offers some great pasta at a very affordable price.
• Make sure your ingredients are measured and ready. This recipe comes together quickly. You won’t have time to measure the ingredients (or specifically shred all that cheese) before adding the next ingredient!
• Make sure you’re pasta is slightly less done than al dente so it doesn’t overcook as you continue cooking the pasta after you make the sauce. It will also cook a little in the strainer as it waits for you to add it back into the pot.
• Reserve a little pasta water just in case the pasta sits for a little. if you add the water to it as it gets thick and clumpy it’ll re-constitute.

Ingredient Options/Substitutes

1. The pasta shapes can be the funniest part! Try using cavatppi/cellentani for a fun play on the elbow macaroni pasta. For a more “nostalgic” blue box feel, use casarecce. You can also use gluten-free pasta as well.
2. You can use olive oil or butter instead for the fat if you choose to forgo the bacon.

Cooking Equipment

KitchenAid Universal Bamboo Short Turner, One size, Wood

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Rachael Ray Stainless Steel Box Grater (Teal Blue)

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Global 7-piece Ikasu Knife Block Set

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Lodge Cast Iron Pan, 12″, Black

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6 More Easy Pasta Dishes and Sauces

• Healthy-ish Stovetop Mac and Cheese
• One-Pot Rigatoni Ragu
• One-Pot Asparagus and Bacon Rigatoni
• Easy Marinara Sauce
• Pesto Pasta Recipe
• Pizza Pasta Bake

ENJOY and Share!

Let me know what you think of this Healthy-ish Stovetop Mac and Cheese! Your star ratings with your comments are tremendously helpful! I love seeing friends and family come together over food. If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram or Facebook! Use @jenngiamsmith & #jenngiamsmith. Or share it on this post’s Pinterest Pin!

Smoked Gouda and Bacon Mac and Cheese

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• Author: Jenn Giam Smith

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Ingredients

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ALL Ingredients should be at Room Temp.

• 8oz Elbow Macaroni (see NOTES 1 for details)
• 4 pieces of bacon (see NOTES 2 for details)
• 7oz smoked Gouda Cheese [shredded]
• 1 oz cheddar cheese [shredded]
• 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat (see NOTES 3 for substitutions)
• 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk (see note 4 for substitutions)
• 1 cup Chicken Stock (see NOTES 5 for substitutions)
• 1/4 tsp Chinese mustard (see NOTES 6 for substitutions
• Salt (to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper (taste)
• 1/2 cup pasta water (this is from the pasta you cooked.)
• Parsley for topping (optional)

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Instructions

1. Cook the chopped bacon on medium heat in a 12” cast iron pan until crisp. take out the bacon and lay on a paper towel (reserve 3 Tablespoons of bacon fat).
2. Boil the pasta 2 minutes less than al dente (take a glass measuring cup, I use a 2 cup so I can get a good amount of extra just in case I need it, and set it aside)
3. As the pasta is cooking, add the flour to the heated bacon fat. Whisk and cook for about 2 minutes.
4. Slowly add the chicken stock while continuously whisking.
5. Add the Chinese mustard and continue whisking.
6. Add all the shredded cheese and continue to whisk until all the cheese is completely melted and becomes a thick sauce (it should be reminiscent of alfredo sauce but stringy from the cheese) about 5 minutes
7. Your pasta should be done cooking during this, add the noodles, directly from the water into the sauce (this way some of the water from the pasta gets incorporated to the sauce). Stir until completely mixed.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Add the milk and half the bacon. Fold until fairly mixed together. Turn off the heat (If the sauce seems dry, add some of the pasta water to the sauce. Stir until incorporated).
10. Top with remaining bacon and chopped parsley
11. Serve immediately

Notes

1. Cavatppi/cellentani, casarecce.or a 1:1 ratio of any gluten-free pasta
2. you can omit the bacon if you’re out or don’t want it. If you do, see NOTES 3 for details on replacing the reserved fat.
3. 1:1 ratio of olive oil or melted butter
4. whole milk can be replaced with the following ratios:
   • 5⁄8 cup skim milk + 3⁄8 cup half-and-half
   • 2⁄3 cup 1% milk + 1⁄3 cup half-and-half
   • 3⁄4 cup 2% milk + 1⁄4 cup half-and-half
   • 7⁄8 cup skim milk + 1⁄8 cup heavy cream
5. 1:1 ratio of Vegetable stock
6. 1:1 ratio of yellow or dijon mustard.

Nutrition Info

Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, I recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

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