Baked macaroni and cheese with bacon

Our easy Baked Mac and Cheese recipe has a homemade cheesy sauce, crispy bacon, and golden buttery breadcrumbs. It is totally restaurant-worthy and will win over the whole family!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon salted butter
• ½ yellow sweet onion diced or sliced thin
• 6 slices bacon diced
• 1 package elbow pasta 16 oz
• 3 tablespoon salted butter
• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 C whole milk
• 6 oz Gruyere cheese grated
• 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese grated
• 3 oz jack cheese grated
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• pinch ground nutmeg
• pinch cayenne pepper

How To Make Baked macaroni and cheese with bacon

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Measure the milk and let come to room temperature while you do the upcoming steps.
3. Heat saute pan on medium heat and melt butter. Add diced onion and set to low, cook the onion slowly until they are soft, translucent, and only slightly brown. You do not want these dark but more soft and tender to bring out the natural sweetness. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
4. In the same saute pan, bring the heat back up to medium. Add diced bacon and saute until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, typically 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well then return to the large pot.
6. Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan to medium and melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until a smooth golden paste. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with the whisk. You want to make sure you cook this so that there is no raw flour taste in your sauce. Do not immediately add the milk and cheeses.
7. While whisking, add the milk slowly and cook for a minute or 2 more on medium-high, until thickened and smooth.
8. Remove from the heat, add the 3 kinds of cheese, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. Stir to combine so it is a rich smooth cheese sauce.
9. To assemble, butter or spray a large casserole dish. To the cooked macaroni, Add the cheese sauce, ½ of the crumbled bacon, and the onions and stir well. Pour into the casserole dish and top with the remaining bacon.
10. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and warm in the center.
11. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes to cool and for the cheese sauce to thicken. Plate and enjoy.
12. To store the remaining macaroni and cheese, cover the casserole dish and place it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to 3 days.