Name: Stovetop Mac and Cheese with Crispy Bacon
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Pound Pasta; 1 Tablespoon Butter; 1 Tablespoon Flour; 2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk; 2 Cups Mild Cheddar - shredded; 1/4 Teaspoon Salt + more to taste if needed; 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper; 1/2 Pound Bacon (or 6 slices) - cooked and cut into bits

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Get ready to whip up some stovetop mac and cheese, y'all! This creamy, cheesy delight is made right on the stove in a big ol' pot, and it's ready in just 30 minutes. Toss in crispy bacon bits, and you've got yourself a Southern classic that'll make everyone go weak in the knees. It's comfort food at its finest - rich, gooey, and just waiting to be devoured! Serves 8-10

Mac and cheese with bacon in it in a bowl with a spoon.

Give me alllllll the mac and cheese, please!

I have an unpopular option and it's a strong one. Mac and cheese baked in the oven is just wrong!

There. I said it. And I am not sorry.

I just don't get it. Why would you put something so creamy and delicious that's already finished into a baking dish and bake away that goodness so that it's dry and sad?

You will never see a baked mac and cheese around here. Mac and cheese made in the instant pot? Sure - that's fast and easy and still so creamy. But never baked.

As a Southern cook, my mom made mac and cheese like this for us often and taught me how to make it without even needing a recipe. It's what I like to call a no-recipe recipe. Where it's all just made on taste and heart. Actually having to stop and write down specific measurements for a recipe like this or bacon gravy is really hard because I just do it by sight.

But nonetheless. Tossing some crispy bacon into this dreamy goodness just send it over the edge. Come into my kitchen and let me show you how I like to do it.

Welcome to my real-life kitchen - let's cook!

There are going to be multiple things going on at the same time. But that is real-life multitasking at its finest and the best use of time. Once you get one thing going start the next (ex: while the bacon is cooking, start the water to boil for the noodles). This is the order I like to go in so that everything is finished right at the time it is needed.

First - start the bacon.

Cooked crispy bacon bits cooling a plate lined with paper towels. — Taking some kitchen shears, cut bacon into small bits over a large skillet. Heat to medium and cook until brown and crispy.

Second - boil the noodles.

boiling noodles in a big pot on the stove. — Bring a large pot of water to boil - make sure the water is heavily salted. Once at a boil - add the noodles and cook according to the package directions.

draining noodles in a colander in the sink. — Drain the noodles and keep them aside until needed.

Third - shred the cheese.

shredded cheddar cheese on a cheese grater.

⭐️Pro Tip ⭐️ - Using pre-shredded cheese for mac and cheese is not recommended. The bags of pre-shredded cheese have a powder coating on them that does not melt well in a sauce. The sauce will turn grainy and have a weird texture to it. I only know this from experience and just using what we had in the fridge and kinda being lazy and it was not good! It is much better to just take the extra 2 minutes (while the noodles are cooking) and grate your own.

Fourth - make the sauce.

Cooking butter and flour in a large pot. — In the same pot, place back on the stove over medium heat. Add in the butter and flour.

Whisking together butter and flour cooking in a large pot as the base for a roux. — Whisk and cook for 2-3 minutes. This will help cook the flour taste out of. the butter and be what helps thicken the sauce.

Whisking milk in a large pot. — Turn the heat to medium-low and add about ½ cup of the milk. Whisk continuously until no clumps remain and the mixture gets thick. Add the rest of the milk and whisk making sure it is smooth with no lumps.

Whisking cheese into a milk roux sauce in a large pot. — Add in the cheese and stir until melted.

A wooden spoon with the sauce for Mac and cheese on it showing the right thickness and consistency. — You will know when the sauce is thick enough when it coats the back of the spoon and stays.

Fifth - stir it all together!

Stirring in noodles into a cheese sauce in a big pot on the stove. — Add in the noodles...

Stirring bacon into Mac and cheese in a big pot on the stove. — ...then the crispy bacon bits...

Stirring together bacon Mac and cheese in a big pot on the stove. — ...and stir until all combined and creamy!

A large serving bowl of bacon Mac and cheese.

Serve this immediately while hot and creamy. If it's being served out of the pot and sits awhile and thickens too much, just add a splash of milk to loosen it back up.

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