Easy Stove Top Homemade Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Yes I am one that loves comfort food! And yes I said BACON.  I have been making this for so long that I could not even tell here were I found the recipe.  Please I have made some adjustments to fit our taste and budget!  So I am going to do my best and hopfully you can follow and make this yourself and see just how easy it is!

First that will make a 9  x 13 casserole dish greased (spray with cooking spray).  You will need the following:

8 pieces of cooked bacon (Yes I am sure you can use turkey bacon) diced up.

2 tbls of bacon grease (drippings)

1 small onion diced up (I use sweet onions)

1 tsp of minced garlic (yes mine comes from a jar already minced up for me)

2 tlbs of all purpose flour

Salt and Pepper

3/4 cup of Whole Milk

3/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

3/4 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (I use the shredded white vermont cheddar)

1/4 cup of shredded Parm/Regino Mix Cheese

1 box of noodles (I use penne pasta)

If I do not already have cooked bacon in the freezer I cook the bacon and put aside on a paper towel to drain and cool.  I keep 2 tlbs of bacon grease in the pan the rest if there is more I put in a mason jar that I keep in my refrigerator for other things I cook. I start the water for my pasta first and sprinkle salt in the water.

I add my onions to the bacon grease and cook them for about 2 minutes then I add the garlic and cook that for about 1 minute.  I slowly add in the flour always stirring and add salt an pepper to taste.

As the flour is mixing with the onions I start adding a little milk then a little cream at a time continually stirring, until I have added all the milk and cream in.

Reduce heat to medium and you will need to keep stirring for about 10 minutes. The sauce will get thicker  and thicker.

As soon as this part starts the water is ready for the pasta and I add that in and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes.  I try to time this to end the same time my sauce is done.

When ten minutes is up turn Off the heat under the sauce (remove from burner is you have an electric stove) and drain pasta.

Now add the cheese and bacon to the sauce and mix well.

Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well, then pour it out into the greased 9 x 13 dish or pan.  Sprinkle with more Parm/Reg

Place dish or pan in the oven on boil and watch closely it on take a couple of minutes to melt the cheese you added on top and get a light brown. (You do not have to do this step if you don’t want to).

You are ready to serve it!  In my house we never have any left overs of this!  I swear my girls and my son-in-law can smell it from miles away!