Is there anything more comforting than a creamy and cheesy baked mac and cheese?! The addition of slightly sweet cooked leeks and salty crisp bacon take this to the next level. Topped with brown butter and rosemary panko breadcrumbs to make it just fancy enough for a Thanksgiving or Christmas table.
Hello! I am writing up this best homemade mac and cheese that you must put on your list immediately. It has a perfectly luxurious creamy cheese sauce with sweet leeks and crisp salty bacon, the perfect combination! For a non pasta option with the same ingredients, please try my Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese recipe.
Mac and cheese is my ultimate comfort food but I always like to add a twist, you need to try my Nduja Mac and Cheese if you haven't already. For another baked pasta my Easy and Delicious Sausage Pasta Bakeis crazy good. Cheesy goodness!
Ingredients
Leek - The sweetness of leek adds such a great flavor here. Slice into rings then rinse well to remove any dirt.
Bacon - I like to use streaky bacon, use whatever you like personally.
Cheese - I use a combination of cheeses, a sharp cheddar cheese, gruyere and parmesan cheese. Use whatever combo you like, gouda, monterey jack etc. You could use all one cheese to make it simple. Pease don't use pre-shredded cheese, grate your own.
Pasta - Use elbow macaroni for a classic mac and cheese vibe or any short shape. I have used curls as I wanted a little more texture. Undercooking the pasta by a minute or two is KEY to ensuring it is still nice and al dente when baked.
For the béchamel sauce
Butter - Use unsalted butter or salted.
All purpose flour - it should work with GF flour too as you can also use gluten-free pasta if you wish.
Whole milk - For best results making a white sauce you need a full fat milk.
Black pepper - I like to add a lot of black pepper to the sauce at the end.
For the topping
Butter - I like to use salted butter to amp up the flavour. I take the extra step of browning butter for the topping.
Panko bread crumbs - I love using Japanese panko crumbs, they are so easy and come pre-made. They are easy to find in the baking OR international section of your supermarket.
Rosemary - I love adding fresh herbs to a crumb topping. You could substitute with fresh thyme.
Substitutions and variations
- Use gluten free flour in the cheese sauce and gluten-free macaroni. Make sure you adhere to my tip of undercooking the pasta as gluten free pasta can get soft so quickly.
- Feel free to skip the leek or bacon or both! The base is delicious on its own.
- Add in cooked mushrooms or any other vegetables you like.
- Use any breadcrumbs you like, I like the ease of panko but anything will work.
- Double the recipe to serve 8 as a main dish (or 10 - 12 as a side)
How long to boil macaroni
It is absolutely KEY to undercook the macaroni or other pasta shape by 1 - 2 minutes. This will ensure it doesn't get too soft and overcooked in the oven. It should still have a nice al dente bite after it is baked.
How to make the best mac and cheese!
Full ingredient and step-by step instructions are in recipe card below.
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- Cook the bacon in olive oil and butter over a medium-high heat until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Cook the leeks in the bacon fat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn down to medium-low heat or low and continue cooking until really soft.
3. Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water, undercooking it by 1-2 minutes from package instructions. Drain and add a tablespoon of butter to stop it overcooking
4. Make the cheese sauce in a large saucepan. Melt butter over a medium heat and add flour when sizzling, cook for a minute then add the milk in a steady stream, whisking to incorporate the flour mixture. Cook for a few mins until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Take off the heat and add the cheese in three separate lots, mixing in well.
5. Add the cooked pasta, bacon, leeks and black pepper and mix well. Season to taste with salt.
6. Pour into a baking dish in an even layer.
7. Top with the panko bread crumb mixture.
8. Bake in the oven at 350f (180c) for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let it sit for 10 minutes then dig in!
Expert tips!
- Tips for white sauce - If this is your first time making a cheesy white sauce, don't be scared! My main tip is to add a cup of the milk in first and use it to really scrape up all the butter and flour mixture. I like to use a flat whisk for this purpose. Then add the rest of the milk in a steady stream while whisking.
- Don't have your heat too high when making the sauce. I turn it down before adding the milk and turn it off completely when adding the cheese.
- Don't bake for too long! You just want to bake until nicely golden brown, it shouldn't need longer than 25 minutes. Longer and it will start to dry out the sauce.
Try my Butternut Mac and Cheese!
Roasted butternut is blended into the creamy cheesy sauce for a cozy twist on a classic!
Recipe FAQs
A single batch will fit in a square 9 x 9 inch baking pan. If you double it make it in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
Yes! Just double everything which will give you 8 generous main sized portions (or more if used as a side!) A great side for a Thanksgiving or any kind of celebration table.
It's a rich and filling dish so i opt for a super simple side salad. With this one I served it with arugula tossed lightly in some olive oil and lemon juice.
Yes! Assemble, let it come to room temperature then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. It might need a touch longer if baking from cold so you can always cover with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Some other dishes to try
If you loved this baked macaroni cheese then you must head to my Pasta Bake Collection. Here are a few suggestions for next time.
Did you make this recipe?
I would LOVE it if you could leave a review and star rating down below. Also please tag me on Instagram if you share a photo of the dish!
Recipe
Best Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Leeks
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Ingredients
For the panko crumbs
- 70 g panko crumbs
- 70 g unsalted butter cubed
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves roughly chopped
For the pasta
- 290 grams macaroni
- 1 tbsp butter
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 leek sliced into rings and rinsed
- 250 grams bacon chopped
- 65 grams butter
- 50 grams plain flour
- 650 ml milk full fat please!
- 270 grams cheese grated, I used a split of a sharp cheddar, gruyere and parmesan (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste a couple of big pinches
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180c (350f)
For the panko crumbs
- Melt the butter over medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes, swirling the pan until it browns then take off the heat and mix into the panko crumbs straight away.
- Add the rosemary leaves in and then set the crumbs aside.
For the sauce
- Heat the olive oil and butter over a medium-high heat and fry the bacon until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Toss the leeks in the bacon fat and then cook, stirring often for five minutes. Lower the heat to low and continue cooking for a further 5 - 6 minutes until really soft. Don't let them catch or burn so keep an eye on them.
- Set aside with the bacon and make the cheese sauce.
- In a large saucepan heat the butter over a medium heat and when sizzling, add the flour.
- Whisk vigorously for a minute.
- Lower the heat slightly and add the milk in a slow stream, whisking the whole time making sure you get all the flour mixture from the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Cook for a few minutes until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- When ready it should almost be at a slight simmer but not quite.
- Take off the heat and add the cheese in three lots, whisking well and letting it melt in between each addition.
- Add the cook pasta, bacon, leeks and pepper in and mix well.
- Season with a couple of big pinches of salt and add more pepper if you wish.
- Pour into a 9 x 9 inch pan (see notes) and top with the panko crumbs in an even layer.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until nice and golden. You don't want to bake it any longer than that as you don't want to overcook the pasta and dry out the sauce
- Leave it to sit for 10 minutes before digging in!
Savannah Holzapfel says
This has become my go-to recipe for hosting. Everyone absolutely loves it every time but I could eat the whole thing myself!
Emilie Pullar says
Oh love this so much!! So glad it's such a dependable recipe for you 🙂
Rebecca says
So good!!! Love this version of mac n cheese!
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much for making it Rebecca! It's such a fab combo of flavors 🙂
Liza says
Love everything about this recipe!
Sweet leeks, salty bacon and the perfect mix of cheeses ??
What more could you want from a mac & cheese!
I reckon it would be pretty great with gnocchi too… ?
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Liza, thank you so much!! It would be SO delicious with gnocchi, I am so hungry now you have said that haha. Thanks again 🙂