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This week I made the Skillet Macaroni and Cheese from The Picky Palate Cookbook. I liked it as soon as I saw the recipe. Can you guess why? It’s kind of obvious. It has BACON in it!
Just like tacos and lasagna, this Skillet Macaroni and Cheese is the kind of comfort food you love to eat! It’s one of those meals that everyone enjoys. And I’m showing you that it’s so easy to make that a kid can make it too!
This recipe comes from The Picky Palate Cookbook by Jenny Flake. Jenny’s cookbook is really good. The inside looks a little like my mom’s cookbook (The Recipe Girl Cookbook). Picky Palate made her cookbook a winner by putting tons of good recipes into it. I’ve tried the Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies too, and I LOVED them. The mac and cheese and the cookies are just a couple samples of the great recipes the cookbook has inside of it.
How to make Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
Cook the pasta first. Then make the cheese sauce. Combine the pasta and the cheese sauce in an oven-safe skillet. The cheese sauce is great. When I poured it into the skillet filled with pasta, good smells filled our kitchen. I stuck a finger in the pan just to taste it. 🙂
Now do you understand why I stuck a finger in the pan? Yum Yum Yum!!!
The final step is adding a buttery bacon and bread crumb mixture to the top and then baking it in the oven.
Bacon is great on everything in the entire universe, but it is awesome on this mac.
I’m a goofball. In case you haven’t noticed (which is almost impossible), I like to make funny poses. I’m ready for my football game in this picture. The macaroni and cheese was great. The bacon made it 2x as good. Jenny created a great recipe when she thought up this Skillet Macaroni and Cheese.
Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ pound elbow macaroni pasta
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ pound sliced bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled (about 1 cup)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9-inch cast-iron skillet with nonstick spray.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, then rinse under cool water to stop the cooking.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper and whisk to combine. Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet. Pour in the cheese sauce, stirring to combine.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Add the bread crumbs, bacon and Parmesan and stir to combine. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Notes
- Note: As a main course, this should serve four.
- Calories were calculated for a side serving.
Nutrition
This recipe comes from RecipeBoy.com
I usually prefer my macaroni and cheese pretty bare. But I am all for trying new versions!
I usually just put breadcrumbs on top – never thought of bacon before! The crunch would be a good contrast.
Ritz crackers! Yum 🙂
I am a traditionalist – no add ins in my mac n cheese!
@Jill…Yeah, I like traditional baked macaroni and cheese, but when I saw the bacon/crumb topping, I’ll certainly try this!! There are enough days in the year to serve different recipes for mac and cheese quite a few times. YAY!! :~)
I recently made a Pumpkin Mac & Cheese & it was so yummy!
I also pinned this giveaway on pinterest!
I love mac n’ cheese. As someone who tries to make everything healthy….I’m a fan of hiding veggies in there. I can puree carrots and add it to the cheese sauce!
Also…I had a mac n cheese the other day that had curried veggies in it. It was to die for GOOD!!!
I like mac and cheese with blue cheese crumbles and bacon.
@Casey…When I see blue cheese AND bacon mentioned, I must ask…do you top the “traditional” baked mac and cheese with the blue cheese crumbles and diced, fried bacon before you put the whole dish in the oven to bake? Could you please give me an idea for the amount of blue cheese crumbles you use? I’ll wing it with the bacon…no such thing as ‘too much’ bacon!! LOL!! THANK YOU!
Recipe Boy!! Thank you for highlighting my mac and cheese and cookbook!! You made it perfectly! Great job and have a great day!!
I made this for my parents and they looved it. This is a great recipe..soo good. Thanks for sharing (:
You’re SO right about bacon…possibly my favorite food!! It’s delicious on anything…and this recipe looks so good…gotta try this…thanks for sharing!! Love your recipes and your sweet Mom’s recipes, too… :~)