A deeply satisfying baked pasta dish built on a rich, triple-cheese sauce — mature Cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmesan — sharpened with English mustard and smoked paprika, folded through macaroni with crisp bacon lardons, and finished under a golden panko crust. It sits firmly in comfort-food territory: creamy and substantial, with enough textural contrast from the topping to keep every mouthful interesting.
2litre
1tbsp
350g
200g
50g
50g
700ml
150ml
1tsp
0.5tsp
0.5tsp
0.25tsp
200g
100g
30g
30g| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 2litre | — | — | |
| 2 | | 1tbsp | — | — | |
| 3 | | 350g | — | — | |
| 4 | | 200g | — | — | |
| 5 | | 50g | — | — | |
| 6 | | 50g | — | — | |
| 7 | | 700ml | — | — | |
| 8 | | 150ml | — | — | |
| 9 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 10 | | 0.5tsp | — | — | |
| 11 | | 0.5tsp | — | — | |
| 12 | | 0.25tsp | — | — | |
| 13 | | 200g | — | — | |
| 14 | | 100g | — | — | |
| 15 | | 30g | — | — | |
| 16 | | 30g | — | — |
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Pour the water into a large saucepan.
Water · 2 litre
Add the salt to the water.
Salt · 1 tbspBring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
Add the dried macaroni to the boiling salted water.
Dried macaroni · 350 gBoil the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the packet's al dente time; it finishes cooking in the oven.
Drain the macaroni through a colander and set aside.
Cut the smoked streaky bacon into lardons roughly 1 cm wide.
Smoked streaky bacon · 200 g
Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and let it get hot.
Tip the bacon lardons into the hot frying pan.
Fry the bacon lardons, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp.
Lift the crispy bacon onto a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
Add the unsalted butter to the hot frying pan.
Unsalted butter · 50 gCrispy bacon · step 12Let the butter melt over medium heat, swirling the pan to combine it with the bacon fat.
Add the plain flour to the melted butter.
Plain flour · 50 gStir the flour and butter together vigorously over medium heat for 2 minutes until you have a smooth, pale roux.
Pour the whole milk into the roux in a steady stream.
Whole milk · 700 mlWhisk the milk and roux together constantly until completely smooth and lump-free.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pour the double cream into the thickened sauce and stir to combine.
Double cream · 150 mlAdd the English mustard to the creamy sauce and stir through.
English mustard · 1 tspStir the smoked paprika into the mustard cream sauce.
Smoked paprika · 0.5 tspAdd the fine salt to the paprika cream sauce.
Fine salt · 0.5 tspAdd the freshly ground black pepper to the seasoned cream sauce and stir.
Freshly ground black pepper · 0.25 tspGrate the mature Cheddar on the coarse side of the grater.
Mature cheddar · 200 g
Add the grated Cheddar to the sauce in the pan.
Grate the Gruyère on the coarse side of the grater.
Gruyère · 100 gAdd the grated Gruyère to the cheese cream sauce.
Stir the sauce over low heat until both cheeses are fully melted and the sauce is glossy.
Add the drained macaroni to the melted three-cheese sauce.
Add the crispy bacon to the cheese sauce.
Stir everything together until the pasta and bacon are thoroughly coated in the sauce.
Finely grate the Parmesan directly into a small bowl.
Parmesan · 30 g
Tip the panko breadcrumbs into the bowl with the grated Parmesan.
Panko breadcrumbs · 30 gMix the panko breadcrumbs with the grated Parmesan until evenly combined.
Spoon the mac and cheese with bacon into a 20 × 30 cm baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
Scatter the Parmesan breadcrumb topping evenly over the surface of the mac and cheese.
Using oven gloves, place the baking dish in the oven.
Bake until the topping is deep golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
Using oven gloves, remove the baking dish from the oven.
Leave the baked mac and cheese to rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles before serving.
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | | Preheat the oven to 200 °C.⏱ 10 min |
| 2 | 2 litre | | Pour the water into a large saucepan.⏱ 1 minResultWater |
| 3 | 1 tbsp | | Add the salt to the water.⏱ 30sResultWater and salt |
| 4 | — | | Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.⏱ 8 minResultSalt water |
| 5 | 350 g | | Add the dried macaroni to the boiling salted water.⏱ 20sResultSalt water and dried macaroni |
| 6 | — | | Boil the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the packet's al dente time; it finishes cooking in the oven.⏱ 7 minResultBoiled macaroni |
| 7 | Boiled macaronistep 6 | | Drain the macaroni through a colander and set aside.⏱ 1 minResultDrained macaroniused in step 30 |
| 8 | 200 g | | Cut the smoked streaky bacon into lardons roughly 1 cm wide.⏱ 2 minResultBacon lardonsused in step 10 |
| 9 | — | | Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and let it get hot.⏱ 1 min |
| 10 | Bacon lardonsstep 8 | | Tip the bacon lardons into the hot frying pan.⏱ 20sResultBacon lardons |
| 11 | — | | Fry the bacon lardons, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp.⏱ 5 minResultCrispy bacon |
| 12 | Crispy baconstep 11 | | Lift the crispy bacon onto a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.⏱ 20sResultCrispy baconused in step 31 |
| 13 | 50 g | | Add the unsalted butter to the hot frying pan.⏱ 20sResultCrispy bacon and unsalted butter |
| Crispy baconstep 12 | |||
| 14 | — | | Let the butter melt over medium heat, swirling the pan to combine it with the bacon fat.⏱ 1 minResultMelted unsalted butter |
| 15 | 50 g | | Add the plain flour to the melted butter.⏱ 20sResultMelted unsalted butter and plain flour |
| 16 | — | | Stir the flour and butter together vigorously over medium heat for 2 minutes until you have a smooth, pale roux.⏱ 2 minResultFlour roux |
| 17 | 700 ml | | Pour the whole milk into the roux in a steady stream.⏱ 30sResultFlour roux and whole milk |
| 18 | — | | Whisk the milk and roux together constantly until completely smooth and lump-free.⏱ 2 minResultMilk roux |
| 19 | — | | Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.⏱ 6 minResultCheese sauce base |
| 20 | 150 ml | | Pour the double cream into the thickened sauce and stir to combine.⏱ 20sResultCheese sauce base and double cream |
| 21 | 1 tsp | | Add the English mustard to the creamy sauce and stir through.⏱ 20sResultCheese sauce base and double cream and english mustard |
| 22 | 0.5 tsp | | Stir the smoked paprika into the mustard cream sauce.⏱ 10sResultCheese sauce base mixture |
| 23 | 0.5 tsp | | Add the fine salt to the paprika cream sauce.⏱ 10sResultCheese sauce base mixture |
| 24 | 0.25 tsp | | Add the freshly ground black pepper to the seasoned cream sauce and stir.⏱ 10sResultCheese sauce base mixture |
| 25 | 200 g | | Grate the mature Cheddar on the coarse side of the grater.⏱ 3 minResultGrated cheddar |
| 26 | Grated cheddarstep 25 | | Add the grated Cheddar to the sauce in the pan.⏱ 20sResultCheese sauce base mixture |
| 27 | 100 g | | Grate the Gruyère on the coarse side of the grater.⏱ 2 minResultGrated gruyère |
| 28 | Grated gruyèrestep 27 | | Add the grated Gruyère to the cheese cream sauce.⏱ 20sResultCheese sauce base mixture |
| 29 | — | | Stir the sauce over low heat until both cheeses are fully melted and the sauce is glossy.⏱ 1 minResultThree-cheese sauce |
| 30 | Drained macaronistep 7 | | Add the drained macaroni to the melted three-cheese sauce.⏱ 20sResultThree-cheese sauce and drained macaroni |
| 31 | Crispy baconstep 12 | | Add the crispy bacon to the cheese sauce.⏱ 20sResultCrispy bacon and three-cheese sauce and drained macaroni |
| 32 | — | | Stir everything together until the pasta and bacon are thoroughly coated in the sauce.⏱ 1 minResultMac and cheese with baconused in step 36 |
| 33 | 30 g | | Finely grate the Parmesan directly into a small bowl.⏱ 1 minResultGrated parmesan |
| 34 | 30 g | | Tip the panko breadcrumbs into the bowl with the grated Parmesan.⏱ 10sResultGrated parmesan and panko breadcrumbs |
| 35 | — | | Mix the panko breadcrumbs with the grated Parmesan until evenly combined.⏱ 1 minResultParmesan breadcrumb toppingused in step 37 |
| 36 | Mac and cheese with baconstep 32 | | Spoon the mac and cheese with bacon into a 20 × 30 cm baking dish and spread it into an even layer.⏱ 1 minResultMac and cheese with bacon |
| 37 | Parmesan breadcrumb toppingstep 35 | | Scatter the Parmesan breadcrumb topping evenly over the surface of the mac and cheese.⏱ 1 minResultTopped mac and cheese with bacon |
| 38 | — | | Using oven gloves, place the baking dish in the oven.⏱ 10sResultTopped mac and cheese with bacon |
| 39 | — | | Bake until the topping is deep golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.⏱ 19 minResultBaked mac and cheese with bacon |
| 40 | — | | Using oven gloves, remove the baking dish from the oven.⏱ 10sResultBaked mac and cheese with bacon |
| 41 | — | | Leave the baked mac and cheese to rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles before serving.⏱ 5 minResultMac and Cheese with Bacon |
| Total Time | 1 hr 1 min | ||
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 1,307kcal | |
| 56g | |
| 75g | |
| 40g | |
| 93g | |
| 11g | |
| 5g | |
| 1,700mg |
A deeply satisfying baked pasta dish built on a rich, triple-cheese sauce — mature Cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmesan — sharpened with English mustard and smoked paprika, folded through macaroni with crisp bacon lardons, and finished under a golden panko crust. It sits firmly in comfort-food territory: creamy and substantial, with enough textural contrast from the topping to keep every mouthful interesting.
What you’ll doYou will boil macaroni until just al dente and fry bacon lardons until crisp. A white sauce enriched with Cheddar, Gruyère, Parmesan and English mustard coats the pasta and bacon, which bake in a hot oven until bubbling and browned.
