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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Pasta

    Bacon Mac & Cheese with Gruyère

    Published by Melissa on November 1, 2010 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 55 Comments

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    Bacon-Mac-and-Cheese-2

    Alice, Savory Sweet Life, recently posted this Bacon Mac and Cheese recipe and I knew immediately that my daughter would love it because she loves rosemary. We made it together on Sunday and I was right. She loved it the minute we rinsed the fresh rosemary in running water and the smelled permeated the kitchen. She loved it even more when she took her first bite.

    The recipe, created by by Chef Michael Symon, creates a cheese sauce by simmering rosemary in heavy cream until it is reduced by half. This step creates a smooth, creamy cheese sauce that is infused with, but not overwhelmed by, a great rosemary flavor.

    Gruyère is a good melting cheese with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. The bacon adds a great smoky flavor to the sauce and I wouldn’t omit it. Alice used an Applewood Bacon, but I opted for a shortcut and used the precooked bacon that I always have in the freezer.

    Bacon-Mac-and-Cheese-3

    This recipe is a delicious, dressed up mac and cheese, but it’s very easy to make and is perfect as a main dish. The original recipe said it made 4 – 6 servings. I was having 7 for dinner and I made 1.5 times the recipe which was way more pasta than I needed, even for a main dish. I’d say it makes 6 generous servings.

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    Bacon Mac & Cheese with Gruyère

    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time30 minutes mins
    Course: Pasta
    Keyword: Pasta
    Servings: 4 -6 servings
    Author: Barbara Schieving
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    Ingredients

    • 1 quart 4 cups heavy cream
    • 4 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
    • Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
    • ½ pound bacon diced, fried crisp and drained
    • 1 pound elbow macaroni or short hollow pasta cooked according to package directions and drained, reserving 3 teaspoons pasta water
    • 2 cups 8 ounces Wisconsin Gruyère cheese, grated
    • Chopped chives for garnish

    Instructions

    • Place cream in large saucepan with rosemary. Add salt and pepper. Bring to boil and keep at boil until reduced by half (be patient, this takes some time).
    • Stir in bacon and pasta and simmer until hot; add the Gruyère cheese and 3 teaspoons pasta water.
    • Stir until cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately.

    I used the Barilla Plus Elbow Macaroni. This pasta has 4 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein per serving. It tastes great and I feel better about serving it with a less healthy sauce. I also love the way they look. They are ridged with little twist and help dress up an ordinary macaroni salad or mac and cheese. I also use and love the other Barilla Plus pastas. (I wasn’t given any products or compensation for this rave review.)

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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. FOODESSA

      November 03, 2010 at 2:10 pm

      I can certainly understand why your daughter would love this dish. I personally would need to lighten up the cream…so that maybe there would be less guilt eating one of your macarons Barbara ;o)

      Flavourful wishes,
      Claudia

      Reply
    2. naomi

      November 03, 2010 at 10:39 am

      I love this recipe. It’s so perfect for a cold fall day. It’s full of flavor and comfort.

      Reply
    3. Maria

      November 03, 2010 at 9:49 am

      I love that you used Gruyere! Looks great!

      Reply
    4. Kim

      November 03, 2010 at 8:55 am

      Barbara – This looks absolutely fantastic and I can only imagine the wonderful aromas coming from your kitchen! You have it plated to beautifully in the picture and it is definitely calling my name.

      Reply
    5. shaz

      November 03, 2010 at 4:15 am

      Love the sound of this “grander” version of mac and cheese. I think my kids would dig it too.

      Reply
    6. Gennaro

      November 03, 2010 at 1:20 am

      Looks tasty. The Gruyère is a nice touch. I fell in love with that cheese after having it in a pretzel bread.

      Reply
    7. Lisa

      November 03, 2010 at 12:34 am

      The more I read your post, the more I want to taste this dish. It sounds incredible with so many flavors to indulge in.

      Reply
    8. Claire @ Claire K Creations

      November 02, 2010 at 7:26 pm

      Yum! What’s not to like about this?! Bacon, cream, cheese, pasta… how delicious.

      Reply
    9. Tanvi

      November 02, 2010 at 6:14 pm

      That looks the most yum bowl of mac n cheese I have seen in a long long time..Rosemary is a super smelling idea 🙂

      Reply
    10. Anna Johnston

      November 02, 2010 at 4:37 pm

      Uhuh 🙂 You had me at Gruyère 🙂 What a yummy comfort foodie food.

      Reply
    11. blackbookkitchendiaries

      November 02, 2010 at 3:39 pm

      this dish sounds so good right now. i love adding gruyere in my dishes too.. my husband is a big fan of cheese. thank you for sharing this.

      Reply
    12. Asha@FSK

      November 02, 2010 at 2:35 pm

      Me + your daughter = best pals! Love this mac & Cheese!! I mean SIMPLY love it!!!!! gonna make it soon

      Reply
    13. pigpigscorner

      November 02, 2010 at 2:11 pm

      Rosemary sounds like a great addition!

      Reply
    14. Rosa

      November 02, 2010 at 12:31 pm

      So comforting, yummy! I’d love to taste that Wisconsin Gruyère.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
    15. Alison @ Ingredients, Inc

      November 02, 2010 at 11:45 am

      This looks amazing! True comfort food!

      Reply
    16. Jamie

      November 02, 2010 at 11:36 am

      As soon as I saw mac and cheese I knew I had to check it out. I just bookmarked this recipe. I love using gruyere cheese in mac and cheese. I know my husband would love this with the bacon in it too.

      Reply
    17. angie

      November 02, 2010 at 10:52 am

      this sounds great and would be very pleasing to my family

      Reply
    18. Mimi

      November 02, 2010 at 10:50 am

      Mac & Cheese is my son’s go to after football/soccer snack. I’m printing the recipe for him.
      Mimi

      Reply
    19. Faith (An Edible Mosaic)

      November 02, 2010 at 10:46 am

      This looks fantastic with the bacon and gruyere! I love that kind of pasta too!

      Reply
    20. Jamie

      November 02, 2010 at 10:09 am

      Yum! Who doesn’t love a good homemade mac and cheese? But the rich, nutty gruyère and the bacon really jazzes it up. I love it!

      Reply
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