I know, I know, it’s July and you may not want to turn on that oven. But after you hear what’s in this, you’re going to want to crank up that oven and whip up this easy ultimate mac ‘n cheese for you and your special someone!
It’s definitely hard to create a pasta casserole for two but I’ve done the hard work for ya ;)
Gruyere. White cheddar. Bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. Need I say more?!
Ultimate Mac 'N Cheese Casserole for Two
This ultimate mac 'n cheese casserole for two is decadent, rich, creamy, and everything your dreams are made of!
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings (adjustable, but please note that results, timing, and cookware may vary when adjusting servings): 2
5 Hassle-Free Ways to Simplify MealtimeSign up here for all the secrets!
Ingredients
- 2 cups orecchiette pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 slices of crispy bacon, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 2-quart ovensafe casserole dish. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, following the directions on the pasta package. You’ll want it to still have a bite to it because it will finish cooking in the oven.
- In the meantime, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes while whisking vigorously so it doesn’t burn. Continue to whisk as you add the milk, then let the mixture gently come to a simmer and thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Add the Gruyere and white cheddar cheeses to the skillet and stir together with a spatula until all the cheese has melted. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- At this point, the pasta should be done cooking. Drain well and add to the cheese sauce. Gently toss the pasta with the cheese sauce until everything is covered. Sprinkle half the bacon mixture into the skillet and toss to incorporate.
- Pour pasta mixture into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining bacon pieces, and then place, uncovered, in oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly and pasta is cooked through.
- After 30 minutes, remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Bacon and Gruyere and Pasta? You don’t even have to try to convince me to turn the oven on, it’s preheating..and it’s only 4am! Pinned!
I’ve wanted a bite since you shared a picture of it! Looks amazing :)
This looks absolutely amazing, and I can’t wait to try it out! You’re never too old for Mac & Cheese, right?
Um, I will just take the entire pan, pa-lease?! This looks insanely delicious!
We love cheese in our house and my boys will gobble this up!
I will crank up the heat to full blast to eat this cheesy bacon goodness!
I’ll turn the oven on for this!! Can’t say no to cheese!
How am I supposed to think of anything else today when all I can think about is this?!?! Geez!!
i like this one
HOOOOOLY gah, this has me all weepy.
This says for two, I need to make it for 15 what do I do?
I would say to multiply all the ingredients by 8 so it makes 16 servings or honestly, find another recipe that serves more since I made this recipe intended for two.
How about Ground Turkey Recipes …. more versatile than chicken
here are a bunch: https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/?s=ground+turkey
Would love to make the Mac and cheese casserole but why can’t I get the method??
You have to click the link in the recipe to get to it. This was a recipe I developed for Food Network and they wanted to host the recipe on their site.
Must try this recipe. I love Mac and cheese.
I don’t mean to be a smarty pants but, it would be nice if the whole recipe was shown.
I tried clicking on the ”grab the whole recipe here” deal and nothing happened. When I clicked in the box it crossed out the ”get the whole recipe here” deal.
Help.
I’ve made mac & cheese kind of like this before but, I would still like the whole recipe just to be on the safe side.
Thanks
Hi, sorry. I had to do that when I was working with Food Network but it has been several years now so I brought the recipe over to my site. If you refresh the page, it will be there now.
Yummy! Thanks for sharing!