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
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
The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °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.
NUTRITION FACTS
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
Lorraine
Sunday 25th of September 2022
Do I need to pre-cook the bacon?
Julie Chiou
Sunday 2nd of October 2022
yes!
Julie
Sunday 26th of June 2022
I have a question. The two cups of pasta, it that before or after cooking it? Thanks!
Julie Chiou
Monday 27th of June 2022
before cooking! so 2 cups dry pasta
Josoe
Saturday 2nd of January 2021
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for the smaller portioned recipe 👍
Kathy Spasoff
Sunday 29th of December 2019
Yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Carolyn Beck
Sunday 30th of December 2018
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
Julie Wampler
Sunday 30th of December 2018
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.