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    Macaroni and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions

    By Julia | Updated: Oct 22, 2021 | Published: May 09, 2013 | 66 Comments

    63.5K shares
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    Macaroni and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions. The addition of caramelized onions makes this an adult version of a childhood favorite mac and cheese recipe.

    Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions

     

    Mac and cheese brings up nostalgic memories in a lot of people, as it certainly was a favorite food for a lot of us growing up. I've always wondered, however, whether adults remain as passionate about mac and cheese as when they were children, and for me the answer to that is YES! Except, these days I like to enhance my mac and cheese with funky additions, such as bacon and caramelized onions. Oh my yum! Don't even get me started on how good bacon is in this dish. To go even further and make it even fancier, I often use prosciutto or pancetta in place of bacon - and that elevates this mac and cheese to another completely yummy level!

    Also, I like to simplify things, just like when I was a kid, and this recipe is especially simple since I don't use Bechamel sauce (and I did make a classic homemade mac and cheese recipe using Bechamel sauce once), I don't make roux, and I also don't use custard-based cheese sauce. I just simply mix milk, heavy cream, white Cheddar and Gruyere cheese (in just the right proportions to achieve the desired creaminess) plus spices - to make a very creamy and cheesy mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions! I guess based on the cooking method I used I could call this mac and cheese - Fettuccine Alfredo, too!

    Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions

    Adding caramelized onions certainly makes this more of an adult mac and cheese, and what a delicious addition it is! Just make sure to caramelize onions for 30 minutes to make sure they brown thoroughly, without burning. In the end, you should have onions that are soft and sweet from all the caramelization process.

    Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions

    This mac and cheese can be served as is, or as a side dish to the steak, which is how I like it!

    Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions, macaroni and cheese, pasta

    mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions
    4.75 from 16 votes

    Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions

    Macaroni and cheese recipe with bacon and caramelized onions.  Adding caramelized onions certainly makes this more of an adult mac and cheese.  
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories per serving 929 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 onions , medium or large, sliced
    • pinch of salt
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 8 strips bacon or prosciutto or pancetta
    • 8 oz elbow pasta
    • â…” cup heavy cream
    • â…” cup milk
    • 1 cup white Cheddar cheese , freshly shredded
    • ½ cup Gruyere , freshly shredded
    • ¼ teaspoon salt or more – to taste
    • cayenne pepper to taste
    • a pinch of paprika to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions 

    How to Caramelize Onions:

    • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on high heat in a large skillet, when oil is heated, add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with spatula. The onions should start to brown, but without burning (a couple of onions may be burnt here and there, but overall they should not be charred). 
    • Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add just a pinch of salt over onions. 
    • Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. Total you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes. 
    • Remove from heat and sprinkle onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Using spatula, mix the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with a pinch of balsamic vinegar you just added.

    Mac and cheese:

    • While you’re caramelizing the onions, cook bacon: I usually bake it in the oven at 350 F until it just turns crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and chop into small pieces.
    • Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Rinse the macaroni under cold running water, drain. Set aside.
    • In a large saucepan, add heavy cream, milk, sharp white cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese and ¼ teaspoon salt on medium heat, stir and mix, until cheeses start to blend. Add black pepper, Cayenne pepper and paprika to your taste, or omit them if you don’t want them. Add elbow macaroni to the creamy sauce, stir to coat on low heat for about 5-10 minutes until cheeses melt completely and coat the macaroni.
    • Add caramelized onions and chopped bacon to the creamy macaroni.
    • Serve as is, or with more cheese (finely shredded) sprinkled on top.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    929
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    62
    g
    95
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    32
    g
    200
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    167
    mg
    56
    %
    Sodium
     
    899
    mg
    39
    %
    Potassium
     
    488
    mg
    14
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    55
    g
    18
    %
    Fiber
     
    3
    g
    13
    %
    Sugar
     
    8
    g
    9
    %
    Protein
     
    35
    g
    70
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1415
    IU
    28
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    6.4
    mg
    8
    %
    Calcium
     
    696
    mg
    70
    %
    Iron
     
    1.5
    mg
    8
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition Disclaimer:

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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      Recipe Rating




    1. lesley

      January 27, 2014 at 3:10 pm

      ps.. it looks absolutely delish and I plan on making it today !

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 28, 2014 at 2:38 pm

        Thanks Lesley - I hope you like it! 🙂

        Reply
    2. lesley

      January 27, 2014 at 3:10 pm

      Can I ask why you would rinse your pasta in cold water after cooking?

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 28, 2014 at 2:38 pm

        Hi Lesley. Running the pasta under cold water will stop the cooking and will wash off the excess starch. This is done because right after, you will continue cooking the pasta in a creamy cheese sauce for 5-10 minutes (step 4 of the instructions). This way, the pasta stays "firmer" and holds its shape better! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Julie May

      October 05, 2013 at 1:52 pm

      Looks delicious! Caramelized onions and bacon would make even a flip flop tasty... so I can guarantee this is delicious!

      Reply
    4. Natalie

      June 12, 2013 at 8:56 am

      Ok I am officially drooling at that photo OMG.

      Reply
    5. laurasmess

      June 10, 2013 at 10:21 pm

      This looks insanely good Julia!!! Just followed the link here from Vintage Kitchen and I am so glad that I did. My husband does love a good ol' mac n'cheese. I often put bacon in it but I've actually never added caramelised onions. Now I'm wondering why not! Definitely making your version this weekend (with some salad, just to make me feel better about the 'health qualities')! Can't wait to check out more of your recipes and stories. You write and photograph beautifully - magazine worthy! x

      Reply
    6. Rosemary

      June 05, 2013 at 9:43 pm

      Made this tonight and I'm officially in a food coma. The cheddar I had was the Vermont Sharp type from Cabot that I think added a nice bite to it. I prefer my caramelized onions a little crispy so I overcooked them slightly but I think it turned out really well. Definitely going in the recipe file!

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 06, 2013 at 7:04 pm

        So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how the dish turned out. Vermont sharp cheddar sounds so good - I need to buy some!

        Reply
    7. Mary

      May 15, 2013 at 12:32 am

      I will try this. Hope my boyfie will love this ♥ Thanks for sharing!!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 16, 2013 at 1:48 am

        Thanks for stopping by Mary! Let me know how it comes out and if the boyfriend likes it. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Brandee Ketchum

      May 11, 2013 at 12:21 pm

      How many people does the recipe serve as written if you are making it as a main course?

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 11, 2013 at 3:07 pm

        I would say it would make 3 very large servings, and 4 average servings.

        Reply
    9. sally @ sallys baking addiction

      May 10, 2013 at 8:25 pm

      Now THIS is comfort food! It looks unbelievably good. I am stuffed to the brim right now rom dinner, but this just made me hungry all over again. Wow!

      Reply
    10. Liz

      May 10, 2013 at 6:55 pm

      Oh, boy, does your pasta look super! A grown up mac and cheese 🙂

      Reply
    11. Eva | Adventures in Cooking

      May 10, 2013 at 5:24 pm

      Oh my God. I'm pretty positive you just combined my three favorite things. This sounds AMAZING!!!! And those caramelized onions look like they came out absolutely perfectly, getting hungry just looking at it...

      Reply
    12. rebecca

      May 10, 2013 at 2:29 pm

      oh nice touch with the bacon and onions 🙂

      Reply
    13. Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking

      May 10, 2013 at 1:27 pm

      Just when I thought that mac & cheese couldn't get any better! I've been following your blog pretty much since you started, and your photography is an inspiration!

      Thanks for the amazing post as always!

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 10, 2013 at 4:48 pm

        Thank you so much for your kind words! I just visited your site, and I love the theme of your blog: old cookbooks!

        Reply
        • Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking

          May 31, 2013 at 5:40 pm

          Thanks! I think I'm going to have to just subscribe to your blog because my Bookmarks Folder is filling up with your amazing recipes! It's getting a little out of control.

          Reply
    14. Juliana Walters

      May 09, 2013 at 11:53 pm

      Caramelized onions are one of those foods I really like but often forget about until I see them in photos or recipes. Your mac & cheese looks amazing!

      Reply
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    Julia is the author of JuliasAlbum.com (a food blog focused on easy dinner recipes, pasta dishes, salads made with seasonal ingredients). In this photo, Julia is pictured wearing a yellow sweater against an Autumn background.

    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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