Zucchini Bacon Mac and Cheese made with elbow pasta, half and half, Cheddar and Parmesan cheese. Comfort food. Perfect if you love zucchini. Great Summer pasta recipe!
When you combine elbow pasta with bacon, cream and lots of cheeses, you can't go wrong! Add zucchini and you'll have a unique mac and cheese dinner!
Related Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini and pasta make an amazing combination together. Below are my favorite recipes using these ingredients:
- Parmesan Zucchini Garlic Pasta - light, delicious, Summer recipe. Regular spaghetti pasta combined with garlic zucchini and lots of shredded Parmesan cheese!
- Chicken and Zucchini Basil Pesto Tortellini - zucchini, chicken, cherry tomatoes, and tortellini are all tossed together with basil pesto to create a light Summer dinner.
- Parmesan Zucchini Tomato Chicken Spaghetti - a delicious Mediterranean pasta toss with basil pesto and lots of grated Parmesan cheese!
Zucchini Bacon Mac and Cheese
Zucchini Bacon Mac and Cheese made with elbow pasta, half and half, Cheddar and Parmesan cheese. Comfort food. Great Summer pasta recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 zucchinis , regular size, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 12 oz elbow pasta (for gluten free version, use gluten free brown rice elbow pasta)
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
- 12 strips bacon , chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add sliced zucchini and minced garlic and saute for about 5-7 minutes, occasionally stirring, until zucchini softens and browns a bit, uncovered. Midway through cooking, season with salt.
- Cook elbow pasta al dente, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking. This is done because you will continue cooking the pasta once you add in cream sauce - and at that point pasta will reach the ideal texture.
- Return elbow pasta to the pot. Add half and half, bring to boil. Immediately add Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Reduce to simmer. Cook for several minutes, constantly stirring until cheese melts and coats the pasta.
- Add chopped bacon (reserving some for garnish) and cooked zucchini from step 1, mix, heat through, turn off heat, and serve, sprinkling each serving with reserved chopped bacon!
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Zucchini Bacon Mac and Cheese
Amount per Serving
Calories
642
% Daily Value*
Fat
38
g
58
%
Saturated Fat
16
g
100
%
Cholesterol
75
mg
25
%
Sodium
700
mg
30
%
Potassium
476
mg
14
%
Carbohydrates
47
g
16
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
3
g
3
%
Protein
25
g
50
%
Vitamin A
610
IU
12
%
Vitamin C
12.5
mg
15
%
Calcium
403
mg
40
%
Iron
1.4
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!
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for a wonderful recipe! We used turkey bacon and fat free half and half yet it was still yummy! Even my kids who only like the processed boxed mac and cheese thought this was sooo good! Yipee!
Thanks, Shelly! I also thought this was such a delicious and simple meal! Great way to use those zucchini right now! I bet turkey bacon was so good!
Agree with Shashi, beautiful photos! This has me thinking of bacon and the warm comfort of mac and cheese for dinner.
Thanks, Kevin! Love mac and cheese sometimes, especially simple recipe like this one.
Your photos do speak for themselves - all that bacon ...mmm mmm mmm!
Thanks, Shashi! 🙂
Drooling!
Yes!