Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2009

I liked this a lot! I was nervous making it, because many people complained about floury tasting sauce. I added the milk veeeeeery slowly and it turned out great! I didn't use the bacon, but that is just a personal taste thing. My boyfriend liked it, too. :)

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Mara Z

Cooking Level: Beginning

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Reviewed: Mar. 11, 2009

After reading the reviews, I too added double the bacon and cooked the onion in a little of the bacon grease. I also substituted 1/2 cup of the milk for whipping cream. I did use cheddar, and I thought it was not bland, but was exactly like restaurant macaroni and cheese. I had been making the joy of cooking version for 10 years, but this is my new standard. I added the milk slowly and had no sauce problems and did not find it floury at all.

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mamajess

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Reviewed: Mar. 9, 2009

Excellent! I read the reviews and only added 1/2 the onion. Also, to jazz up the recipe I used 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup mild cheddar and 1 cup Dubliner. Instead of bacon, I sprinkled the pasta with breadcrumbs before popping it in the oven. Delicious!

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Jessefern

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Reviewed: Mar. 5, 2009

This was ok. It wasn't difficult to make, but I thought it was very blah.

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Misty S

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Reviewed: Mar. 4, 2009

Good Recipe, I left out bacon this time. Very good either way. Thanks!

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Cyndi

Cooking Level: Professional

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Reviewed: Feb. 22, 2009

Very good recipe. I substituted turkey bacon for regular bacon and added 2 cups cheddar cheese and 1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar. Tasted great!

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SusanC

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Joliet, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 7, 2009

We can see how this could be considered a "bland" recipe, idea wise it was a great way to make mac & cheese and have it not be to "grainy" texture wise (using a roux) however, had we not used sharp cheddar, smoked cheddar, Chipotle cheddar, then used sharp and Parmesan on top, this could have been rather flavorless. We added more salt (season salt) as well. Great idea, just executed it differently.

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GrlzCn2

Home Town: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Living In: Marathon, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 1, 2009

YES! the onions add a nice sophistication, and we added frozen peas as well for a bit more health. thanks!

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Heather Kelley

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Reviewed: Jan. 29, 2009

I have made this a few times and it is definately better without the onions.

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Nancy I.

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Vilas, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 26, 2009

I thought this was a nice recipe. I enjoyed the bacon and onion flavors because it made the usual mac and cheese so different. I did add bread crumbs on the top with the extra cheese, and that made a nice crust. I think I used too much pasta, but it was still great and I will make this again. Thanks!

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cookinct

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fairfield, Maine, USA

Living In: Middletown, Connecticut, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 20, 2008

My husband made this for dinner tonight on a whim and it turned out great. We've been eating his mother's traditional mac & cheese with mixed success. Next time we'll try some of the other suggestions for variety.

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rtigger4

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Wallisville, Texas, USA

Living In: Crosby, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2008

WOW! This was really good! I used about 6 slices of bacon, removed from the pot when browned and then I used about 2 tsps of the bacon drippings to saute the chopped onions and garlic for a little extra flavour. After removing the onions and garlic I used the same pot to make the sauce. When adding the milk i added only about 1/4 cup at a time while constantly whisking to ensure that it would be smooth. Before adding the cheese i removed the milk from the direct heat and allowed it to cool for a moment so that it wouldn't be grainy. Best mac n cheese my family has ever had! Thanks so much for sharing!

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Lisa

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Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2008

Not sure what to say, it was yummy, but a little bland.

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Minot

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Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2008

Not the best macaroni and cheese I've tasted. I expected more. As my first time mac n cheese recipe, I did not want the flourry taste as some commented on. I followed some suggestions by reviewers but unfortunately did not substitute the flour for cornstarch. I had very slowly added the milk at low heat and waited forever for it to thicken. I did not use onions as I do not like them. I had it on low heat for over 10+ minutes without it thickening at all--still watery! the only way it would thicken is if i had raised it up to medium heat (and it still took some time to thicken with my constant stirring to prevent chunks/uneveness). I had used medium cheddar (the recipe didn't really state what type - i assumed mild). I took the sauce off heat for a few mins and added the cheddar very slowly while stirring. Overall, all of the time/effort to make this was not worth the end result. I was ok, but I was disappointed when I got a grainy taste after I had followed all of the other suggestions from the reviews. I wonder if cornstarch would serve better as a thickener and prevent the flour taste.

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Souppe

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2008

I'm giving this 5 stars because the cheese sauce was fantastic! I'm anxious to try it on broccoli. I left out the bacon, onion, and garlic and used elbow macaroni instead of penne. This was going to be the beginning of my search for a good mac and cheese recipe, but my search has ended before it really began :) This is neither a typical baked mac and cheese nor the cheesy Kraft kind... it's somewhere in between. I absolutely love that this recipe does not use processed cheese, and it does not need it, in my opinion. If anyone is getting a flour taste, you're not cooking the roux long enough. It needs a full two minutes on medium low heat before you start adding the milk. And you need to really nurse the cheese mixture a bit... constantly stir it and *gradually* add the milk and then the cheese for best results. I went ahead and mixed all 3 cups of cheese into the cheese sauce and didn't bother adding any to the top. I baked the whole thing for 25-30 minutes. It tasted even better the next day. Thanks for the recipe!

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CYNDIDH

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Seneca, South Carolina, USA

Living In: Canton, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2008

Not the best mac & cheese I have had. I had to add extra flour and the sauce still didn't thicken. The recipe didn't list how much cheese to use either.

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J.J. Bichard

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Marietta, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 20, 2008

This was a huge hit with my family. My 3 year old son was even asking for seconds. I however, made a few changes out of necessity. First off, I didn't have any onion so that was omitted. Then because I was too lazy and short on time to defrost and cook any bacon, I chopped up some presliced pepperoni. I sauteed the roni with the garlic and drained off the extra grease. Then I didn't have enough cheddar cheese so I mixed in Monterey Jack and Mozzerella. I also was a bit worried when I mixed it all together and it seemed too runny so I baked it for an extra 10 minutes (30 minutes total). Absolutely, hands down, THE best mac and cheese recipe on the site!!!

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Amy W.

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Sep. 2, 2008

This was the worst mac and cheese I have ever tasted. Even my 4 year old wouldn't eat it. I had to go back and review the recipe because I thought I did something wrong. It was tasteless and the texture was awful, eventhough I added a lot more cheese than the recipe called for.

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BETH

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Reviewed: Aug. 14, 2008

I just made this and I thought it was tasty. I found that it needed A LOT of salt, although you wouldn't think so with all the bacon and cheese. I added dried mustard and I think it would also taste good with a pinch of cayenne pepper or with sauteed green/red peppers added. For my first homemade mac and cheese I thought this was good.

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SHERSKI311

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Toms River, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 4, 2008

This recipe was good.. I would have liked the sauce to be a little more creamier and less thick. But to give this recipe some EXTRA flavor I added: 1 additional glove of Garlic, 1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard, 1/2 Tsp. Cyane Pepper, 1/2 Tsp. Paprika and a couple shots of Worcestershire. Also for more flavor try different types of cheese. I used Mild White Cheddar and Monteray Jack Cheese. I also coverd for half the time so the cheese would be melted instead of extremely crispy! I would make this again!

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