Rigatoni Mac and Cheese (with Bacon)
Updated Jul 15, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This mac and cheese with bacon is one of my signature dishes. As humble as it sounds, I never thought that such an ordinary dish could taste this good.
Throughout the years, our friends, family, neighbors, and guests have come to love this cheesy casserole recipe. And over time, it became clear to me that this was no ordinary mac and cheese recipe.
The first time I knew I was onto something special was when my sister, the real chef, told me this recipe was restaurant-worthy. I had no idea what she was talking about. This is how I make the best mac and cheese you’ve ever tasted.
📝 Recipe Snapshot – Rigatoni Mac and Cheese (with Bacon)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30–45 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour
Servings: 6 to 8
Skill Level: Easy
Method: Baked or stovetop
Special Tools: 2-quart baking dish, cheese grater, large skillet, stockpot
Estimated Cost: Around $10 to $12 (depending on cheese and bacon brand.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Table of Contents
- 📝 Recipe Snapshot – Rigatoni Mac and Cheese (with Bacon)
- It’s Restaurant-Worthy
- What’s in The Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe?
- How to Make Rigatoni Mac and Cheese (with Bacon)
- Don’t Do This – Things to Avoid
- What Goes with Mac and Cheese?
- Common recipe questions
- Freezer Macaroni and Cheese
- Our Favorite Mac and Cheese Recipes
- Rigatoni Mac and Cheese (with Bacon) Recipe
💛 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This isn’t your average mac and cheese. This is the one friends and family keep asking for again and again.
- Extra sharp cheddar gives it bold flavor while cream and a homemade roux keep it rich and smooth.
- Bacon adds the perfect salty crunch to balance out all that cheesy comfort.
- It’s easy to prep ahead or freeze for later, making it a go-to for holidays and busy weeknights.
- Simple ingredients, no fussy toppings. Like our old-fashioned goulash, and our family recipe for homemade beefaroni, this is good food that brings people together.
It’s Restaurant-Worthy
I started making it more often and soon, my adult friends began to swoon over it. Then, the requests for the recipe started coming in. It wasn’t long before my kids began to plead for “that” mac and cheese on a regular basis.
They had to emphasize “that” because we make many different types of macaroni and cheese recipes. Sometimes, it’s hard to choose which one to make when we meal plan because they’re all delicious! Some of my favorites include our Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese, Apple Cider Sausage Mac and Cheese, and this decadent Gourmet Crab Mac and Cheese with Smoked Gouda & Bacon.
What makes this version better than the rest? To start with, the recipe is ridiculously easy. If your mother ever told you that simple is best, she may have been talking about this recipe.
Two things that help knock this easy macaroni and cheese out of the park are bacon and extra sharp cheese. Those two ingredients are a match made in heaven.
This dish does not have a fancy breaded topping. It can be made on the stovetop or baked, and it has just a handful of common ingredients.
What’s in The Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe?
This mac and cheese is extra creamy and super yummy! It’s made with sharp cheddar cheese for lots of flavor, rigatoni pasta to hold the cheesy sauce, and crispy bacon for a tasty crunch. A little dry mustard, salt, and flour help bring it all together!
- Extra sharp cheddar cheese
- The sharpness gives a nice edge that is mellowed out by the cheese sauce, but it’s still there. This adds an extra element of character to the whole dish.
- Do not use pre-shredded cheese! Pre-shredded cheese usually contains cellulose, which helps prevent caking. Because of this, block cheese will always taste better since it is all cheese and no filler.
- Rigatoni Pasta
- The long hollow tubes are perfect for holding the sauce for this macaroni and cheese.
- Cream
- You can substitute regular milk for the cream. This will naturally cut down on the fat and calories of this recipe. The tradeoff is that you will lose some of the heavenly creamy flavors.
- Bacon
- It’s a concrete fact that pasta and cream always taste better with bacon. (What doesn’t?)
- Dry mustard
- Kosher salt
- Flour
Use Ingredients You Already Have
Need a little help getting started? Tell us what’s in your fridge, and we’ll help you make it work.
How to Make Rigatoni Mac and Cheese (with Bacon)
(See the complete recipe at the bottom of this post)
Just like any recipe, the first thing I do is grab all of the ingredients along with the kitchen tools that I will use.
- Cheese shredder (optional)
- Cheese shredder (optional)
- Large skillet
- Stockpot
If you’re going to bake this in the oven, which I highly recommend, preheat the oven to 350°.
Boil the Pasta
Use an 8 quart stock pot and prepare the pasta as directed on the package.
Pro Cooking Tip
- Cook the pasta al dante, because it will continue to cook while it bakes in the oven.
- Do this by boiling the pasta for 1 minute less than the package directions recommend.
Make a Cheese Sauce Roux
One of the secrets to this mac and cheese is the roux. This is the sauce that holds all the flavor in this dish. It is an important part of homemade gravy made from scratch. Be sure to check out our post where we show you how to make a roux!
Save This Recipe for Later (You’ll Want It Again)
Get this recipe sent to your inbox, plus a few of our best easy meals
⭐ Most readers end up making this in a few days.
Making a roux, using cream, cheese, and flour.
- Heat the cream slowly, over low heat.
- Add the cheese to the cream as it warms. Gently stir and watch the magic start to happen as the two become one.
- Stir in the kosher salt and dry mustard.
- If you need to thicken the roux, stir in a couple of pinches of flour. It won’t take much.
It is very important that you make the roux at a temperature below the simmer point!
While you are making the roux, you can make and dry the bacon. Do this by frying it the old-fashioned way in a skillet, or by oven-frying it. After you finish making the roux, it’s time to put it all together. This is where things turn from magical to heavenly!
5. Drain the pasta and return it to the stockpot. Add a little olive oil and gently stir it to help keep it from sticking. Now pour the roux over the pasta, while gently stirring.
6. Fold in the crumbled bacon.
7. Stir it all together.
8. Transfer the mixture to a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
Don’t Do This – Things to Avoid
It took me a while to perfect this recipe. I tried different cheeses, different amounts of cheese, and even various pasta. Eventually, I hit the bullseye. Some of the mistakes I’ve made that you need to avoid:
- I have cooked the roux over too high of heat which causes the cream (or milk) to curdle. This affects the taste less so than the appearance which is gritty instead of silky smooth.
- I have added too much cheese. (More is not always better!)
- Too much salt can be overpowering. Just a couple of pinches is all you need until the flavor of the cheese beings to pop into a third dimension.
- I’ve used the wrong kind of pasta.
The long, hollow tubes of rigatoni hold the cheese sauce, and also the small chunks of bacon. Just a few bites of rigatoni that is baked in this sauce will make you think you might have died and gone to heaven, even for a brief period.
There are a million ways to make this dish. You can make it form a box or you can make it from this recipe. And 1,001 ways in between. The best mac and cheese is the kind that you make well and tastes great!
What Goes with Mac and Cheese?
One of the great things about our favorite family meal is that it can be served as a main or heavy side dish recipe.
It’s the perfect side for almost any food from the grill. Things like Traeger smoked pork loin, perfect smoked beef brisket flat, and the best smoked pork chops.
I make this often for holidays such as Easter and Thanksgiving and it always ranks right up there with the ham and traditional turkey recipes!
If you are serving this as a main dish, it is a meal all by itself. But, if you want to serve it with a couple of side dishes, here are a few things that go well with mac and cheese:
- Easy and Healthy Steamed Kale – This green dish is so tasty your kids will never know it’s good for them!
- Butter Braised Vegetables – A savory blend of butter-braised Brussels sprouts, radishes, and kohlrabi.
- Oven-Wilted Spinach with Roasted Tomatoes – Roasted baby spinach with oven-caramelized cherry tomatoes.
Common recipe questions
Cheese, like a favorite color, is a matter of your personal preference. My favorite cheese to use for this recipe is extra sharp cheddar. It’s what my mom used for her version and it tasted as great then as it does today.
If you want to add a little more character (and expense) to this macaroni and cheese, Gruyère is a great place to start. Its sharp, nutty character adds another dimension to this recipe, and my kids love it. (Disclaimer: Gruyère cheese is one of my personal favorites!)
Absolutely not. We show you how to make mac and cheese in an instant pot.
Or, you can just skip the baking part and make it all on the stovetop. Baking it only adds a crispiness to the top layer of pasta so the taste is still the same!
I will often put this together the day before a holiday. Just put it in the baking dish and wrap it tightly with kitchen wrap, then place it in the fridge. When you are ready to bake, you may want to pour a cup or so of milk over the unbaked pasta. This will help compensate for the liquid that was absorbed by the pasta.
You can store this for 2 or three days in a sealed container in your refrigerator.
On the Stovetop – Use a small saute pan, over medium heat, and add a little milk to make it creamy again. This is my favorite way to reheat leftover mac and cheese.
In the Microwave – Add a little milk as above, and reheat for between one and two minutes.
In the Oven – Place in an oven-safe dish, stir in a little milk and cover with foil. Reheat for 15 minutes at 300° F.
If you love a good mac and cheese but you’re trying to cut carbs, Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a must-make. Featuring low carbs and high flavor, you can put this delicious keto version of mac and cheese together in just 20 minutes!
Freezer Macaroni and Cheese
I always make a double batch of this and then freeze half for our big family. Or for a smaller crowd, I’ll make a single batch, bake half of it right away, and then use the rest for an easy freezer meal.
How Long Can Freezer Macaroni and Cheese Stay in the Freezer?
You can store mac and cheese in your freezer for up to two months. It’s really important that you wrap it properly so it keeps well.
- Be sure and press the plastic wrapper into the pan’s contents and get out all the air in between the wrap and the food.
- Then wrap the entire dish in foil.
Our Favorite Mac and Cheese Recipes
Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Ginger Mac ‘N Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Pressure Cooker Mac n Cheese
Casserole recipes
Rigatoni Margherita
Casserole recipes
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Mexican Lasagna)
👨🍳 Tried this Recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. We love hearing from our readers!
⏩ Stay in touch with us on social media by following us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!
📬Get our Recipes delivered to your inbox for FREE!
Rigatoni Mac and Cheese (with Bacon)
Save This Recipe for Later (You’ll Want It Again)
Get this recipe sent to your inbox, plus a few of our best easy meals
⭐ Most readers end up making this in a few days.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 450g Rigatoni-style pasta
- 8 oz. extra sharp cheese, cut or sliced
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1/2 lb bacon, (fried or baked), medium chop
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt, adjust to your personal taste.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an oven-safe 2-quart baking dish with a non-stick coating. Boil the pastaa per package directions, minus 1 mintue.
- Meanwhile, prepare rue by heating skillet over medium-low heat. Place cheese and cream in the skillet, add mustard and salt, stir until melted. Add flour to rue, stir to thicken slightly.
- Place cooked pasta in large mixing bowl, add rue and bacon and gently mix together until well combined and pasta is evenly coated.
- Place mixture in a prepared baking pan and bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes Add additional cream or milk throughout the baking process if pasta appears drys.
To Make this a Freezer Meal
- Allow the roux/cheese sauce and bacon to cool to room temperature. Combine the cooled pasta and sauce (with bacon) in a big mixing bowl and gently mix together. Depending on the size of your batch, place it in a prepared 9×9 or 9×13 baking pan. Wrap the entire dish in plastic wrap and be sure to squeeze all the air out by pressing gently on the top surface of the dish. Cover with foil and label with the date. Remove the dish from the freezer 12 to 24 hours before baking. Place it in the refrigerator to thaw. Remove the plastic wrap and foil and then bake as directed in the instructions above.
Notes
- This recipe can be prepared ahead of time, stored overnight in refrigerator and baked the next day.
- For a lighter version, substitute milk for cream.
- You can use your noodle of preference, I prefer the size and texture of the large, tubular rigatoni-style.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have favorite sharp white cheddar cheese! I will make mac with that1 I actually love a lemon garnish of one of your picture!
What do you mean by “almost” famous?? Humble or not, this looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it…ASAP!
Haha, my son gives many of the same comments whenever I try to vary the types of mac and cheese I make. This one looks incredible! Love the addition of bacon.
Thanks goodness for our very own food critics!
Not only does this look easy, it looks super creamy and amazingly delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
It’s all of those things!
This mac and cheese recipe looks fabulous! I love that you use rigatoni, I love using different types of pasta in traditional dishes like this! I can’t wait to try this as the dry mustard intrigues me.
Thanks, Elaine. It’s our family favorite!
I can see how this will be World Famous in no time. Wows a for the ultimate Mac and cheese !
My son would love this, bacon and mac and cheese together is proper comfort food
Bintu, thanks for the comments and I have no doubt whatsoever that your son will indeed love this recipe!
It deserves the famous title 😉
Ha! Thanks, Rebecca; our kids certainly agree!
This sounds great! I love that you call it “world famous”–when I was growing up, my mom would make brownies from a box and add a bunch of extra chocolate chunks, and we called them her “world famous” brownies. Hey, they were the best thing we’d ever tasted, so they were world famous to us! Your recipe seems a bit more gourmet and deserving of the name. 🙂
Thanks, Elizabeth. I love your mom’s style!
Real comfort food. I don’t know if there is anyone in the world who doesn’t love mac n cheese 🙂
That’s a great point, Diana!