Homemade macaroni and cheese is easy to have on the table in no time at all. Try this delicious Bacon Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese for a comforting meal on a cold winter day.
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I hope you are ready for some cheesy goodness!!
After seeing that the three top recipes of last year were cheesy pasta, I am on a mission to bring you more pasta dishes this year. You guys like cheese and pasta, and so do we!!! Oh, there will still be plenty of sugary treats too, but my goal is to bring you more dinners.
I’m going TO TRY to do one savory recipe a week, but do not hold me to it! There may be weeks where I get on a roll making cake and cookies, and I might just “forget” about dinner for the time being.
Last week winter hit us hard. Ice, snow, freezing rain…it all has me wishing we lived on a tropical island. I’m pretty sure I have told my husband daily how much I do not like winter. Oh, it’s pretty…for a day, and then I am over it.
Thank goodness for little space heaters to keep running beside my desk.
To combat the arctic tundra that is our life right now, I decided to make another pan of homemade mac and cheese for dinner. Last year we enjoyed this Ham and Broccoli Pasta Bake, so I decided to make it again with some changes.
The bag of crumbled bacon in our refrigerator has been getting lots of use lately. My oldest loves making scrambled eggs with crumbled bacon and cheese. And he always stirs some bacon into the blue box of mac and cheese, so I knew that bacon was a must for this pasta!
We have been trying hard to stick with our healthier eating, so we had some fresh broccoli to use up before the crisper drawer claimed it for its own.
You know how that happens, right? Buy the veggies, eat them for 1-2 days, put the veggies in the drawer, forget about the veggies for a week or two, find said veggies with extra things growing on them…yeah, that’s the life cycle of most veggies in our fridge. Anyone else have the same veggie problems? I guess I should make more Veggie Salad before the veggies disappear into that drawer!
Anyway, I chopped up some fresh broccoli and added it to the boiling pasta when it had a few minutes left to go. Then while that was draining, I made the cheesy sauce that the noodles, broccoli, and bacon went into. Now if you are short on time, you can go ahead and eat it now because it tastes great.
But if you have an extra 20 minutes, pour the pasta into a dish, top it with a little more cheese, and some crushed crackers. Extra cheese always gets my vote, no matter how hungry we are.
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Homemade macaroni and cheese with a bacon, broccoli and cracker topping is a great comfort food meal.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces macaroni noodles
- 2 cups freshly chopped broccoli
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 cups shredded white cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
- 3/4 cup crushed butter crackers (1/2 sleeve Ritz)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Pour in the noodles and cook for 6 minutes. Add the broccoli and bring back to a boil and cook another 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Whisk in the butter and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until it thickens slightly. Stir in the yogurt and 2 cups cheese and continue stirring until melted and creamy.
- Add the noodles, broccoli, and bacon to the melted cheese mixture and stir until coated. Pour into a 9x9 baking dish that was sprayed with non stick spray. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the noodles. Sprinkle with the crushed crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Serve immediately. Cool and store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
More delicious cheesy pasta dinner recipes to try:
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
Mir says
I love your casserole dish, Jocelyn! I also love this idea. It looks so creamy and cheesy!
By the way, you are not alone with the veggie drawer. I hate cleaning out all the slime…
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you!!! It was so cheesy and delicious! And good to know I’m not alone in the veggie drawer dilemma!!!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I am pretty sure that bacon and broccoli were MADE for each other. And tossing them together with cheese and carby goodness most definitely does not hurt either. I need this.
Pinned!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Bacon, broccoli, cheese, and pasta…definitely all made for each other 🙂 Thanks for the pin love girl!!
[email protected] says
You just combined my three favorite ingredients: bacon, broccoli, and cheese. This is too good to be true. Pinned.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
It’s a dream come true dinner for sure 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!!
[email protected]+ShugarySweets says
I love easy, cheesy dinner ideas!! My kids would love this one 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Yup, your family needs another cheesy dinner 🙂 I’m sure they would devour it as fast as my kiddos did!!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
This mac n cheese looks SO good! Love the bacon flavour, delicious and very comforting!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you!!!
Jen @ Baked by an Introvert says
This is a meal I could live off of. Seriously! Mac and cheese for one is an all time favorite, who doesn’t love it? And then you go and add broccoli and bacon to the mix. My stomach just growled… it’s 7:46 am.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
It’s a meal that could happen here on a regular basis because it was so good!!
Tonia from TheGunnySack says
I’m all for more cheesy goodness and this looks like the perfect place to start!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Yes to more cheesy amazingness!!!
[email protected]+press says
sounds like your veggies and my veggies are on the same cycle 🙂 this is certainly a delicious way to use them up
Jocelyn Brubaker says
At least my veggies are not alone in the crisper cycle 🙂
Johlene @Flavours & Frosting says
When you say bacon, I´m there! Happy New Year girl! 🙂 xoxo
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Bring on the bacon love, right? Happy New Year to you too 🙂
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
So glad I’m not the only one whose veggies disappear in the black hole known as the crisper! Love the bacon and broccoli addition to this comforting mac and cheese.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
We just cleaned out the black hole again today…you would think that I would stay on top of it more! LOL! Glad you loved this fun mac and cheese!!!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Yum! You had me at bacon, Jocelyn! This looks like the perfect comfort food meal! Love all that cheesy goodness! Pinned!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you 🙂
Chels+R. says
Mmm! You can never have to much cheesy goodness! Sending you some of our sun because I know you despise the snow 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I agree…never enough cheesy goodness!! Keep the sun coming…this cold is killing me!!!
Emily @ Life on Food says
I am 33 weeks pregnant and all I want is mac and cheese. At least this has some broccoli. I won’t feel too guilty about eating so much.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Yes, the baby needs mac and cheese with a healthy side of broccoli 🙂
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Macaroni and cheese is my downfall. Oh man, I need this!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Mine too…just can’t resist the cheesy goodness!!! 😉
Elaine says
Yummy!! Mac and cheese with bacon is one of my favorite things…then you added broccoli!! Sounds delish!! Hey I would love if you stopped by and shared your stuff on my 2 Favorite Thing on Thursday – Link Party #2! Here is the link…http://www.cookinandcraftin.com/my-2-favorite-things-on-thursday-link-party-2/
[email protected]+Whisk+&+Shout says
Yum! I love mac and cheese in all forms, but broccoli is my favorite vegetable so this is such a treat 🙂
[email protected] in the Kitchen says
Bacon in the Mac and cheese?? You would be a super hero in my house!! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Hahaha! Love it! Make it and watch everyone devour it!
kentuckylady717 says
This looks delicious and I love your red & white polka dot dish…..is this a temptation dish ?
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you! No, the dish is from Old Time Pottery 🙂
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
I would for sure be serving myself seconds of this!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I agree…seconds are a must 🙂
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
I’m always ready for cheesy goodness! I like the crunchy topping!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
The crunchy topping is one of my favorite parts on mac and cheese 🙂 Glad you like it too!!!
Kelley @ Chef Savvy says
Wow this mac and cheese looks so amazing and creamy! I love the addition of bacon!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you 🙂
Candace @ Cabot says
You know you got our attention with this yummy, easy mac & cheese. It looks like a perfect way to end a cold winter day! It’s going on my Must-Make list, for sure.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I am so glad to hear this caught your eye! It’s a must make for sure…especially with the awesome Cabot cheese 🙂
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking says
Don’t even get me started on how much I hate winter… If I’m over here miserable in California, I can’t imagine how you’re surviving in the snow and ice! Stay warm — and eat lots of this gorgeous pasta for me! 😉 Pinned!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Believe me…I am staying inside as much as possible! Bring on that spring time loving, right?
Julie @ This Gal Cooks says
LOVE this dinner recipe, Jocelyn! It’s the perfect weeknight meal that will make me a happy camper when it comes to dinner during the week! And ZOMG CHEESE!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Gotta love a comfort food dish full of cheese 🙂 Glad you liked it!!!
Michelle says
It’s my favorite serving dish of yours!! I *heart* that dish … I always look for something similar every time I go to a rummage or thrift store! I like the idea of adding broccoli to Mac & Cheese. I am the only one in the family who doesn’t like broccoli, & since I’m trying to eat at least a WEENSY bit healthier this year, every floret counts! Maybe if I cut it up small enough & make it ahead of time, I’ll forget I added it 🙂