Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

A side dish with a bacon ranch kick! Make this Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese tonight with dinner or add in some rotisserie chicken to make it a full meal!

It’s over! We did it!

Wasn’t it terrifying? What a night!

Great Halloween everybody! I believe it was our most horrible yet! Thank you everyone.

 

Haha YES! I did happen to quote the  beginning of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Ok, ok, you know I’m not super excited about Halloween being over. You know how much I love Halloween but even thought we’re done with Halloween for this year, I still have some pretty great recipes to share with you leading up to Thanksgiving!

Do you know that Thomas is ready to start putting up Christmas stuff? Heck, he was ready to put up Christmas stuff like a month ago!

It’s so odd because normally Thomas doesn’t get excited about Christmas. Normally I’m having to drag him to get the Christmas tree the week before Christmas.

This year though, he’s ready!

I mean it is Nov 2nd. I suppose that we could put the tree up haha. How early do you normally put up your tree? I know a few friends of mine had their trees up in October!

But anywho, let’s don’t get too ahead of ourselves. We still need to get to Thanksgiving, y’all! I mean I love Christmas and all but Thanksgiving has just got to come first. 🙂

Speaking of Thanksgiving, let’s start with some new side dish ideas for your Thanksgiving table! I’m thinking about doing a “10 days of Mac and Cheese” series on the blog this month for Thanksgiving. I don’t know….perhaps I’ll do 10 mac and cheese recipes in a row but still post with my normal Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule. We’ll see.

Today we’re starting with Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese! Oh, bacon, ranch and cheese…. is there anything better? haha

I started making a version of this mac and cheese a few months ago and I love it so much. It’s so easy to make and I think it might be one of the simplest mac and cheese recipes that I’ve ever made.

This is probably the 3rd or 4th version of mac and cheese I’ve made using this same mac and cheese base recipe.

I made a White Mac and Cheese with Ham and Peas like this that will be published in the Roanoker Magazine this month as well as a creamy stove stop cheddar mac and cheese that I’ll be posting on the blog this Friday.

You know what else I love about this Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese? My husband, who hates ranch, loved this.

When I was making it I was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to be interested in in at all  but he promised me that he would give it a taste once it was done.

Well y’all, guess what…. I finally found something ranch flavored that he likes! haha

Score!

Side Note! The last time I made this Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese I served it with these Italian Paleo Chicken Fingers from Tastes of  Lizzy T’s and it made the perfect dinner!

Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

Yield: 8-10 SERVINGS

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A side dish with a bacon ranch kick! Make this Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese tonight with dinner or add in some rotisserie chicken to make it a full meal!

Print

Ingredients

• 16 ounces penne pasta, uncooked
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
• 10 -12 pieces bacon
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
• 8 ounces white American cheese slices, cut into small pieces
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and diced
• 8 ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 ounce ranch seasoning mix
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• *fresh parsley optional for garnish*

Instructions

Cook bacon in a medium skillet until crispy, lay on a paper towel to drain.

Pour out bacon grease.

Let bacon cool and then chop into bits.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 10 minutes.

Drain and set aside.

In a the same pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour.

Whisk flour and butter together for 1-2 minutes.

Whisk in the ranch seasoning.

Pour in milk and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in dry mustard and white pepper.

Heat milk until hot and then add in cream cheese.

Whisk until melted and smooth.

Add in all cheese and whisk until melted.

Mix in the chopped bacon. (reserve some for the top if desired)

Pour pasta into cheese sauce and mix well.

Stir well and heat for 2-3 minutes.

*optional - top with freshly chopped parsley and a few bacon bits*

serve warm

If you make this recipe, snap a picture and share it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #bigbearswife — I love to see what your cooking from the blog!

 

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