Even though this post’s rampant use of brie and my peach and goat cheese pizza may suggest otherwise, I promise this isn’t turning into a fancy frou-frou pretentious food blog. Lest you forget, it wasn’t that long ago that I made a cake in the microwave. Seriously people, I promise I’m not turning foodie on you. In fact, it would never even occurred to me to use brie in…well…anything…if I wouldn’t have found three wheels in the clearance bin at my local grocery store. I love brie. I love cheese. But I love my bank account even more.

Yeah, that’s right, kids. $1. You couldn’t get a wheel of American cheeseโ€”if American cheese even came in wheelsโ€”for a $1. So I jumped all over that. And now, brie has infiltrated the blog. Do I expect you to hop out and buy a $20 wheel of cheese just to make macaroni and cheese? Hells no. But I do want to tell you that the brie makes this the creamiest, most decadent macaroni and cheese I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve eaten a lot of macaroni and cheese. So if you have a really, really special occasion that calls for macaroni and cheese, splurge on the brie.

Although I’m not exactly sure what kind of special occasion calls for mac and cheese. I mean, you aren’t going to serve mac and cheese at your wedding. Unless you are me and Babyface. Because we totally had mac and cheese at our wedding (and ribs, coleslaw, pulled pork, corn bread and corn on the cob).

I digress.

I know right now one (or more) of you are scrolling quickly down to the bottom of the post to type up a comment asking what to sub in for the brie, and honestly, I have no clue. I wish I knew more about cheese. All I know about cheese is that I like it in my belly. Intelligent, well-cheesed readers, please suggest some cost-effective solutions for the massive amount of brie in this recipe! For now, here’s hoping you find some brie on sale.

Also, I’m sure you could make this without the bacon, just up the butter or replace it all with olive oil. But that’d be a shame, because bacon is delicious. And flavorful. And smokey. And using the bacon drippings makes the cheese sauce so incredibly delicious that I may have eaten it straight out of the pot with a spoon. May have.

Bacon and Brie Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces whole wheat elbow macaroni, cooked according to package
  • 2 slices, thick cut bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 heaping tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 12 ounces brie, rind removed
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ยฐ.
  2. In a skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until well done, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
  3. In bacon grease, melt butter and then cook garlic for 1-2 minutes or until slightly brown and soft.
  4. Turn skillet to low and sprinkle flour over butter and bacon grease. Whisk for 1 minute to remove flour taste.
  5. Whisk in milk and heavy cream until well-incorporated. Bring to a simmer.
  6. Add cheddar and brie and whisk gently until melted. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Toss cheese sauce with elbow macaroni until well-coated.
  8. Spoon macaroni and cheese into six, greased ramekins or one large baking disk.
  9. Sprinkle top with breadcumbs. Crumble bacon and sprinkle on top.
  10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese sauce is bubbly and top is browned and crunchy. You can also crunchify the tops in the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

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27 Comments

  1. It’s a long story, but I just got 6lbs of Brie as a present. I’ll be making LOTS of this, I’ll bet! THANKS! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Hi there! Found your blog through a comment you left on Carrots N’ Cake.
    I laughed out loud when you listed your wedding menu because my husband and I did a backyard BBQ menu in one of the fanciest venues in our city. Pulled pork, mac and cheese, BBQ chicken, potato salad and jalapeno corn bread muffins. And everyone LOVED the food. Who wants to eat the same old lemon chicken that you get at most weddings?
    I’m bookmarking your blog! I’ve only read two posts and I can tell that I will love it.

  3. Mmmm, looks yummy. I’ve discovered Brie just recently and have already become an addict. It is amazing.

    I love your site and your photos! ๐Ÿ™‚ Petra

  4. Oh, I think Fontina would make an excellent sub for the Brie… though I don’t think it would be any cheaper for the recipe. Fontina is mild but flavor cheese but melts easily.

  5. I have to disagree about you being a foodie… according to a portion of the definition of Wikipedia…
    “Distinguished from gourmet, Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, foodies differ from gourmets in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news.[1] Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food.[2]”

    I think you would qualify as a foodie… ๐Ÿ™‚

    By the way the recipe sounds delish!

  6. Camembert might make a good sub for the brie, they’re fairly similar. I don’t know what cheese prices are like where you are though, here you can get a wheel of mass-produced supermarket Camembert for โ‚ฌ2 or so and I think brie is a little more expensive. Of course the tasty, artisan versions are more expensive, around โ‚ฌ5+

    1. It is super decadent. We definitely ate it with a big side of green beans. You know, because green veggies balance out cheese, right? ๐Ÿ˜›

  7. OH. MY. GOD. I’m dying thinking about how good this must taste!

    BTW My cousin also had some gourmet mac and cheese at his wedding. It was the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had and was perfect. I have even more respect for you now that I know you had mac and cheese at your wedding! It’s the perfect food.