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This brie mac and cheese with bacon and herbs sounds very posh but in reality is easier to master than the classic recipe!
For another fantastic baked macaroni and cheese recipe, try this Layered Italian Baked Mac and Cheese!
If you are anything like my family, you could always use another macaroni and cheese recipe, right? Truth is, I don’t actually make mac and cheese too often as it can feel too indulgent to be a regular occurrence.
But when we went away for our holiday to Sweden a couple of months ago I cooked it twice in two weeks and my kids have not stopped talking about how much they “LOVE mac and cheese”!
So to keep my love for mac and cheese strong, I decided to create another recipe. This time it would be a variation on my usual macaroni and cheese.
And once you see how easy this recipe is, you bring it into your rotation as well. Time to celebrate because it doesn’t require making an actual cheese sauce!
Brie and bacon mac and cheese
This simple recipe for brie and bacon macaroni and cheese is based on mixing your pasta with melted and infused with garlic and thyme brie cheese. Adding bacon is optional but highly recommended!
Another reason this bacon and brie mac and cheese is such a winner is due to a delicious flavour that comes with the brie cheese itself. All that loving care and hundreds of years of experience that French cheesemakers put into it comes through.
It brings your humble macaroni and cheese and elevates it to an incredible height! A little bit of thyme and garlic doesn’t hurt either!
I’ve also added some bacon to mine for a little smoky taste and extra texture but that part is entirely up to you. Skip the bacon and keep it vegetarian if you wish but by all means, make it and make it soon!!
More baked pasta recipes
- Baked Shells with Pesto and Tomato Beef Sauce
- Gnocchi Bake with Meat Sauce and Mozzarella
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Sausage Pasta Bake with Mozzarella
Brie and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz /250 g brie cheese
- 2-3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 lbs penne or any other short pasta
- 3 tbsp fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 strips bacon
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
- Slice the top rind off your brie and lay sliced garlic and thyme leaves directly on it.
- Put it in a small baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until completely melted.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, slice the bacon and fry it over medium heat, remove to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb some fat.
- When pasta is cooked, take the pot off the heat and drain the water while reserving a cup for later use. Return pasta to the pot and mix in 2 tbsp. of grated parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp of butter, and salt and pepper. Then add a few splashes (1/2 cup) of reserved water to make it a bit runny. Cover with a lid and set aside.
- When brie is completely melted pour it in the pasta with a bit more water if the sauce gets too thick to stir. You want pasta to be fluid not solid. Then stir in bacon pieces.
- Pour the pasta into a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake at 350F/180C for 20-30 minutes until macaroni and cheese is heated through and forms a golden crust on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is seriously amazing!! My kids was really impressed!
Yes!! So glad!
HUGE hit with my family, especially my teenagers! Thank you!
My pleasure, Diane! So pleased your teens loved it. So do mine!
You had me at Brie and Bacon! Such a great macaroni and cheese dish. Easy to make and so delicious. 🙂
Brie and bacon for the win!
Thank you! I’ll be trying this for dinner as I have more brie cheese than I know what to do with. I mean a giant wheel of the stuff! We’ve been giving it away, eating it with crackers, as grilled cheese and many melted brie dips. Quite frankly, we’re getting sick of the stuff but as the saying goes, waste not want not. I’m looking for ways to use it in meals. I read it can be frozen but I’d rather prepare dishes with it to freeze for later.
This recipe is perfect for such a predicament as yours, Brennan although too much brie is more of a blessing than predicament in my books. 🙂 Enjoy the recipe!