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Homemade Macaroni & Cheese with Beef and Bacon

Posted By Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom On In Beans Recipes,Budget Friendly Recipes,Pasta Recipes,Pork Recipes | 54 Comments
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An amazing new macaroni and cheese recipe with ground beef and bacon, drowned in a homemade Gouda cheese sauce…yes, please! 

I’ve used in this amazing homemade cheese sauce and the flavor is outta this world…

How to Make Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

If you’ve never made a homemade cheese sauce, here’s what that looks like:

Melt the butter in a large skillet.

Whisk in some flour until a paste forms.

Whisk in some milk.

Then stir in cream cheese, until it melts into the sauce.

Then add a little more milk and the Gouda cheese, until the sauce is to your preferences.

(I prefer sauce on the thinner side, as it will loose a little more liquid when it bakes in the oven.

Then add the cooked bacon and ground beef.

Then dump over the pasta and bake for a bit.

Then try not to lick your plate clean.

It’s okay if you do, because I did. 😉

Now for this lick-your-plate-clean homemade mac n cheese recipe…

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Homemade Macaroni & Cheese with Beef and Bacon

An amazing new macaroni and cheese with ground beef and bacon, drowned in a homemade Gouda cheese sauce...yes, please! 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Servings - 6 servings

Ingredients 

  • 12 oz. small shell pasta noodles
  • 1 lb. ground beef browned
  • 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 2 1/2 -3 cups milk depending on how creamy you want the sauce
  • 4 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • bread crumbs for topping
  • about 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping
  • Side dish: fresh fruit or veggies

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F.
  • Cook the pasta noodles as directed.
  • Brown the ground beef and cook the bacon and then crumble it.
  • In a large skillet make the homemade cheese sauce. Melt the Country Crock spread and then whisk in the flour until a paste forms. Quickly whisk in the milk and then the cream cheese. Swirl the sauce and cream cheese around until it melts into the sauce. Sauce will thicken as it heats. Stir in the shredded Gouda cheese and then add the garlic powder and onion powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stir the ground beef and bacon into the sauce.
  • Add the pasta to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and gently mix it in. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Optional, add shredded cheddar cheese over the top before serving.
  • Serve Homemade Macaroni & Cheese with Beef and Bacon and side of fresh fruit or veggies.