Gruyere Bacon Mac and Cheese - An easy stovetop, no-fuss, 30 min mac and cheese from start to finish!

Mac and cheese is always better when crisp bacon goodness is involved, especially in this easy stovetop, no-fuss 30 min dish from start to finish!

Gruyere Bacon Mac and Cheese - An easy stovetop, no-fuss, 30 min mac and cheese from start to finish!

Macaroni and cheese is my favorite kind of comfort food. It’s a carboholic’s absolute weakness involving creamy, stringy cheesy goodness. But I realized that I’ve found something better than mac and cheese.  It’s mac and cheese with bacon. And not just any kind of bacon – it’s crisp, bacon bits tossed right in and then leaving some extra on the side for that beautiful garnish. But let’s be real here. We both know you’ll be eating those bacon “garnish” bits first.

But let me tell about this bacon first. I used Jones Dairy Farm bacon in this recipe, the one with the iconic farmhouse on their packages signifying their commitment to creating natural, wholesome products. And although many developments have been made in food technology for the last 120 years making production faster and cheaper, Jones Dairy Farm continued to stay true to their roots, keeping their products away from fillers, binders, MSG, allergens, glutens, artificial ingredients or preservatives.

Gruyere Bacon Mac and Cheese - An easy stovetop, no-fuss, 30 min mac and cheese from start to finish!

I absolutely love their authenticity, and you know I love bacon, so you could imagine how thrilled I was when they ask me to be a brand ambassador. So once a month, be on the lookout for a new pork recipe that the whole family will love, like this mac and cheese here.

Now this is a simple, no-fuss stovetop mac and cheese recipe that takes 30 minutes from start to finish. There’s no baking involved and no fancy breadcrumb topping either. I usually like to add that crunchiness to my mac and cheese but the bacon takes real good care of that on this one. And plus, you don’t want those breadcrumbs to take away from that salty, crisp, smoky bacon topping!

Gruyere Bacon Mac and Cheese

Gruyere Bacon Mac and Cheese

An easy stovetop, no-fuss, 30 min mac and cheese from start to finish!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 6 slices Jones Dairy Farm Sliced Bacon, diced
  • 2 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 ¼ cups shredded gruyere cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, garlic and thyme over medium heat. Bring to a slight boil and reduce by half, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in cheeses, a handful at a time, until smooth, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in pasta and bacon until well combined.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with bacon, if desired.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!

Disclosure:This post is sponsored by Jones Dairy Farm. All opinions expressed are my own.