Turn a plain box of macaroni and cheese into a grown-up side dish by adding bacon and truffle oil. This easy gourmet mac and cheese is a hit for holidays and weeknight meals.
Everything tastes better with bacon and truffle oil. I used those two tasty ingredients to turn a plain box of pasta and cheese into gourmet mac and cheese, that is worthy of serving at fancy dinner parties, for Thanksgiving or on busy weeknights.
Get ready to take your tastebuds on an adventure.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine. Read my full disclosure policy here.
This bacon truffle gourmet macaroni and cheese is a shortcut version, using Horizon Organic Mac and Cheese. That’s right, no need to sweat over making a roux and a bechamel sauce. Just open the Horizon box, prepare according to the package instructions and work a little mix-in magic.
The recipe starts with two boxes of Horizon Organic Mac and Cheese, prepared according to the package directions. I like the Pasta Shells and White Cheddar Cheese variety.
How to Make Gourmet Mac and Cheese
While the pasta is boiling, fry some bacon, drain and crumble. Or just save your leftovers from breakfast.
Then mix it into the pasta, along with some truffle oil, shredded cheese and a little more milk for extra creaminess.
What I love about this recipe is you can dress it up as much as you like, depending on what you add to the mac and cheese. For added flavor and richness, I suggest you saute diced onion and mushrooms in the bacon grease and add them to the pasta, along with the bacon and truffle oil.
Just don’t skip the truffle oil.
My kid, who is the pickiest eater on the planet, loves anything seasoned with truffle oil. French fries, popcorn, macaroni and cheese. Seriously, whenever we go out for burgers and fries, he asks, “Do you have truffle fries?”
Introduce your kids to this flavor, and I’m betting they’ll love it as much as mine does.
This gourmet mac and cheese is lunchbox ready, right out of the pan. Prepare your Thermos first by filling it with hot water for 10 minutes, and the mac and cheese will stay warm and gooey until lunchtime.
When I’m serving this dish for dinner, I love to add bread crumbs and more cheese to the top and put it under the broiler for a bit. You get extra “fancy” points if you dish it up in individual ramekins.
My “gourmet” recipe is just one of the many you’ll find on the Horizon MAC-N-ATOR, a nifty cook’s tool that will help you answer that never-ending question, “What’s for dinner?”
The MAC-N-ATOR is a mac and cheese recipe generator that lets you input ingredients you already have in your kitchen to find new macaroni and cheese recipe options that will surprise and delight your family, while making your life (a little) easier! Be sure to check it out.
You’ll find other great recipes on Horizon’s Pinterest boards.
- 2 boxes Horizon Organic Shells and Cheese prepared according to package directions
- 1¼ cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- ¼ to ½ cup milk
- 8 slices bacon
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 TBS butter melted
- 2 TBS white truffle oil
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Boil noodles according to package directions.
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While pasta is boiling, fry bacon in skillet. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels and crumble. Reserve ¼ cup of crumbled bacon.
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Once pasta is cooked, prepare mac and cheese according to package directions.
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To the macaroni and cheese, add 1 cup shredded cheese, truffle oil and all but the reserved bacon.
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Add additional milk to reach desired creaminess.
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Preheat broiler.
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In a separate bowl, combine ¼ cup shredded cheese, bread crumbs and melted butter. Stir to combine.
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Ladle macaroni and cheese into six individual ramekins or a casserole dish and top with bread crumb mixture and reserved bacon.
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Broil in oven for a few minutes until top is crunchy and golden brown.
Feel free to add other ingredients to the mix, such as sauteed mushrooms or onions.
Pin This! Bacon Truffle Oil Gourmet Mac & Cheese
