This Mac and Cheese Carbonara recipe is creamy, rich, cheesy and incredibly easy to make. This fun twist on pasta carbonara is loaded with crispy bacon, 5 different cheeses and a crunchy Panko Parmesan topping.
Baked Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food! There are so many variations of this delicious classic and cheesy dish and this Mac and cheese carbonara is definitely one of my favorites.
This easy mac and cheese combines the smooth creaminess of cheese sauce and the richness of a simple carbonara sauce creating a delicious pasta dish, easy enough to make on weeknights and fancy enough for a holiday meal.
🔎 What Is Carbonara
Carbonara sauce is a very simple and rich pasta sauce made with egg yolks, cheese, cured pork and ground black pepper. Carbonara is usually tossed with piping hot spaghetti. Although this is a very easy sauce to make, the trick is to combine the ingredients in a way that results in a smooth creamy sauce and not scrambled eggs.
📝 Mac And Cheese Carbonara Ingredients
- The Pasta: I use elbow macaroni but any other short pasta works as well.
- The Cheese: Asiago cheese, white cheddar, sharp cheddar, Fontina and Parmesan.
- Milk: I use whole milk.
- Bacon: I prefer regular bacon over thick-cut for this recipe.
- Egg Yolks: I use large eggs.
- Flour: All purpose flour.
- Butter: Use just for greasing the baking dish.
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic.
- Fresh Herbs: Thyme and parsley
- Seasonings: Nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper.
✅ How To Make Mac and Cheese Carbonara Recipe
- Mix Topping: Mix the Panko topping in a small bowl and set aside.
- Get Ready: Preheat the oven and butter a 3 Qt. baking dish.
- Cook Bacon: Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium-high heat until nicely brown and crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Make A Roux: Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic to the bacon drippings. Cook for about a minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add Milk and Eggs: Whisk in the milk. Add the egg yolks, thyme and nutmeg. Whisk to incorporate. Whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Add Cheeses: Remove pot from the heat and stir in the cheese one by one.
- Stir In Pasta: Stir the cooked macaroni into the sauce.
- Bake: Pour the mac & cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with Panko mixture and bacon. Bake until bubbly and golden brown.
Can I use pre-shredded cheese to make homemade mac and cheese?
For creamy and smooth oven baked mac and cheese, I recommend shredding cheese from a block of cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains additives that prevent the cheese from naturally sticking together. The additives also change the way the cheese melts.
Do you cover the mac n cheese carbonara while baking?
No, this cheesy pasta is baked uncovered so the topping gets crispy and has a nice golden brown color.
🔪 Chef Kathy’s Tips for the Best Mac and Cheese Carbonara
- Cook the macaroni in salted water.
- Cook the pasta until just al dente (firm and slightly under cooked). The pasta will continue to cook while it bakes.
- The easiest and fastest way to way to grate cheese is by using a food processor with the grating blade.
- This baked carbonara mac and cheese can be made with other types of cheese like Gruyere, Gouda and Romano cheese.
- Use pancetta instead of bacon, if preferred.
Tested in Kathy’s kitchen. What cooking means to me.
Hosting this year?
Which Thanksgiving Are You Hosting?
I wrote four complete menus so you can plan only the dinner you can actually pull off. Each one has its own shopping list, oven schedule and hour-by-hour plan.
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Cooking for 2–4
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A classic dinner for 8–12
Menu 2 · Brined turkey, half the work done Wednesday
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A big crowd, 12–16
Menu 3 · Ham and slow cooker turkey; guests bring the rest
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Vegetarian guests
Menu 4 · Stuffed acorn squash with mushroom gravy
Free 40-page printable, with a thawing chart, a “What can I bring?” sheet and my fixes for when things go sideways.
Take A Look At These Easy Pasta Recipes:
Mac and Cheese Carbonara
Ingredients
- Butter for the baking dish
- 6 ounces bacon, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 8 ounces Asiago cheese, grated
- 6 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 4 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste
- 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente, drained
For the Topping
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
To Make the Topping
- In a small bowl mix the panko, Parmesan and parsley. Reserve.
To Make the Macaroni and Cheese Carbonara
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a 3 Qt. Baking dish.
- Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until nicely brown and crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic to the bacon drippings. Cook for about a minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and raise the heat to high. Add the egg yolks, thyme and nutmeg. Whisk to incorporate. Whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken, about 5 -7 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in all the different cheeses until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked macaroni and mix well to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Top the macaroni with the reserved bacon and the topping. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
Chef’s Notes
- The easiest and fastest way to grate cheese is by using a food processor with the grating blade.
- Cook the macaroni in salted water.
- Cook the pasta until just al dente (firm and slightly under cooked). The pasta will continue to cook while it bakes
- You can use pancetta instead of bacon.
- Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay.
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