5 Cheese Mac & Cheese topped with extra cheese, crispy Panko bread crumbs, and bacon is the ultimate comfort food! This baked pasta dish is sure to impress! It can be served as the main dish or is great as a side to grilled or smoked meats.
Nothing says comfort like a big serving of creamy 5 Cheese Macaroni & Cheese! This mac & cheese blows all others out of the water! Oh my, you will never taste a mac & cheese as amazing as this!
The BEST Mac & Cheese
Ingredients for 5 Cheese Mac & Cheese:
- Bacon– We’re using it all! The grease is used for making the sauce and that crispy salty bacon on top is just perfection!
- Pasta– Any short type of pasta will do. These fun twisty noodles I used are cavatappi.
- Milk– You can use any percent fat. The more fat, the thicker your sauce will be. The sauce thickens when the dish bakes so if it seems thin, no worries!
- Salt– Obviously needed in this savory dish but be sure to also salt your pasta water well!
- Dry Mustard– This add a delicious tangy flavor.
- Butter– The base of any good creamy, cheesy pasta.
- Flour– This is used to make the roux for the sauce. It’s purpose is to thicken the sauce.
- Cheese– We’re using 5 cheeses to achieve optimal flavor and creamy texture. The cheeses are further discussed below.
- Panko– This is a variety of bread crumb from Japanese cuisine. It is made from crustless white bread and is dryer, flakier, and results in a lighter and crunchier coated food.
The 5 Cheeses:
- Fontina– This cheese is similar to mozzarella. It has a smooth creamy texture, tangy flavor, and melts beautifully in pasta, sauce, and soups.
- Sharp White Cheddar– Surprisingly, it’s the same as yellow cheddar just without the dye. Since the other cheeses in this dish are white, I decided to keep things nice and pure white but you can totally substitute it with the orange.
- Asiago– A strong-flavored Italian cheese similar to parmesan but nuttier and creamier.
- Parmesan– I highly recommend using Parmigiano Reggiano which is the highest quality Parmesan as it is made in Italy and has aged for at least 18 months. This cheese has a sharp nutty and fruity taste with a gritty texture.
- Swiss– This is more of a mild cheese that is somewhat sweet and nutty. It is medium-soft in texture and is known for it’s distinctive appearance as it as many holes created by carbon dioxide emitted when made. This cheese melts very nicely.
How to make Baked Mac & Cheese:
Time needed: 1 hour and 5 minutes
This creamy Mac & Cheese reaches its full potential with 5 different cheese, bacon, and crispy Panko.
- Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan with butter.
- Cook Pasta
Boil pasta in salted water according to package.
- Make the Topping
In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup fontina, 1/2 cup white cheddar, 1/4 cup asiago, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Swiss, and Panko. Set aside.
- Cook Bacon
Cook bacon in a large pot until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and crumble into pieces when cooled.
- Make the Sauce
Add butter to the bacon grease in the pan and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to make a roux. Add the salt and mustard. While stirring, slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly while cooking until it thickens (5-7 minutes).
- Add the Cheese
Stir in the remaining cheese (1 1/4 cup fontina, 1 cup white cheddar, 1/2 cup asiago, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup swiss) until melted.
- Assemble
Add the sauce to the pasta and then pour into the pan. Top with the Panko/cheese mixture and bacon.
- Bake
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Let it rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
FAQs
Vegetables! I love a side of steamed broccoli with my mac & cheese but cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, or a simple side salad would be great too.
Pork and beef pair very well with mac & cheese. Try it with steak, brisket, chili, pulled pork, meatloaf, sloppy joes…
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS MACARONI AND CHEESE:
- 9×13 Inch Pyrex Dish– I use this all the time and I love that it has a lid for easily storing leftovers.
- Pot & Skillet Set– I love this set and have had it for over 10 years. The large pot is perfect for boiling a pound of pasta.
- Whisk– This is my favorite whisk to use when mixing something in a pat because it can reach into the corners of the pot.
LOOKING FOR MORE BAKED PASTA? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Beef, Spinach, & Cheese Manicotti
- Chicken Ranch Pasta Bake
- White Bean & Sausage Pumpkin Pasta Bake
- Baked Ziti with Sweet Italian Sausage
5 Cheese Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound bacon 8 slices
- 1 pound pasta cavatappi, elbow, shells
- 4 cups milk
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard or 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 cups fontina grated
- 1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar grated
- 3/4 cup asiago grated
- 3/4 cup parmesan grated
- 3/4 cup swiss grated
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with butter.
- Cook pasta according to package.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup fontina, 1/2 cup white cheddar, 1/4 cup asiago, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Swiss, and Panko. Set aside.
- Cook bacon in a large pot until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and crumble into pieces when cooled.
- Add butter to the bacon grease in the pan and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to make a roux. Add the salt and mustard. While stirring, slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly while cooking until it thickens (5-7 minutes).
- Stir in the remaining cheese (1 1/4 cup fontina, 1 cup white cheddar, 1/2 cup asiago, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup swiss) until melted.
- Add the sauce to the pasta and then pour into the pan. Top with the Panko/cheese mixture and bacon.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Let it rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Nutrition
Recipe Source: Adapted from Food Network
This is so good and my go-to for Mac and Cheese. Do you think I can make the dish earlier in the day and bake at dinner time?
Google chose this recipe for me when I entered fontina Swiss and cheddar Mac and cheese. Wowzers! It’s perfect. Thank for the recipe. It’s a keeper for me for sure. Went so well with the brisket I made.
Michelle, I’m so glad you loved it! Such a great idea to serve it with brisket. YUM!
this recipe is awesome .. i made it as directed and everyone raved about it. thank you! g
Yay! So happy to hear that!
The consistency of my mac and cheese was too dry. I would prefer a creamier sauce. Tasty, but I was a bit disappointed.
Laynie, Sorry to hear you were a bit disappointed with it. Next time add more milk to your sauce to make it runnier. Baking the macaroni is what makes the sauce thicken so if your sauce is thinner/more liquid it won’t come out as dry. Or maybe try making more sauce or using less pasta so then you have a higher sauce to pasta ration.
Fannie Farmers Mac n Cheese has always been my go to recipe but I saw your recipe and had to try it! It did not disappoint! My husband and I loved it! It has become our new favorite Mac n Cheese! Thank you for posting! It is wonderful!
That is so awesome to hear! Glad you both loved it! Thanks Jamie!
Yum. I am so craving mac and cheese right now!