Breakfast Mac & Cheese is a delicious mashup of cheesy macaroni and your morning bacon and eggs…but don’t save it just for breakfast, it makes an epic ‘brinner’!
This is one of those dishes where looking at it through the lens just wasn’t cutting it for me, I needed to dig right in. No time for setting a scene or arranging backdrops and accessories, I left it right there on the oven tray. Heck, I barely got the thing in focus. This yummy concoction is a melange of bubbly cheesy pasta and lots of crisp bacon, anchored in the center by a barely set egg. It’s the stuff foodie dreams are made of, and the stars don’t align like this every day, so I know you’ll excuse me from my artistic duties just this once…and really it’s a win win situation, I get to eat, and you get the recipe for an indulgent variation on mac & cheese. And then you’ll get to eat. I think that’s fair.
This dish starts with a good amount of thick cut bacon. The easiest and neatest way to cook it is on a baking sheet in the oven. Lay it out and cook it at 350F until it’s just the way you like it. For this recipe you want to get it crisp enough to crumble. Oh, and save some of the grease, that’s the secret ingredient.
I just got back from a family wedding in Erie, PA, and we discovered this at a local bar one night. Erie’s on the cusp of the great Midwest, and a lot of the food we ate had that wonderful hearty comfort vibe. We didn’t have a ton of fresh veggies, but we ate well. Tim Horton’s pumpkin doughnuts and coffee in the morning on the deck of our Airbnb (omg I love Airbnb, our lakefront house was so much less than the hotel the rest of the family was stuck staying in!) ) and this kind of late night ‘snack’ bracketed all the normal wedding food. I’m still working it off, but it was worth it.
I know you’re going to love this mac & cheese, that’s not a question, but I do wonder whether you’ll want to eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Or maybe a romantic midnight feast. As you know I ate mine the minute it came out of the oven, no idea what time it was.
A big YUM :)
Breakfast Mac & Cheese is a delicious mashup of cheesy macaroni and your morning bacon and eggs...but don't save it just for breakfast, it makes an epic 'brinner'!
Ingredients
- about 16 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled, reserve 3-4 Tbsp of the fat
- 2 cups dry elbow pasta,
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 medium or large eggs, at room temperature
- black pepper
Instructions
- Set oven to 375F
- Cook the pasta in lots of well salted water just to the al dente stage. Drain and toss with the reserved bacon fat.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for about a minute, and then slowly pour in the milk, stirring or whisking constantly to combine all the flour into the milk. Continue heating and stirring until the mixture thickens, this will happen just as the milk is getting to the boiling point.
- Take the pan off the heat and add the cheese, a little at a time, stirring to melt.
- Add the cooked pasta and half the bacon crumbles to the sauce, tossing to combine well. Divide the mixture between 4 oven safe bowls.
- Make an indentation in the center of each bowl with the back of a large spoon for the egg. Crack an egg into each . Put the bowls on a baking sheet and bake until the eggs are just set, about 20 minutes or so, depending on how you like our egg done. Turn up the heat to 400F if your egg is slow to set.
- Grind some fresh black pepper over each bowl, and scatter the rest of the crumbled bacon around the egg just before serving.
21 Comments
Janie
February 21, 2019 at 7:54 pmLooks delicious but confused. Recipe calls for 4 bowls and an egg in each but then it makes 2 large portions so instead of 4 I’m using 2 larger bowls with 8 pieces of bacon per bowl and one egg in each? I know this is silly question -maybe it’s the amount of bacon used that’s throwing me off – 16 slices? Anyway, making it ASAP!
Sue
February 21, 2019 at 8:45 pmI just clarified that Janie, it feeds 4, or 2 super hungry folks :)
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October 22, 2018 at 3:29 pm[…] Egg Cups (pictured above) are a great make-ahead breakfast. For something different, try this Breakfast Macaroni and Cheese with […]
Viane Eichelberger
April 14, 2017 at 10:23 amI see that it makes 4 servings but uses 2 eggs…
Sue
April 14, 2017 at 10:37 amI fixed that, it should have said makes 2 large portions, thanks Viane!
Cyndy Best
September 19, 2015 at 4:31 pmI would like to make this in 2 large 9×13 casseroles to feed 20 people. Any ideas on amounts of ingredients?
Thank you!
CB
Sue
September 20, 2015 at 7:30 amI think i would double the mac and cheese recipe for one 9×13 pan, Cyndy. Good luck!
Christina
November 15, 2014 at 12:48 pmWhat a brilliant idea! And you know that calorie laden breakfasts actually help in losing weight as it’s the best time of day to eat all those calories?
savvy
October 14, 2014 at 4:18 pmLeftover mac and cheese was always favorite breakfast..so why not just plan to START the day right??? Looks wonderful-thanks!
bellini
October 6, 2014 at 5:59 amI say yes to this wholeheartedly.
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
September 29, 2014 at 12:46 amIsn’t AirBnB great? I’ve used them several times … :-)
LOVE the idea of a brekky mac n cheese .. I love that you’ve served it in those cute little portions. I would have found it hard to wait to take my photos, too!
Matt
September 28, 2014 at 9:20 pmI saw the title and HAD to check this out. So glad I did! This would be a massive hit here in our home and I can’t wait to make this one of these weekends. Thanks Sue!
Jamie | My Baking Addiction
September 28, 2014 at 7:59 pmThis is such a creative and delicious breakfast! I love it!
-Jamie
Luci {Luci's Morsels}
September 28, 2014 at 8:59 amWow! What a dish. And for breakfast! This would be so filling!
Luci’s Morsels – fashion. food. frivolity.
Sue
September 28, 2014 at 9:27 amYep — you pretty much wouldn’t have to eat for the rest of the day!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
September 27, 2014 at 10:01 pmBreakfast mac and cheese? How cool is this???
Sue
September 27, 2014 at 3:44 pmI hear you — I’m doing extra treadmill time too :)
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
September 27, 2014 at 2:47 pmA big yum indeed! Love this creative, beautiful breakfast – it looks and sounds amazing. You deserve to eat it ASAP!
Sue
September 27, 2014 at 3:42 pmThanks Tricia — I’ve always been a fan of eating a big meal at breakfast, and this is sure a great way to do it.
Liz+@+Floating+Kitchen
September 27, 2014 at 1:53 pmI’m sold on any way that I get to incorporate macaroni and cheese for breakfast. This is brilliant!
Schatzi49
September 27, 2014 at 10:45 amHere I am trying to lose weight and you come up with this recipe. Heavens, so I guess this means more hours on the treadmill, cause I’m going to make this soon.