TOMATO BACON MACARONI & CHEESE

Tomato Bacon Macaroni and Cheese made from scratch with simple ingredients! Butter, onion, cheese, milk combine for a flavorful creamy mac & cheese with diced tomatoes and bacon added for flavor!

This macaroni and tomatoes is made with simple ingredients but loaded with amazing flavors! Creamy mac and cheese is a comfort dish like no other, it is great for family gatherings or a simple dinner with the family.

A Cheesy Comfort Meal

This recipe was inspired by a dish I once ate in a Utah café, I recreated this recipe to taste as close to that original dish as I could. I am pretty proud to say that it is really close (dare I say, if not a bit better?)The combination of creamy cheesy pasta with the crispy crunch of bacon, the diced tomatoes really bring a nice punch of flavor to it too. I have kept this recipe around for years and have been adapting it slightly as time goes by. It is truly so versatile, feel free to adapt it to your own tastes as well.

Why you’ll love this easy Mac and Cheese recipe!

1. There are two ways to serve it. If you are looking for a fast stovetop meal, you can serve it up once the cheese has been stirred in. But if you are looking for that fresh from the oven taste, nothing beats a baked macaroni and cheese with bacon and tomato (especially when we add French’s fried onions on top).
2. Bacon and cheese were made for each other. Or they at least go really well with one another. My bacon grilled cheese is a prime example of this too. The cheese is creamy, melty, rich, and tangy depending on the variety used, and the bacon is crunchy, salty, and savory. Together they complement each other very well.
3. You can prep this meal in advance. Assemble the mac and cheese in an oven-safe baking dish and keep it covered in the fridge for up to a day or two in advance. Then let it rest on the counter as the oven preheats and bake as directed. This is perfect for busy night meal planning.

Tomato Bacon Mac and Cheese Ingredients

Pasta: You will need a 16-ounce sized box of macaroni noodles, but any small noodle shape will work just fine too if you want to use what you have on hand.

Butter: Use 2 tablespoons of butter for the roux needed to make the sauce.

Onion: You will need ¼ cup of diced onions, but you can use 1 teaspoon of onion powder instead if you want to make this super simple.

Garlic: Just 1 dash of garlic powder can help to season this mac and cheese well.

Flour: You will use ¼ cup of all-purpose flour to help thicken the cheese sauce to the perfect consistency.

Milk: Use 2 cups of milk or one 12-ounce sized can of evaporated milk and ½ cup of water for the cheese sauce.

Cheese: You will need 4 cups of shredded cheese. We like to use sharp cheddar but you can use almost any cheese. I recommend shredding it yourself so that it melts properly. Pre-shredded store bought options sometimes are a bit waxy and don’t melt as well.

Tomato: Use 1 cup of diced tomato to get added color and fresh flavor in every bite.

Bacon: You will need about 7-8 slices of cooked bacon for this recipe. This will be roughly ½ cup of crumbled bacon later. Try this easy way to cook bacon for a quick method.

Salt and Pepper: These seasonings are added to taste, so feel free to adjust how much you add to the mix.

How to make Tomato Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

Cook Bacon

You can fry your bacon on the stove if desired, but I like to cook mine in the oven while prepping the rest of the mac and cheese on the stovetop.

To cook bacon in the oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with foil.

Lay out the bacon strips, trying to minimize any overlapping. Bake for 25-30 minutes but check on it often because the thickness of the bacon may make the strips cook faster. I even like to rotate my baking sheet every 10 minutes; it helps the bacon cook evenly.

Boil Noodles

While the bacon is cooking, boil and cook your noodles following the package directions.

If you are going to serve this from the pot, cook the noodles until cooked fully. If you plan to bake this mac and cheese, cook them until al dente.

Veggie prep

Start by chopping the onion into small pieces, you want a nice, minced onion.

Also, dice the tomato into small, bite size, chunks and have those ready for when you need them.

Prepare Cheese Sauce

Get your milk and cheese measured out and ready, the next steps move quickly.

Then, in a medium saucepan, melt your butter over medium heat.

Next, add in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until softened and slightly browned.

Now, add in the flour and whisk quickly to combine.

Then, add in some of the milk while whisking continuously as you go. The sauce will thicken up fast, so keep adding milk and whisking until all of the milk has been added.

After that, add in the cheese, 1 cup at a time, mixing until melted between each addition.

Once the cheese is fully melted, remove the pot from the stove.

Assembly

When your bacon has finished cooking, crumble it into bite sized pieces and stir it into the cheese sauce.

When the noodles are finished cooking, drain them and then stir in the 1 cup of diced tomato. The heat from the noodles will warm the tomato.

Proceed to pour and stir the sauce into the noodles.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Bake

If you are choosing to continue with the baking process, transfer the mac and cheese to a greased baking dish.

For extra deliciousness, top with ½ cup of French’s French-Fried Onions.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

How long is homemade mac and cheese good for?

You can keep this macaroni cheese with bacon and tomatoes stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. Just reheat again before serving and you are good to go!

Can I freeze mac and cheese with tomatoes and bacon?

Your macaroni and cheese with tomatoes and bacon can be frozen, in fact, I often make it in 2 separate baking dishes so that I can freeze one for later. Just place it in a freezer-safe baking dish and wrap or cover it well so that it’s airtight. Disposable foil 8×8 pans would work great for this.

What is a roux?

A roux is a mixture of melted fats and flour used to thicken sauces. They can come in different colors like white, blonde, or brown, and that coloration usually depends on how long you cook the flour and fats together. Most of the time a roux uses an equal parts fat to flour ratio.

In our case, we use a combination of fat and butter to create the base of the cheese sauce. Which helps to thicken it up perfectly for what we need.

Need more mac and cheese recipes? Try these!

• PEPPER JACK MAC AND CHEESE
• INSTANT POT MACARONI AND CHEESE
• MACARONI AND CHEESE with HAM and PEAS
• COPYCAT CHICK-FIL-A MAC AND CHEESE
• MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH HAM AND PEAS

Check out these other great comfort dishes too!

• SCALLOPED CORN CASSEROLE
• SLOW COOKER FRENCH ONION SOUP
• HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE ALFREDO SAUCE
• OLD FASHIONED SALISBURY STEAK RECIPE
• TWICE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE
• MEATBALLS AND GRAVY
• WISCONSIN CAULIFLOWER SOUP
• EASY SMOKED MEATLOAF

Tomato Bacon Macaroni and Cheese an incredible dish that will transform the way you see mac & cheese. From the salty crisp bacon, to the refreshing tomatoes and melted cheese in every bite, this bacon mac and cheese is simply heavenly.