Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese
There’s nothing more comforting than macaroni and cheese and this recipe has meaty mushrooms, bacon, and cavatappi pasta coated in a creamy gruyere cheese sauce. If you’re in need of some indulgent comfort food add this mushroom macaroni and cheese to your must-make list.
I’m a happy girl when pasta meets cheese and there’s no better way to enjoy them than in a creamy macaroni and cheese. And, today, it’s all about mushroom mac and cheese with a creamy gruyere cheese sauce, bacon, and (of course) lots of mushrooms.
This is not necessarily an everyday macaroni and cheese. Instead it’s more of a special occasion type. It’s meant to be shared, perhaps around a holiday table and really isn’t a quick weeknight kind of recipe.
In other words, this one’s decadent, my friends, in a mushroom-bacon-creamy-cheese-sauce kind of way. So go ahead and save it for an upcoming reason to indulge.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I like to use cavatappi for this recipe but you can use other short pasta shapes like elbow macaroni, penne, farfalle, or rotini.
- Mushrooms: I like to use baby bella or portobello mushrooms for this recipe, but other types, such as cremini, button, shitake, or a mushroom mix, work great, too.
- Bacon: Use thick-cut bacon so you get enough fat to cook the mushrooms.
- Cheese: Gruyere cheese has a nutty flavor and melts great, so you end up with a super creamy cheese sauce.
- Whole milk: This is used to make the sauce – I don’t recommend using a lower-fat milk because the sauce could break and won’t be as creamy.
- Chives: Some chopped fresh chives add a nice fresh flavor to the sauce. They also make a nice garnish when you serve the mac and cheese.
How to Make Mushroom Mac and Cheese
☑️ Boil the Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. For cavatappi it will take about 9 to 11 minutes. Drain the pasta once it’s done.
☑️ Cook the Bacon and Mushrooms
While the pasta cooks, you can cook the bacon in a large pan or pot over medium-high heat until crispy. Once it’s done, remove it from the pan and drain it on paper towels.
Add the mushrooms to the same pan and stir to coat them in the bacon fat. Season them with salt, and cover the pan with a lid. Stir the mushrooms occasionally (and adjust the heat if it gets too hot) while they cook. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and stir the mushrooms. The pan will have excess moisture, so let that cook off. It should only take a couple of minutes.
☑️ Make the Cheese Sauce
Add the butter to the mushrooms and stir. Once it’s melted, sprinkle the flour and a little more salt over the mixture. Stir so the mushrooms are evenly coated with the butter and flour mixture.
Slowly pour the milk into the pan while stirring, breaking up any lumps that form. Once you’ve added all the milk and it’s steaming hot, add the cheese in a few small batches. Stir well between each addition until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
☑️ Finish it Up!
Finely chop the bacon and stir it into the mushroom cheese sauce along with the chives. Add the cooked pasta and gently stir to coat it evenly in the cheese sauce.
Recipe Tips
It’s important to cook the mushrooms long enough so they’re nice and meaty instead of rubbery. The cooking time may vary depending on how finely you chop the mushrooms. If you don’t like big pieces of mushrooms (or are serving this to someone who doesn’t), you can finely chop them in a food processor before you cook them. They’ll cook down a little faster and still infuse the sauce with flavor.
This mac and cheese is best when you make it. You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days, but the sauce will thicken up once it’s chilled. The best way to reheat it is to warm the mac and cheese in a pan with a few extra splashes of milk. The milk will loosen the sauce so the pasta is creamy.
More Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese
If you need indulgent comfort food, this mushroom macaroni and cheese is for you. It combines pasta, mushrooms, and bacon in a rich and creamy gruyere cheese sauce. It’s a wonderful side dish for holiday meals or any time you want to treat yourself.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cavatappi pasta
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 16 ounces mushrooms, chopped (see note)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 16 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons sliced chives, plus 1 tablespoon extra for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Drain it well and set it aside.
- Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large pan. Once it’s crispy, remove it from the pan and drain it on paper towels.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir to coat them in the bacon fat. Season them with a ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and allow all of the excess moisture from the mushrooms to cook off.
- Add the butter to the mushrooms and stir until it’s melted. Sprinkle the flour and ½ teaspoon salt over the top and stir.
- Slowly add the milk to the pan while stirring. Once the milk is steaming hot, add the cheese in a few batches, stirring between each batch until it’s melted.
- Finely chop the bacon and stir it into the cheese sauce. Add the chives and stir again. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until it’s evenly coated. Garnish with sliced chives for serving.
Notes
I like to use baby bella or portobello mushrooms for this recipe, but other types, such as cremini, button, shitake, or a mushroom mix, work great, too.
This mac and cheese is best when it’s made while the sauce is extra creamy. If you have leftovers, they will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but the sauce will thicken once it cools. For the best leftovers, warm the mac and cheese in a pan with some extra milk to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition
- Calories: 611
- Sugar: 6.1g
- Sodium: 686.5mg
- Fat: 32.7g
- Saturated Fat: 17.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 30.1g
- Cholesterol: 93.1mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Recipes with Mushrooms
- Mushroom Balsamic Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Bowtie Pasta
- Truffle Cheese Mushroom Pasta
- Short Rib Pasta with Mushroom Sauce
This mushroom macaroni and cheese is such a treat – I hope you love it as much as I do 🖤
Happy cooking,
This post was updated from the archives. It was first published in August 2016.
I’ve never had mac and cheese with mushrooms, but it sounds good!
It’s a perfect match! I hope you try it 🙂
Thank you, Denise!!
You know what? It totally helped – between the mac and cheese and Feynman love I am definitely on the mend 🙂
Hi April, first time visitor to your site, just writing in after making both your lovely mushroom mac ‘n cheese and your easy stovetop mac ‘n cheese yesterday for New Year’s day comfort food. My wife and I loved the mushroom recipe–the chives and smoked bacon really add nice layers to the taste. I actually used smoked swiss and cheddar rather than gruyere and it was great!
Hi Jason! Thanks for your nice comment – so glad you liked the recipes 🙂 Love the smoked swiss twist you used – I need to look for that at the store.
Another GGG recipe made during these crazy times….so a few substitutes were needed. First off….everyone who ate this dish LOVED the flavor! Reminded us of the type of ‘fancy mac n cheese’ dishes being served at some restaurants in town. The cheese and bacon combo are great together. Subs required during shopping….Grand Cru cheese, Elbow Macaroni, Table Cream, plain mushrooms. All subs worked great with no problems. I thought I started the prep and cooking process too early, but it really turn out to be just about the time April noted.
Love the subs you made! Thanks for letting me know –