Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese

Name: Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 Cups or 225 g Macaroni, cooked; 4 - 6 Rashers Smoked Bacon, chopped and cooked; 6 oz or 170 g Can Crab Lump Meat, don't get the shredded crab; 2 oz or 50 g butter; 1/2 Cup or 50 g All Purpose Flour; 1 pint or 550 ml milk; 5 oz or 150 g grated cheddar cheese; 2 Teaspoons yellow or grained mustard.; 1 Tablespoon of your favourite dried or fresh herbs. I used Tarragon. Parsley is also very nice.; A pinch of salt and ground black pepper; 1 Slice of frozen bread, pulsed or grated to breadcrumbs

Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese is a delicious side or main dish, with a rich creamy cheese sauce and amazing flavors from smokey bacon and crabmeat. Really tasty! Oh boy! Well what can I say about this Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese other than... DELICIOUS! It's creamy, rich, and full of fantastic flavors.

This recipe is all made from scratch and you can certainly tell!

Table of Contents 📋 hide

1) What is inside this mac n cheese?

2) What is the best cheese for mac n cheese?

3) What bacon can I use?

10) Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese

11) Delicious Shrimp and Seafood Recipes

What is inside this mac n cheese?

The textures and tastes are out of this world. You get the richness of the cheese itself, together with the creaminess of the sauce, then a hit of smokey bacon and that wonderful crab meat in every bite!
The topping I've used here is a simple breadcrumb topping which just adds a lovely crisp texture once this Bacon and Crabmeat Mac n Cheese has baked in the oven.

What is the best cheese for mac n cheese?

As far as the cheese goes, feel free to use whatever cheese you like the most or even a combination.
For this recipe, I've used mature cheddar cheese, but you could add some stilton or camembert cheese to it, for an extra rich flavor!

This site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, check Privacy Policy.

What bacon can I use?

The bacon, I would recommend smoked, simply because the flavor, combined with the cheese is just delicious and smells so good too!

What is the sauce made of?

We've used our basic cheese sauce recipe.
For those of you who are new to cooking or are afraid of making a roux or cheese sauce, don't be!
When you begin to make the sauce, it will look lumpy and you may think this will never come together, but so long as you keep stirring, your sauce will end up smooth and lump-free!
Once you've made a cheese sauce from scratch, trust me, you won't ever buy packet sauce mixes ever again!

Why do you add mustard to a cheese sauce?

Now you may wonder why I've added mustard in the sauce for our Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese.
Well.... mustard actually brings out the flavor of the cheese more. You don't taste the mustard so if you don't like the taste of mustard, don't worry, you won't even realize it's in there once you take a bite!

What other seasonings can I add?

I've also added some dried Tarragon. I think this is a lovely combination and gives the dish a fresh taste, kind of lifts the flavors.
You can also use other herbs like Thyme, Oregano, or Sage. (Go easy if you use oregano as that can be very overpowering!).

If you wanted to make your Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese even more luxurious, you could throw in a handful of shrimp, or even lobster! Bake them in little ramekins for a dinner party, to serve as an appetizer with a slice of our Quick and Easy Garlic Bread.

Quick and Easy Garlic Bread. This is a really fuss free recipe, and great for one person or indeed a party. You can make ahead and freeze. Great for parties, serve with a nice chili or soup, pasta, on it's own.. the list is endless! — Quick and Easy Garlic Bread

This dish will work as an appetizer, main meal, side dish, party food, part of your Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter spread, take to pot lucks, weddings, in fact, you can serve this any which way you like!

So without further ado, please enjoy our delicious Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese!

Prep Time

20 Minutes

Cook Time

30 Minutes

Serves

2-4 persons

Ingredients

1 ½ Cups or 225 g Macaroni, cooked
4 - 6 Rashers Smoked Bacon, chopped and cooked
6oz or 170 g Can Crab Lump Meat (don't get the shredded crab)

For the cheese sauce

2 oz or 50 g butter
½ Cup or 50 g All-Purpose Flour
1 pint or 550 ml milk
5 oz or 150 g grated cheddar cheese
2 Teaspoons yellow or grained mustard.
1 Tablespoon of your favorite dried or fresh herbs. I used Tarragon. Parsley is also very nice.
A pinch of salt and ground black pepper
1 Slice of frozen bread, pulsed or grated to breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C

2. Cook the macaroni according to package instructions then drain in cold water. Chop bacon and fry in a pan. (keep the bacon fat). Set macaroni and bacon aside. Make the breadcrumbs by grating or using a food processor to turn the frozen slice of bread into crumbs. (It is much easier to do when it is frozen!)

Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese, preparing ingredients

3. Make the sauce by first melting the butter in a pan, then add the flour.

Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese, make the cheese sauce

4. Use a wooden spoon and stir very well, until it is all combined. Keep stirring this mix for 1 minute on a medium heat. You need to cook the starch. Then remove from the heat.

5. Start by adding 3 Tablespoons of the milk. Combine using the spoon, stirring until it is combined. Then add ⅓ of the milk, again, stir until it is combined.

6. Keep stirring the mixture, it will take a couple of minutes, and you will get lumps. Don’t worry at this stage! The lumps will go, so long as you stir. Use your wooden spoon to make sure none of the flour is stuck in the sides of the pan.

At this stage, return the pan to a medium heat, and add the remaining milk.

7. If you have a hand whisk, switch to using it now, and add the mustard, salt and pepper and herbs. Continue to stir until the sauce becomes thick and holds to the whisk. It should be a ‘coating’ consistency. Be patient, it will seem like nothing is happening for a while, then suddenly, hey presto! The sauce immediately thickens. Keep stirring!

8. When it has thickened, add the grated cheese and stir in well. Then add the macaroni and bacon and bacon drippings. Combine well then gently add the crab, taking care not to break it up too much. It's nice to have lumps of crabmeat people can bite into!

Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese, add the macaroni and other ingredients to the pan

9. Transfer the mix to a suitable size baking dish, making sure it is deep enough. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs all over the top then place the dish in a baking pan in case of overspill and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Bacon and Crab Mac n Cheese, transfer to oven proof dish

10. Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Then serve!

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Got some leftover Mac n Cheese? Then be sure to make our Mac N Cheese Party Bites. They're so delicious and really easy to make. No frying either!

Mac N Cheese Party Bites are a great little snack, perfect for parties and snacks. No frying either! Macaroni, cheese, bacon and crabmeat in delicious panko breadcrumbs. YUMMY!

Recipe Card