Macaroni Cheese with Bacon
A white sauce, a block of cheese, and no jar required.
Serves 4 Prep 35 min Ready in 45 min 36g proteinKid-friendly
PorkPastaBakeAmericanBudget
Plan it this weekIngredients
- Macaroni400 g
- Bacon rashers200 g
- Milk700 ml
- Butter50 g
- Plain flour50 g
- Grated tasty cheese200 g
- Brown onion100 g
Method
- Heat the oven to 200C and cook the macaroni 2 minutes short of al dente. Drain.
- Cook the chopped bacon and diced onion in a dry saucepan until the bacon crisps, then set aside.
- Melt the butter in the same pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the milk.
- Cook until thickened, then stir in three quarters of the cheese and season well.
- Fold through the pasta and bacon, tip into a dish, top with the remaining cheese, and bake for 20 minutes.
Cooking for a different diet?
Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.
Pescatarian
Macaroni Cheese
- Leave out the Bacon rashers
Soften the onion in the butter for 5 minutes before stirring in the flour.
Vegetarian
Macaroni Cheese
- Leave out the Bacon rashers
Soften the onion in the butter for 5 minutes before stirring in the flour.
Gluten-free
Gluten-Free Macaroni Cheese with Bacon
- 400 g Gluten-free macaroni instead of Macaroni
- 50 g Gluten-free plain flour instead of Plain flour
Cook the gluten-free macaroni 3 minutes short of its packet time, as it softens further in the oven.
Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.
What it costs, and where to buy it
AldiBest choice$9.85
for your meals
$24.53 at the till, incl. $14.68 of food you keep
$2.04 less on the food you use, over the 7 items both stores stock
Woolworths$11.89
for your meals
$23.63 at the till, incl. $11.74 of food you keep
Coles$12.54
for your meals
$20.24 at the till, incl. $7.70 of food you keep
$2.46a serve
$2.46 a serve, cheapest at Aldi
About $9.85 of ingredients used for 4 serves.
$24.53 at Aldi · all 7 items
AldiBest choice$9.85
no items missing
you'll pay $24.53 · 60% of it spare
Woolworths$11.89
no items missing · $2.04 more for the same food
you'll pay $23.63 · 50% of it spare
Coles$12.54
no items missing · $2.69 more for the same food
you'll pay $20.24 · 38% of it spare
Buy at Aldi$24.53
Macaroni
$0.198/100g
need 400 gCucina Pasta Macaroni 500 g$0.99
Aldi$0.198/100g$0.99·Woolworths$0.200/100g$1.00·Coles$0.590/100g$2.95
Bacon rashers
$19.95/kg
need 200 gBerg Streaky Bacon 200 g$3.99closest match
Aldi$19.95/kg$3.99·Coles$15.00/kg$3.75·Woolworths$19.00/kg$3.80
Milk
$1.695/L
need 700 mlFarmdale Full Cream Milk 2 L$3.39
Aldi$1.695/L$3.39·Woolworths$1.700/L$3.40·Coles$1.700/L$3.40
Butter
$1.60/100g
need 50 gPure Valley Salted Butter 250 g$3.99closest match
Aldi$1.60/100g$3.99·Woolworths$3.00/100g$3.00·Coles$3.00/100g$3.00
Plain flour
$1.20/kg
need 50 gWhite Mill Plain Flour 2 kg$2.39closest match
Aldi$1.20/kg$2.39·Woolworths$1.30/kg$1.30·Coles$1.30/kg$1.30
Grated tasty cheese
$13.58/kg
need 200 gWestacre Dairy Shredded Tasty Cheese 500 g$6.79closest match
Aldi$13.58/kg$6.79·Coles$20.00/kg$5.00·Woolworths$21.00/kg$10.50
Brown onion
$2.99/kg
need 100 gBrown Onions 1 kg$2.99
Aldi$2.99/kg$2.99·Woolworths~$3.32/kg$0.63·Coles$4.20/kg$0.84