Bacon White Cheddar Pasta is a simple and delicious dish for any night of the week. Hearty enough as a main dish or the perfect side dish for any meal. Loaded with flavor this will be a hit with any mac and cheese lover!

This post is in partnership with Petit Jean Meats. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mac and cheese might be my all- time favorite comfort food. It’s the one thing I would always eat growing up. This version is loaded with sharp white cheddar, fresh rosemary and tons of crispy bacon!

Really you can’t go wrong with bacon, pasta and cheese and you are just going to have to try this. I love that it comes together in about 30 minutes and it’s something the whole family can agree on.

Petit Jean Meats Hickory Smoked Bacon is my absolute favorite. I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid, it’s a huge honor to serve as an ambassador for Petit Jean Meats! Keep in mind they can deliver to your door, especially with the holidays coming up. Hello holiday ham!

Check out my post on How to Cook Bacon for the easiest, no mess, so splatter method for crispy bacon! I cooked up about half of a pound for this recipe in just 20 minutes.

I made a simple cheese sauce, starting with butter, flour and milk. I added cream cheese and sharp white cheddar, plus a few seasonings. I also cooked the pasta until just al dente and stirred it into the decadent cheese sauce.

For this recipe, I used Casarecce but you can use macaroni, bow tie or rotini, whatever you have on hand.  Make sure to use a good sharp white cheddar, like Cabot for the sauce, it will incorporate nicely and make a rich and delicious sauce.

I added a little fresh rosemary from my garden for a little more depth of flavor in this simple pasta. Use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. Basil or thyme would also be delicious.

Serve this Bacon White Cheddar Pasta as a main dish paired with a nice salad and some crusty bread or as a side dish for grilled chicken or burgers. Either way, it is just delicious comfort food!

If you are a bacon fanatic like me you are going to want to give my Chicken Fried Bacon a try. Yeah, I battered and deep fried bacon and it was the best thing EVER!

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Yield: 4 -6 servings

Bacon White Cheddar Pasta

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 slices Petit Jean Hickory Smoked Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 pound pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped fine

Instructions

1. Boil pasta just until al dente and drain.
2. Add butter to a pan and place over medium- high heat. As butter melts, add flour and salt and whisk, cooking about 2 minutes. Add milk and whisk until combined. Add cream cheese and continue to whisk until smooth. Add cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Add garlic, paprika and fresh ground pepper. Continue cooking until sauce is thickened and smooth. Stir in drained pasta and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Top with crumbled bacon and fresh rosemary. Serve immediately.

Disclosure: I was provided with product for recipe development purposes but I was not compensated for this post.