Smoked Mac & Cheese with Bacon-Crumb Topping
Creamy, slightly smoky, and oh-so good mac and cheese gets an upgrade with this family-friendly version that cooks low and slow on your electric smoker!
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time2 hours hrs
Total Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked pasta, broccoli cheese soup, mac and cheese, smoked mac and cheese, smoker, traeger
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 663kcal
- 1 pound macaroni pasta
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup gouda cheese shredded
- 6 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
For bacon crumb topping
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon about 4 slices
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
Boil the macaroni noodles (or pasta of your choice) in lots of salted water until they are very al dente. I shave 2-3 minutes off the cooking time.
Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold water until they are cool to the touch. This stops the noodles from continuing to cook.
Melt the butter in a medium-size pot. Turn off the heat. Using a whisk, slowly add the flour and whisk well until it is all blended in. Turn the heat back to medium, and continue whisking while the butter-flour mixture cooks for a minute.
Meanwhile, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan or in the microwave until it is hot but not scalding.
Pour the hot milk/cream in a thin stream into the butter-flour mixture, all while whisking.
When the milk is all in, continue cooking the sauce over medium heat while whisking until it boils and thickens. Turn off the heat.
Add the mustard powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Whisk it in well.
Add the cream cheese, cheddar and gouda to the sauce and stir to melt and combine. Turn the heat up for a minute or two if your cheese isn't melting well, but don't boil the sauce or it could burn on the bottom of your pot.
Check the sauce for salt and pepper. Add 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper and up to 1/2 teaspoon of salt if necessary.
Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce and load it into a half-sheet size foil pan or a pan large enough to hold all the noodle-y goodness.
To make the topping:
Combine the Panko crumbs with the bacon and Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
Add the melted butter and mix.
Sprinkle the topping over the mac and cheese and you're good to go!
To assemble and cook:
Preheat your Traeger or electric smoker as per the manufacturer's instructions.
Set the temperature to 225-F. Put the pan on the rack and cook it - uncovered - for about an hour.
Turn the heat up to 325-F and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly.
Serve and enjoy your pellet smoker mac and cheese!
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 790mg | Potassium: 342mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1290IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 498mg | Iron: 1mg