Homemade mac and cheese is one of those things that I will never say no to, but then when you go and put bacon in it… I’m helpless! But I like to keep everything in balance, so I added some broccoli florets to this one pot bacon mac and cheese so I could have all of my food groups in one delicious bowl. 😋 This mac and cheese is absolute meal perfection!
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Evaporated Milk Cheese Sauce Magic
I first tried this evaporated milk cheese sauce method a few weeks ago when making the skillet macaroni and cheese recipe from Daniel Shumski’s book, Will It Skillet? This super fast, easy, and absolutely fool-proof method of creating a smooth and silky cheese sauce is my new favorite. So this time, I swapped out the butter for bacon fat, changed up the seasoning, and added broccoli and crumbled bacon. The result was fantastic. But do I really need to even say that? BACON.
One Pot Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($1.05)
- 4 oz. bacon ($1.43)
- 8 oz. medium cheddar ($2.50)
- 1/2 lb. pasta ($0.50)
- 1 cup evaporated milk ($1.19)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients before beginning because the process goes quickly once it’s begun. Thaw the broccoli florets and chop them into small bite-sized pieces. Slice the bacon into small pieces. Shred the cheddar cheese.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions (boil 7-10 minutes, or until al dente). Drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside.
- Return the pot to the stove, add the bacon, and cook over medium to medium-low heat until the bacon is brown and crispy (about 5 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pot, leaving the grease behind.
- Add the evaporated milk, smoked paprika, Dijon, hot sauce, and salt to the pot with the bacon grease. Stir to combine and allow it to heat through (it should heat quickly as the pot will be very hot from cooking the bacon).
- Once the evaporated milk is hot, turn the heat to low and begin whisking in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time, waiting until the cheese is fully melted before adding the next handful. Once all of the cheese has been melted into the sauce, taste the cheese sauce and adjust the salt or hot sauce if desired. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply stir in one to two tablespoons of the remaining evaporated milk in the can.
- Return the cooked pasta, crispy bacon (crumble into smaller pieces if desired), and chopped broccoli to the pot with the cheese sauce. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the ingredients for the mac and cheese before you begin, because the process goes quickly once started. Thaw and chop 1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets into small bite-sized pieces. Next time I’ll even chop them a bit smaller than in the photo above.
Shred 8oz. medium cheddar cheese.
Slice 4 oz. bacon into small strips. I generally only use a small amount of bacon in a recipe (enough to give flavor, but not enough to make the recipe super expensive). So, if I buy a 12oz. package like this, I’ll divide it into three sections, use one, and freeze the other two for later.
Cook 1/2 lb. pasta according to the package directions, then drain it in a colander and set it aside (this is a one pound bag, so I used half of it).
Return the pot to the stove, turn the heat down to medium or medium-low, add the bacon, and sauté it until it is brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces from the pot, leaving the bacon grease behind.
To the bacon grease add 1 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp hot sauce, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir to combine and dissolve the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Allow the evaporated milk to heat through. It should heat very quickly as there isn’t much in the pot and the pot should be rather hot from cooking the bacon.
Once the evaporated milk is very hot, turn the heat down to low and begin to whisk in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time. Make sure the cheese is fully melted in before adding the next handful. If the sauce gets too thick, add a tablespoon or two of the remaining evaporated milk from the can (there should be about 1/2 cup left in the can).
Once all the cheddar is melted into the sauce, you can taste it and adjust the salt or hot sauce to your liking.
Finally, return the cooked and drained pasta, crispy bacon, and chopped broccoli to the pot with the cheese sauce. You may want to crumble the bacon a little further before adding it back in.
Stir until everything is coated in cheesy bacony goodness!!
And that’s it. The most delicious One Pot Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese EVER.
DELICIOUS! And so easy to make!
Hello Im making this tonight, do I thaw the broccoli or add it in frozen?
Thank you
How do you cut the bacon packaging in thirds? Just with your regular knife?
The third image of the step-by-step photos (under the recipe card) gives a visual of how to cut the bacon. We just use a sharp regular or serrated knife — or clean kitchen shears, which is what I typically use if I don’t have the knife out anyway, and then I can toss them in the dishwasher instead of handwashing my knife!). The scissors are also a great option if you’re concerned your chef’s knife isn’t sharp enough to make it through the packaging. But if that’s the case, I would suggest investing in a new one or a knife sharpener! ~Marion :)
I’m sure I already know the answer to this, but would this be doable with spaghetti squash instead of pasta? The water content of the squash might cause the sauce to split, but I figured I would possibly pour the sauce over the spaghetti squash with each serving rather than mix it all in
I think your instincts are spot on. I would probably add the sauce on top just to be safe as well! :)
I have been making a variation of this without the hot sauce and paprika for a few years now (since, at the time I first made it, it was something for my then four year old to also enjoy) and it is still a favorite around here! Although, when I started cooking it today, I realized that I had forgotten to grab a new pack of bacon at the store. In a pinch, I used a bit of butter to substitute the bacon grease and we topped with real bacon bits (commonly for salad) that we had on hand and had picked up for less than $2 for the bag. Not exactly the same, since I normally cook the bacon until it is very crispy for the different texture, but it was still a good, and cheap, alternative!
For some reason when I did this recipe there curdling .. Do you know what I could’ve done wrong?
It’s hard to say without having been there to see your actual process. You used evaporated milk and not regular milk, correct? The other possibility is that the milk was boiling? You want it hot, but not boiling.
I love all your recipes!! No exotic ingredients. Almost all items I already have. Favorites: cheeseburger meatloaf, red enchilada sauce and ranch dressing mix. I made a copy of my
favorite recipes for my youngest son when he went off to college. easy and YUMMY!!!
I see this is not a new recipe but making tomorrow 8/’21
I just want to confirm that there is no flour added to the bacon fat to make a roux with the milk?
Correct. When you use evaporated milk you don’t need to make a roux. The low moisture, high protein nature of the evaporated milk allows the cheese to emulsify without using a roux.
Tasty! I used whole wheat pasta and I did pour out the bacon grease after cooking. I may have lot a bit of flavor that way, but it’s really good. Added onion powder and black pepper, left out the mustard.
Hi, this looks really good but do you have any suggestions for bacon substitutes for a Jewish vegetarian?
I’d probably just do a regular broccoli mac and not try to sub the bacon. :) You can use some butter in the pot in place of the bacon grease. If you still want a little bit of a smoky flavor, you can add a sprinkle of smoked paprika!
Absolutely delicious, doubled the recipe and it came out great besides being a tad bit too thick (so I added a bit more evap milk). I also used buffalo sauce instead of hot sauce because I had none and it was delicious. The only reason this isn’t a 5 star is the trip to the bathroom after.
mmmm delicous!
Really liked this, it was delicious. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars is that there’s no part where it says to actually cook the broccoli. I took the recipe literally when it said “thaw the broccoli.” So I defrosted it and left it at that until the end. The broccoli ended up being too cold because it was just defrosted and not warmed up. Granted, I should’ve realized this at the beginning, but I’d suggest tweaking the wording for dummies like me.
Still loved it. Great recipe!
I’m going to try this! I think chopped ham, ground beef or even chicken could be used instead of bacon if you don’t have it! I keep a little bacon fat on hand, so a Tbsp. of it would flavor it up nicely if you chose to use a different protein source.
Everything was going well until I added my hot sauce – then my cheese sauce curdled horribly. It’s completely inedible now. I was really looking forward to this, but pretty disappointed, especially since I followed this recipe as part of the purchased meal plan. Clearly, it must be down to type of hot sauce used, so I guess check the ingredients beforehand!
I’d say that this recipe was more like inspiration for my version than a true following of the whole thing to the letter, since I didn’t have evaporated milk. I made a roux for the cheese sauce instead, using bacon drippings. I also had fresh broccoli on hand instead of frozen, so I tossed in the broccoli with the noodles for the last minute or two of cooking, and drained it all together. Overall, it wasn’t as glossy/velvety looking as the pictures in the post, because of the different cooking method, but was still very tasty!
Has anyone tried making this like a one-pot meal? Just cooking the pasta in the evaporated milk (probably using the whole can in that case)? Super easy and tasty already, obviously, but having one less pot to wash never sucks.
Pinned this to make again. Nice simple tasty recipe. Thank you.
Listen to your Auntie Beth… use evaporated milk. I even tried to evaporate my own milk, this did not go well. Dinner will be salad with bacon on top 😹.
Ha! Thanks for sharing Sarah.
This is it. This is the perfect mac and cheese. We can stop trying to innovate this dish because nothing will ever beat this.
And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.
Ha thank you Joseph!
Easy and super delicious!
I doubled the recipe for company and had no issues. Did have more bacon fat in the pan than I’d have wanted in the recipe, but that’s a discretionary thing – drain some if it’s too much.
I did lose a little emulsion because I didn’t cook the noodles far enough in advance. This was my fault and if I’d had them drained and set aside from the start it wouldn’t have been an issue. Very minor hitch in the overall recipe thanks to the evaporated milk. Flavor and texture were fantastic and for the finished result I couldn’t ask for a faster recipe.
This has surpassed One Pot Sausage & Mushroom Pasta as our favorite Budget Bytes dish.
Can’t wait to make again. 10/10
One of best written recipes as far as directions. I heated my broccoli before adding as the recipe seems to say put it in thawed uncooked. The evaporated milk did not sit well with us, it gave a nasty flavor, we threw it away but will try again with half and half or heavy cream instead. Not sure how was so highly rated. Also leave a 1/2 cup of bacon grease gross I tossed that out.
Easy and delicious, thank you! The condensed milk cheese sauce is a game-changer! I assembled the rest of the ingredients while the pasta was boiling, tossed fresh broccoli florets in with the pasta for the last 2 minutes, and everything came out perfectly.. Definitely keeping this in the rotation, and can’t wait to experiment with different proteins & veg… the possibilities seem endless!
This looks so delish! How would you recommend altering the recipe to use fresh broccoli?
Just drop the broccoli into boiling water a few minutes to soften it up a bit, drain, then add to the mac at the same point that I added the frozen. :)
The cheese melted nicely into a creamy sauce that tasted good but had a powdery consistency. Any idea why?
The bacon I used did not produce much fat. The pot was nearly dry after frying it. Could this be the reason-not enough fat?
Did you use pre-shredded cheese? Some brands coat their shredded cheese with a LOT of starch to keep the shreds from sticking together, and that could produce a powdery flavor. I’m surprised that your bacon didn’t render a lot of fat. I don’t think that would make a difference, but I find it strange! Haha
I shredded cheese from a block of Edam. I’m surprised about the low fat bacon too! Might be a kiwi thing – I’m in NZ.
Also, I used room temp, rinsed pasta that I pre-cooked earlier in the day. And because it was cold, I turned up the heat at the end to make sure the whole thing was well heated through. Could either of these have affected the emulsification, or split the sauce?
So much for advance meal prep! Not giving up – will try again next week but won’t be too zealous about the advance prep this time.
Ah, yes. If you heat it too much the sauce can break and separate. Also, if the rinsed pasta still had a lot of water on it, that would cause it to not emulsify. Water is the enemy when it comes to emulsifying the cheese sauce. :)
You might want to consider adding this tip at the end of the recipe. I drained my pasta and thawed broccoli, but would have put them in my salad spinner. My sauce completely broke. It was clumpy and greasy. Disappointing after taking the time to evaporate the milk, shred the cheese (made double batch), buy pricy frozen broccoli. Loved the seasoning though. Next time I will make my usual bechamel mac and cheese using some of the bacon grease for the roux and add your seasoning.
Do you have any suggestions for an evaporated milk substitute? I never have that in my cupboard, would something like coconut milk work?
No, unfortunately for this type of cheese sauce it MUST be evaporated milk. It’s critical to making the cheese melt into a smooth sauce instead of clumping up.
Evaporated milk is easy to make, assuming you can have dairy. Just gently boil milk on the stove, skimming frequently until you have evaporated out half of the water. I started making my own one time when I was out and continue to do it to avoid unwanted additives like carrageenan. Tastes fresher too, not tinny.
https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/article/how-to-make-evaporated-milk-a793.html
I want to make this for a friend and have to make it the day before I give it to her. Does it reheat well? Do you have any recommendations for making it ahead? Thanks so much, Beth!! I love your website! You have helped save us money in our grocery budget!!
The sauce is definitely less creamy upon reheating. While I would never turn down leftovers of this dish, I’m not sure I’d give them as a gift. It’s definitely better right after cooking. :)
This was SO good! The consistency of the sauce was smooth and stayed smooth even upon reheating, which I was worried about. Mouthwatering!
This was very good and easy to put together. The only thing I changed was using fresh steamed broccoli instead of frozen and it gave a nice crunch with the bacon. For growing up on (and preferring) Kraft, this was a very tasty alternative.
This is the most amazing thing ever!
I’m cleaning out my fridge/freezer/pantry in effort to get back to vegetarian meals.
There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this- the prep, the scents and the results.
I doubled the recipe:)
(I’m keeping this in case I struggle going back to vegetarian)
Beth: Awesome!
So just throwing the thawed, chopped broccoli in at the end will cook it?
Frozen broccoli is par-boiled before it’s frozen, so it’s already partially cooked. I like my broccoli to still have a little bite to it, so it works for me, but if you prefer your broccoli to be a bit more tender, you may want to add the broccoli florets to the boiling pasta for the last minute or two, then drain them together.
I’m not much of a pork eater so I eat turkey bacon. Do you think I should add butter since turkey bacon doesn’t make much grease?
Yes, I would. In the non-bacon version of this recipe I use 2 Tbsp butter.
Could you use butter in place of the bacon fat if you wanted to make this veg-friendy? If so, how much would you recommend?
Yes, you could use 2 Tbsp butter. :)
Delicious!! Open for customization, a good staple dish!
This was great! I just wanted to comment to say I was surprised that my leftovers reheated PERFECTLY! I never imagined that mac & cheese would reheat well, but this one did! I can now add it to my meal prepping list.
That’s great to know! I am a college student and was considering making this to eat off of a few meals during finals this week. Looking forward to trying it tomorrow!
This was fantastic!! Gobbled it up and was eyeing my boyfriends portion lol I only used 6oz of cheese but that’s my own preference. Only thing I would change is to use more broccoli maybe? Perfection in a bowl ❤️
This was so amazing! Thank you!
Love this recipe. The sauce was great and not “gritty” like some Mac and Cheese sauces. Love the rendition of adding bacon. My 2 year old loved it. THanks
So if I use 1 LB of pasta, does that mean I can use 2 cups of evaporated milk, and 3 cups of cheese? Or no?
If you double the pasta, you’ll want to double all the other ingredients as well (not just the evaporated milk and cheese).
I made this to accompany dinner last night and we all enjoyed it very much. Lots of flavor, and a nice easy way to make a cheese sauce without a longer and involved process. I steamed fresh broccoli because I already had it on hand, but made no other substitutions.
I found your site by accident and have enjoyed reading your recipes and your inspiration story (eating well without spending a fortune). I am presently cooking another one of your recipes tonight (Seafood Rice Skillet) but adapting it to an Instant Pot due to slight differences in ingredients on hand (breaded shrimp to be oven baked).
Thanks for the great site!
Loved it! So easy to make and so yummy!
OMGoodness, this was ah-mazing! We used turkey bacon instead of regular (in a fruitless attempt to convince ourselves this was healthier) and it was to die for! Since turkey bacon doesn’t give off as much grease we also added a tbsp of butter with the grease before adding the evaporated milk. Definitely a keeper for cold snowy nights!
I don’t know where I went wrong, but this recipe did not work out for me. The cheese didn’t emulsify into the evaporated milk, so I had a gross, clumpy mess instead of a cheese sauce. I put it through a strainer because I couldn’t think of anything else to do, but that predictably enough did not work. I’ll go back to the tedious but reliable method of making a white cheese for my future mac and cheesies, but if I ever did try this recipe again, I would maybe try having the pan hotter when I throw the cheese in.
Hi! Can I use heavy cream (I have some from a recipe I used earlier this week) instead of evaporated milk?
Although I haven’t tried it, I don’t think that will work the same. The evaporated milk has a higher protein content (due to the concentrating effects of evaporation), which helps emulsify the melted cheese.
Super good! Tossed frozen broccoli in with pasta to cook and it cut the time down some. Sharp cheddar was fine too. Will surely make again!
Just finished our meal Delicious and easy because I had all ingredients. I had to use reg paprika. I put smoked sweet paprika in my grocery list. Thanks for another winner, Beth. Your recipes are family favorites!
Loved it! I used about 2 tbs of butter instead of bacon and sautéed some onion to go with the broccoli. Thank you!
I made this last week and mine did not turn out as well as the recipe looks. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, but I think I will stick with my usual bechamel sauce recipe in the future.
My sauce might’ve broken or just never set up, because it was not rich and creamy like the photos. Again, still tasted good but not something I would show off
I love this recipe!! I’ve made it twice already! I’ll add – I substituted sausage for bacon (because I’m not a huge fan of bacon). Used some grease from the sausage and added a bit of butter. Also probably added too much mustard, but I like the flavor. Oh! And I sauteed some red bell peppers with the sausage. Because vegetables.
It’s AMAZING!
I don’t keep mustard around. Is there something I could use as a substitute?
I use horseradish sauce as a sub sometimes because my husband hates mustard so much.
Hi There! This meal looks delicious, and I am looking forward to making it, but I have one quick question… Do you not cook the broccoli at all? Just thaw, chop and add?
Yep! Frozen broccoli is blanched before freezing, so it already has that raw edge taken off.
Oh my, I’ve just had my lunch but you’ve made me hungry all over again! I am absolutely making this one, my kids will love it.
YUM!!! Thank you, Beth!! This was scrumptious! I can see mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions also working, if you’re trying to clean out your fridge. I added extra hot sauce because I like the heat, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter.
Doubled your recipe (three teenagers in the house) and used up the last of cheddar, and a Mexican cheese mix. Awesome recipe! I usually add bacon to home made mac and cheese but this recipe and cheese sauce was awesome. No left overs!
I would love to use this method, but I don’t eat meat. Do you have suggestion on how to make it without the bacon? Would using a couple TB of butter instead of the bacon grease work out ok?
Butter would work perfectly. I don’t eat pork, but I do miss the smokiness of bacon. That’s when I became addicted to smoked paprika! That’s how I’ll be making this!
Yes, you can use 2 Tbsp butter in place of the bacon grease. :)
My mouth is watering right now!!! :-)
This recipie rocks. I doubled the recipe, used turkey bacon, low fat evaporated milk and whole wheat pasta. Made it in my instantpot. First I sautéed the turkey then I added the broccoli, paprika, Dijon, pasta and 4 cups of water. Cooked on high pressure for 6 minutes. Did a quick release and added the evaporated milk and cheese. YUM!!
Just perfect, you rock, thank you!
This was so good! I used beer mustard instead of dijon because that’s what I had on hand, but it still turned out great. Will definitely be adding this to my list of staple recipes.
You weren’t kidding about portion control. I ate way too much of this, but that sauce is just irresistible. I was cheap and didn’t bother buying hot sauce or a jar of mustard (because I hate both), so I used ground mustard (that I had from something else) and chili powder in their place, and it was amazing, also it was so quick and easy. New comfort food favorite for sure.
Beth,
Do you think this would freeze well?
I have a feeling that the cheese sauce wouldn’t hold up to freezing, unfortunately.
Is it possible to use regular whole milk? I always have milk on hand and I always try to find ways to use when I’m cooking.
Nope, for this one you have to use the evaporated milk or else the sauce won’t come together correctly.
Can confirm. I tried this without reading this far in the comments :/ Sauce flailed.
PS – I love the new design in general, but I’m sad that it makes it harder to read the comments!
What exactly makes the comments harder to read? I might be able to change a setting and make it easier. :)
Beth, when you click on “older comments” it scoots you back to the top of the recipe, so you have to scroll down every time. :)
Oh wow!! I didn’t realize that. Thank you so much for pointing it out! :) I’ll get my tech guys on it.
Oh my! This looks SO yummy! That sauce looks so smooth and velvety and PERFECT!
Definitely adding this to my arsenal of must-try-meals…maybe I’ll even add a little chicken for good measure :)
I’ve been making Mac and cheese with evaporated milk for years- it is just so fantastic! I prefer this way over a roux based cheese sauce, and when it cools, it gets “sticky”, so you can easily flatten it out in a pan, slice it, bread it, and have baked Mac and cheese bites.
Ooooooh… you may have just changed my life!
This looks SO good! I am definitely making this week, I already have the bacon and broccoli in the freezer! :D
Just made this tonight – with bacon, frozen spinach and mushrooms. So. Damn. Awesome.
How does this compare (not counting bacon and broccoli) to your Miracle Mac and Cheese???
I like this method WAY better. The older “miracle mac” method gets a bit grainy as it cools and this one doesn’t. :) It’s way more forgiving and creamy.