Mac ’n’ Cheese Bar with Bacon
with sides & toppings for everyone to build their perfect plate
- Wheat
- Sesame
- Milk
How do you please everyone at dinner? A mac ’n’ cheese bar! You’ll set out luscious baked mac ’n’ cheese with toppings galore: toasted everything-bagel breadcrumbs, roasted broccoli, juicy diced tomato, and tangy pickled jalapeños, then let everyone create their own perfect plate! Order bacon for smoky crispness and/or hot honey for sweet spice.
Ingredients
1 unit
Broccoli
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Everything Bagel Seasoning
(Contains: Sesame)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
6 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Mushroom Stock Concentrate
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
2 cup
Cheddar Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Tomato
1 unit
Jalapeño
5 teaspoon
White Wine Vinegar
4 ounce
Bacon
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Olive Oil
¼ teaspoon
Sugar
Nonstick Cooking Spray
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust racks to top and middle positions and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces if necessary. • Toss broccoli on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until browned and tender, 15-20 minutes. TIP: If you added any other items to your meal (apps, sides, and/or dessert), you can get started on them now!
Arrange bacon* in a single layer on a separate baking sheet. Roast on middle rack until crispy, 15-20 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
• Meanwhile, melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a large pan over medium- high heat. Add panko, Everything Bagel Seasoning, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out pan. • Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Drain, then return pasta to pot.
• While pasta cooks, in pan used for panko, whisk together cream sauce base and 1 cup water (2 cups for 4 servings) over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. • Add cream cheese, stock concentrate, and garlic powder. Cook, whisking, until cream cheese is fully incorporated and sauce is smooth, 2-3 minutes. • Remove from heat. Whisk in three-quarters of the cheddar and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted and smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Transfer cheese sauce to pot with drained cavatappi; stir to combine. • Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (9-by-13- inch baking dish for 4 servings) with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer mac ’n’ cheese to prepared baking dish. • Top with remaining cheddar and bake on middle rack until browned, 12-15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
• While mac ’n’ cheese bakes, halve jalapeño lengthwise, removing ribs and seeds for less heat; thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Dice tomato into 1⁄2-inch pieces.
• In a second small microwave-safe bowl, combine jalapeño, 1 tsp vinegar, 1⁄4 tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt (for 4 servings, use 2 tsp vinegar, 1⁄2 tsp sugar, and a big pinch of salt). (Save remaining vinegar for another use.) • Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally.
• Serve broccoli, mac ’n’ cheese, toasted panko, tomato, and pickled jalapeño family style and let everyone build their own plate.
Serve chopped bacon with mac ’n’ cheese bar.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: The mac and cheese was delicious, with the everything seasoning adding a tasty twist. Some enjoyed cooking jalapeños in bacon fat for extra flavor.
- Ease of prep: While delicious, preparation was more involved than usual HelloFresh meals. Some found it took close to an hour, but felt it was worth the effort.
- Suggestions: Consider incorporating ingredients into a single pot before baking for a different take. Start the broccoli later to align with mac and cheese completion.
- Leftovers: Many found it made plenty, with some enjoying it even more the next day. It provided enough for multiple meals and work lunches.
- Portions: This recipe yielded a generous amount of food, satisfying families and providing ample leftovers.
Reviews from our home cooks
Liked the addition of the everything seasoning. I cooked the jalapeño in bacon fat and then mixed in. Broccoli shouldn't be started until Mac and cheese is ready to go though - mine was done 20 minutes before Mac and cheese. Also, took close to an hour but was worth it.
So much food! This was even better the next day as leftovers. Everyone got Mac the way they wanted but it was a bit more involved than other meals to make.
The bacon was kind of tough and did not get very crispy. Cut too thick, I think. Overall though, different, and really good. It made enough for 2 meals with 2 portions left over for lunch at work the next day.
Really good, but I incorporated all of the ingredients into a single pot before the bake (not using all of each ingredient ofc). Probably tastier than the bar would've been.
This was a big hit in our house. The Mac and cheese was delicious.
Amazing! My whole family loved it and it was very easy to make.
