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ONE POT BACON BROCCO LI

MAC AN D CH EESE
$6.81 RECIPE / $1.70 SERVING

BUDGET BYTES » RECIPES » PASTA RECIPES » ONE POT BACON BROCCOLI MAC AND CHEESE

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A little bit of naughty, a little bit of nice, and a lot of portion control. That’s my approach to
food. 😂  So when I decided to make some mac and cheese and put bacon in it, I knew that I
had to at least throw some broccoli in there as well. It was a reasonable compromise
because bacon and broccoli go really well together and the broccoli adds some much
needed texture in this ooey-gooey One Pot Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese. Now let’s just
see if I can do that portion control part…
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EVAPOR ATED MILK C HEES E S AUC E M AGIC

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.

MORE MAC AND CHEESE RECIPES:

Miracle Mac and Cheese

Creamy Pesto Mac with Spinach
Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
White Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli
Green Chile Mac and Cheese

ONE POT BACON BROCCOLI 

MAC AND CHEESE
This One Pot Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese is fast, easy,
and absolutely fool proof. This sauce stays smooth and
creamy!
TOTAL COST: $6.81 recipe / $1.70 serving
AUTHOR: Adapted from Daniel Shumski // Will It Skillet?
PREP TIME: 10 mins
PRINT RECIPE 
COOK TIME: 35 mins
GROCERY LIST 
TOTAL TIME: 45 mins
SERVINGS: 4 FAVORITES

INGREDIENTS 4.61 from 28 votes

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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).
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5. 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.
6. 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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NUTRITION

Serving: 1 Serving・ Calories: 717.2 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 54.35 g ・ Protein: 34.95 g

・ Fat: 39.5 g ・ Sodium: 1071.73 mg ・ Fiber: 3.43 g
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an
Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

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HOW TO MAKE BACO N BR O CCO LI M AC AND

CHEESE – STEP BY STEP PHOTO S
 

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.
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Shred 8oz. medium cheddar cheese.

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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. 
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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).
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Once all the cheddar is melted into the sauce, you can taste it and adjust the salt or hot
sauce to your liking.
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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 bacon-y goodness!!

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And that’s it. The most delicious One Pot Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese EVER.

 

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some
commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

POSTED ON MAY 11, 2017 IN MAIN DISH RECIPES, ONE POT 88 COMMENTS »
MEALS, PASTA RECIPES, PORK RECIPES, RECIPES,
RECIPES UNDER $10, UNDER $3 PER SERVING
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88 COMMENTS ON “ONE POT BACON BROCCOLI MAC A ND

CHEESE”

« Older Comments

ARDEN —
06.06.21 @ 8:50 PM REPLY

Hi, this looks really good but do you have any suggestions for bacon substitutes for a
Jewish vegetarian?

BETH - BUDGET BYTES —

06.07.21 @ 10:23 AM REPLY

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!

JAKE D —
03.19.21 @ 7:03 PM REPLY

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.

TILLY —
12.01.20 @ 9:25 PM REPLY

mmmm delicous!

ERICA —
08.13.20 @ 8:38 PM REPLY
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!

VICKI BRAIN —
07.15.20 @ 1:00 PM REPLY

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.

EMMA —
06.16.20 @ 5:25 AM REPLY

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! 

ASHLEY —
03.22.20 @ 8:05 AM REPLY

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!
 

AMANDA —
03.05.20 @ 9:16 PM REPLY

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.

SUE R —
03.04.20 @ 12:16 AM REPLY

Pinned this to make again. Nice simple tasty recipe. Thank you.

SARAH —
11.23.19 @ 6:40 PM REPLY

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 😹. 
KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —
11.25.19 @ 12:11 PM REPLY

Ha! Thanks for sharing Sarah.

JOSEPH KELLER —
10.07.19 @ 8:47 PM REPLY

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.

KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

10.09.19 @ 8:24 AM REPLY
 Ha thank you Joseph!


KENNA RYAN —
07.25.19 @ 9:42 PM REPLY

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

« Older Comments

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