Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese

If you’ve never eaten mac and cheese between two slices of bread you haven’t quite lived. This grilled cheese is loaded with the most delicious mac and cheese imaginable!

For real, is there anything more horrendously beautiful?! 😂 To be fair I’m ‘that guy’ that usually has garlic bread, or some sort of bread to scoop up my mac and cheese, so this 100% makes sense to me. For those of you screaming ‘MAKE IT MAKE SENSE’ just follow me…

Best Mac and Cheese

The mac and cheese itself is indeed the star of the show, so it’s important to present it in its best form. Sure, you could use store bought mac and cheese, but today we’re making it from scratch. Mainly because it’s too easy and delicious not to.

To spruce up a regular mac and cheese I like to add 2 game changing ingredients:

• Bacon – Crispy bits of bacon running through a mac and cheese, need I really justify this?
• Hot Sauce – Adds a gentle kick of heat and works beautifully with the cheese!

How to make quick make and cheese

Because this is a small portion and you’re not baking it or anything, it’s a pretty quick process. You essentially want to make a roux (flour and butter) and slowly whisk in milk. Once this has thickened just stir through seasoning and cheese. Simples!

What cheese to use?

I usually go for a 50/50 combo of cheddar and mozzarella. The mozzarella really helps keep everything in tact so it doesn’t spill out in the sandwich. It also adds that glorious cheese pull we all came here for. You can in reality use any cheese you fancy though!

Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese

Alright, here’s where things get fun. Once you’ve made the mac and cheese place it one side and grab some bread and butter. Butter one side of each slice and whack the mac and cheese in the middle.

Best bread to use?

You want fairly large and thick slices, just so the bread doesn’t collapse into the mac and cheese. I usually go for a nice Sourdough.

I recommend frying the grilled cheese over a medium heat. This will allow the bread to crispy up nicely, whilst heating through the mac and cheese.

Can I make this with leftover mac and cheese?

Yes! This is perfect to make with leftover mac and cheese. I recommend bringing it to room temp first before placing in the sandwich. If it’s straight from the fridge it might not heat right through in the pan.

Crisp/Chip Recommendation: You want a nice sturdy chip like a Dorito to scoop up any mac and cheese that falls out. Cool Original work nicely.

Side Recommendation: Try dunking this in a Tomato Soup or serve with Creamy Coleslaw!

And there we have it! All my tips and tricks for the perfect grilled mac and cheese sandwich. Let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we?!

How to make Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese (Full Recipe & Video)

Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese

If you've never eaten mac and cheese between two slices of bread you haven't quite lived. This grilled cheese is loaded with the most delicious mac and cheese imaginable!

5 from 5 votes

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Course: lunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings (click & slide): 3

Calories per serving: 666kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £2.50 / $3

Equipment

• Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Whisk
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Medium Pot & Colander (for pasta)
• Cheese Grater

Ingredients

• 6 large slices of Sourdough Bread, (or bread of choice)
• 3.5oz / 100g Dried Macaroni
• 1 cup / 100g Cheese (see notes)
• 1 cup / 250ml Milk, at room temp
• 4-6 single rashers of Streaky Bacon, diced
• 1 tbsp Butter, plus more to spread
• 1 tbsp Flour
• 1 tsp Hot Sauce, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Pop your macaroni is salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain when needed.
• In a large pan begin frying your bacon over medium heat. Once crispy, melt in 1 tbsp butter (remove excess bacon fat if necessary, a tsp or so will add flavour, any more starts turning the sauce greasy). Stir in 1 tbsp flour to form a paste then gradually start pouring in 1cup/250ml milk, whisking as you go to ensure no lumps form.
• Once the sauce has thickened, add in hot sauce, garlic powder and salt & pepper (all to taste). Turn heat to very low and stir in your pasta.
• At this point either pour pasta into a side bowl and wipe out pan ready for the grilled cheese, or leave in pan and use a second pan.
• Spread one side of each or your slices of bread and face butter-side-down on a chopping board. Spoon in mac and cheese, top with bread then spread again with butter.
• Transfer sandwiches to frying pan and fry each side over medium heat until golden crispy and gooey in the middle.

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Cheese - I always go for a 50/50 combo of cheddar and mozzarella. The mozzarella keeps everything compact so it doesn't spill out everywhere in the sandwich. It also gives you that glorious cheese pull. You can however use any cheese you fancy. Even just a sprinkle of mozzarella will help though.

b) Bacon - This is optional, yet oh so necessary at the same time. You can however leave it out for a vegetarian version and just start from melting the butter.

c) Calories - per grilled cheese with 50/50 cheddar mozzarella and 5 rashers bacon:

Your Private Notes:

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese

Amount Per Serving

Calories 666 Calories from Fat 308

% Daily Value*

Fat 34.26g53%

Saturated Fat 9.241g58%

Trans Fat 0.307g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.728g

Monounsaturated Fat 4.431g

Cholesterol 45mg15%

Sodium 810mg35%

Potassium 525mg15%

Carbohydrates 61.56g21%

Fiber 2.8g12%

Sugar 9.09g10%

Protein 26.89g54%

Vitamin A 556IU11%

Vitamin C 0.2mg0%

Calcium 417mg42%

Iron 3.1mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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