Just when you thought mac and cheese couldn’t possibly get any better, along comes our homemade Smoked Bacon Ranch Mac and Cheese. I have done some wonderful versions of Smoked Mac and Cheese, too, but as the saying goes, “Everything is better with bacon”.

Smoked Bacon Ranch Mac and Cheese

Adding some ranch dressing seasoning gives this dish an added twist. Mac and cheese always hits the spot, and adding copious amounts of smoked bacon and ranch dressing makes it out of this world.

People these days are so used to the convenience of opening a box of macaroni and cheese with a powdered cheese mix to stir in that they have forgotten how easy it is to actually make actual mac and cheese from ingredients instead of a processed powder.

The difference between authentic homemade mac and cheese and processed stuff is stunning. When you make this smoked bacon ranch mac and cheese, you get a rich and creamy one. It comes alive with the smoky bacon flavors and benefits from the zesty dill and buttermilk tang of the ranch seasoning.

Making a roux for the bechamel cream sauce is simple and doesn’t take too long. It can be prepared while you wait for the water to boil to cook your macaroni noodles. Bechamel sauce is a white sauce made with milk or cream, butter, and flour.

Check out all of my Traeger Recipes!

How to make roux for Mac and Cheese

Prepare an easy bechamel sauce by first making a roux. A roux is the base for the sauce, and it is made by taking equal parts butter and flour and heating them together over medium heat.

For this recipe, instead of using butter for the fat to make the roux, you use the excess rendered fat from pre-cooking the bacon. This makes the dish have so much bacon flavor! Stir constantly until the bacon grease and flour are a nice smooth consistency.

When they are blended to a smooth consistency, start slowly adding in the milk or cream and keep stirring to blend. This is your bechamel sauce. Add the ranch seasoning to the sauce and stir well.

So simple!

Try this unique Baked Pumpkin Mac n Cheese for a fun twist!

What kind of bacon works best for mac and cheese?

I recommend the thicker-cut bacon for anything you will be adding in crumbled form. The thinner bacon sometimes falls apart when it is cooked crispy, and that’s not what we’re after here. You can also always add more smokiness to the bacon by using your Traeger grill or pellet grill and smoking bacon for an additional 30 minutes.

The smokier the bacon, the better. Typically the butcher bacon at the butcher window is the best ideal, but you can also find packaged bacon that works.

Using the thinner cuts of bacon is okay, but I like the chunkier bits of bacon throughout the creamy mac and cheese.

Can you use a different type of noodles for this dish?

Yup! “Mac” in mac-and-cheese typically stands for macaroni, which is a curbed tube-shaped pasta that comes in a variety of sizes. Some folks prefer the bigger sizes for mac and cheese, and others prefer the small ones, but both are great options for a good base.

I really like using rotelle or rotini for baked mac and cheese because it really collects all the cheese sauce so well.

Regardless of what type you pick, make sure to UNDERcook it a bit! It’ll cook more in the oven and you don’t want to end up with mush.

What sides go well with this dish?

This recipe is very hearty and filling. You can conquer even the most voracious appetites easily with a serving or three. I recommend serving it with a salad or a vegetable since green things are good when getting ready to dive into a sea of carbs.

I have a few other things to recommend:

• Traeger Grilled Aspargus and Prosciutto go so well together but if the prosciutto is too close to bacon to cause bacon overload, then just grill the asparagus by itself like this grilled asparagus.
• Caesar Salad with homemade dressing would be perfect here!
• Greek Freak Dressing – Toss some of my pickled onions on top of a salad of mixed greens