Bacon Mac and Cheese

The ultimate comfort food – gooey, warm, and filling – this Bacon Mac and Cheese is cozy and delightful. No need to worry about triggering a flare though if you can't have dairy – this one's dairy-free! (Paleo, AIP, Dairy-free)

I did a survey of my AIP membership (The Autoimmune Collective), asking what their favorite comfort food was – and what they missed the most, and the resounding answer was mac and cheese.

Yeah…. I agree.

So I present you with a dairy-free, Paleo and AIP-friendly mac and cheese. In fact, it's a delicious BACON mac and cheese!

 

Alternatives to store-bought elbow pasta

Unfortunately, I do know sourcing the Jovial Foods Cassava Flour Elbow Pasta can be difficult or impossible for some of you. And as of the time I write this, they are the only AIP elbow pasta that I know of that you can purchase.

However, if you cannot find it, here are some alternatives:

    • Hearts of Palm Pasta – these won't be elbow shaped, but they are storebought. Make sure to find a brand that doesn't have any non-AIP ingredients, like citric acid. The Natural Heaven brand is ok as of now.
    • Sweet Potato Noodles – you could make sweet potato noodles and just cut them a lot shorter than usual
    • Make your own – Nicole at Heal Me Delicious has several recipes that could work – Hand Rolled AIP Pasta and AIP Gnocchi
    • Zucchini Noodles – the old zoodle standby – again, maybe cut the noodles a bit shorter?
    • Diced roasted or steamed sweet potatoes or butternut squash – while not quite “noodles”, these could be another comforting way of eating this because you'll still “sink your teeth” into these and be small and bite-sized
    • Steamed broccoli – maybe this is a different dish entirely, but who doesn't love cheese sauce on broccoli?


    AIP mac and cheese on a plate from above, sprinkled with bacon bits

    Bacon Mac and Cheese

    Author: Patricia Rodriguez
    Servings: 4 people
    The ultimate comfort food - gooey, warm, and filling - this Bacon Mac and Cheese is cozy and delightful. No need to worry about triggering a flare though if you can't have dairy - this one is dairy-free! Also Paleo and AIP friendly.
    *Note - this serves 4 people as a side, or 2 people as a main dish
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes

    Ingredients
      

    For the cheese sauce:

    For the Pasta:

    Instructions
     

    • Cook the bacon in a pan until done, set aside.
    • Put a pot of water on to boil, then cook the pasta according to the package directions.
    • Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the water and arrowroot. Then whisk in the remaining sauce ingredients.
    • While whisking constantly, bring the sauce mixture to a boil over medium heat. It will thicken noticeably once hot - continuing whisking for another 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
    • Drain the pasta, finely chop up the bacon, and add the pasta and bacon to the pan with the sauce. Mix together and serve warm. (Option: reserve a bit of the bacon to sprinkle on top)

    Notes

    Meal Prepping the AIP Mac and Cheese

    You can make this mac and cheese up to 5 days ahead of time, store in the fridge, and reheat as needed. I really do recommend reheating as I don't like the texture as much when it's cold.
    You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. To do this, make the sauce, let it cool, put into a freezer-safe container or bag (I've been loving these reusable freezer bags!), lay flat in your freezer until frozen, then place somewhere in your freezer for storage. (This method allows you to get a lot more into your freezer.)
    Then when you need the cheese sauce, you can thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat, or push it out of the container into a pot on the stove and gently reheat (if it is having a hard time coming out of the container/bag, put the container/bag in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes).
    Course: Main, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet Gluten Free
    Keyword: AIP, Autoimmune Paleo, autoimmune protocol, comfort, dairy free, kid-friendly, kids, Paleo
    Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune !

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