Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Creamy and extra cheesy Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese loaded with rich fontina, white cheddar and parmesan cheeses, crispy bacon and topped with buttery bread crumbs.  A perfect alternative to traditional macaroni and cheese.

I baked 2 small-ish sweet potatoes in the oven, let them cool and scooped out the insides.  Then, I proceeded to make my creamy and extra cheesy macaroni and cheese.

I incorporated plenty of fontina, white cheddar cheese and grated parmesan in the sauce and added the mashed sweet potatoes, elbow macaroni and pieces of crispy, cooked bacon. I poured it into a baking dish and topped it with a buttery bread crumb topping and baked it in the oven for about 20 minutes.  It tasted amazing!

The Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese reminded me of our classic macaroni and cheese; noodles baked in a cheesy, creamy sauce, topped with toasted, buttery breadcrumbs.  The only noticeable difference was the addition of the sweet potatoes.

Interestingly, the color wasn’t much brighter or more orange that our usual macaroni and cheese.  Most likely, that was because I chose a white cheddar instead of our usual bright orange cheddar.

The addition of fontina cheese I highly recommend.  Fontina melts wonderfully and is great in a fondue so I knew it would be a lovely addition to this mac and cheese recipe.

The sweet potatoes gave the macaroni and cheese a burst of flavor and color.  It also helped to thicken the sauce which allowed me to use skim milk instead of cream.  Sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients and fiber and this is a great way to easily incorporate extra vitamins into a recipe.  I’m very sure even picky eaters will love it.

This extra creamy Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese is certainly one of our new favorite ways to enjoy macaroni and cheese.

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese with Bacon

By: Joanie Zisk

Prep: 1 hour hr

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

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Creamy and cheesy Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese loaded with 3 cheeses, crispy bacon and loads of flavor.

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 small sweet potatoes , cooked, peeled and mashed
• ▢ 3 cups elbow macaroni , uncooked
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 medium onion , chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 2 cups milk
• ▢ 2 cups white cheddar cheese , shredded
• ▢ 2 cups fontina cheese , shredded
• ▢ 2 ounces parmesan cheese , grated
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 6 slices of cooked bacon , chopped

TOPPING

• ▢ 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter , melted (1/2 stick)
• ▢ 1/2 cup parmesan cheese , grated

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly scrub the sweet potatoes under cold running water. Prick the sweet potato several times with a fork. Place the potatoes on a roasting tray and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool..
• Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain; set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
• Add the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the chicken broth and the milk and simmer, stirring for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the cheeses, the dijon mustard, nutmeg and salt.
• Simmer for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Stir in the cooked noodles, mashed sweet potatoes and bacon.
• Transfer to a buttered baking dish.
• Make the topping by combining the bread crumbs, melted butter and parmesan cheese.
• Spoon the topping over the macaroni and cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown in a 375 degree oven.
• Remove from oven and serve warm.