Baked Cheesy Bacon Mac N Cheese Recipe
I think the BEST food ever created was Macaroni and Cheese and I honestly don’t discriminate. This Baked Cheesy Bacon Mac recipe takes your Traditional Baked Macaroni & Cheese to the next level by using FOUR types of Cheese, BACON, a little HEAT and some vegetables for crunch….Plus, it’s healthy too 
Try it, you’ll like it!
Thanks to TJ’s Test Kitchen for the inspiration to take her delicious looking Baked Macaroni recipe and spice it up a bit with this version!
Baked Cheesy Bacon Mac N Cheese Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
7 oz Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni (or any shape)
1 c Low Fat Riccota Cheese
3.5 oz Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese
3.5 ox Low Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 oz Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
1 Egg
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1/4 Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 c chopped fresh spinach
2-3 small zucchini’s sliced and quartered
4 slices center cut bacon or turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 jar Bertolli Spicy Arabbiata Pasta Sauce
A few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Nonstick Spray
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a small 8×8 or 9×13 dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Prepare pasta according to packaged instructions. Be sure to salt your water as it’s the only time you can season your pasta and cook it all dente. I cooked mine for 8 minutes.
3. After weighing your cheese, set aside one handful of the mozzarella and cheddar (about 1/4 cup each). Combine ricotta through freshly ground black pepper mixing thoroughly.
4. Stir in your fresh spinach and zucchini mixing thoroughly. Stir in your bacon. Add hot pasta and stir to combine.
5. Layer it up! Start with 1 cup of pasta sauce, topped with 1/2 of the cheesy bacon macaroni mix, then 1/2 cup to 1 cup sauce followed by the rest of the cheesy bacon pasta. Top with 1/2 cup sauce and remaining cheese.
6. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and cut into 6 slices.
Makes 6 BIG Cheesy Bacon Macaroni squares for only 6 POINTS EACH!
VEGETARIANS ~ Use Fakin’ Bacon or omit bacon to make it vegetarian.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING (using sparkrecipes.com):
Calories 296.6, Total Fat 8.3 g, Saturated Fat 4.0 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0.9 g, Cholesterol 61.6 mg, Sodium 807.7 mg, Potassium 190.4 mg, Total Carbohydrate 35.2 g, Dietary Fiber 5.6 g, Sugars 5.4 g, Protein 22.3 g
STEP-BY-STEP:
1. Prepare your pasta according to the packaged instructions ~ be sure to salt the water and cook al dente.
2. Save yourself some time (& mess)and cook your bacon in the microwave. Place on 3 paper towels and cook approximately 1-1 1/2 minutes per piece.
Tadah ~ crispy, crunchy micro waved bacon with NO mess to clean up. I cook all of my turkey bacon this way when using it.
While your bacon cooks, measure out all your cheeses using your super cool Eat Smart Precision Pro Digital Food Scale.
.5 Ounce Parmesan
3.5 Ounces Low Fat Mozzarella
3.5 Ounces Low Fat SHARP Cheddar Cheese
3. Set aside a small handful of your cheeses for topping and combine Ricotta through freshly ground pepper.
4. Add spinach and zucchini and mix well.
Add your secret ingredient ~ crispy, crumbled bacon pieces.
Plus your cooked pasta.
Stir well to combine.
5. Layer it up! You could make your own spicy pasta sauce, but, I wanted to try out my new Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce from Bertolli. Of course I had to taste it BEFORE I put it on my pasta 
I LOVE the ingredient list ~ this sauce is pretty tasty by itself. It has a nice tomato/red pepper flavor with a little spicy kick.
Add 1 cup of your pasta sauce to your prepared 9 x 13 pan.
Next, 1/2 of your cheesy bacon pasta mixture and a little more sauce. You can dot the sauce or spread it around, whatever you prefer.
Top with the remaining cheesy bacon pasta mixture.
Plus another 1/2 cup of sauce and the reserved cheese.
I like adding a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes on top to add some more HEAT, but, you don’t have to do that
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into 6 pieces and enjoy!
I LOVE how a little bacon and a little strong flavored cheeses go a long way to adding flavor to this Baked Macaroni and Cheese. This casserole is even better the next day. Enjoy!
If you like this recipe and want to save it, click the Springit! Button 
to add it to your recipe collection too.
I LOVE Pizza & Bacon & Mac n Cheese & …..
Happy Weekend all! I am old and fell asleep last night I think right after the credits of our movie and totally forgot to blog. I didn’t realize it until this morning…..LONG WEEK I guess ~ Oops 
Let’s get down to business with how yesterday went down!
Breakfast #1 sounded really good in theory. I mean I LOVE Eggs with hot sauce and I LOVE Grits! One of my AMAZING friends (who happens to be Southern) told me to try them together, so I figured why not??
Totally and completely NOT my thing. I think it’s a texture thing of maybe a flavor thing…bleh! I think the only SAVORY grits I like are butter and cheese and my egg should be kept separate….oh well, down the sink they went and I came up with another FAST breakfast I could take on the go.
3 points of deliciousness! A Whole Wheat Bagel Thin topped with 1 Tbsp Whipped Butter!
2 points of TJ’s Banana Froyo!
1 point of crunchy grapes. Such an awesome back up breakfast…then again, when can you ever go wrong with bagels plus fruit plus yogurt.
Mid morning my ChocoLOVE was calling my name, but, I had to remind myself that it was Dipped Chocolate Peanut Butter Mojo Bar only 10 am and I didn’t need to start the “crack” that soon! So I pulled out this that the awesome people at Clif Bar left at our work when they stopped by for a visit.
Since I wasn’t willing to spend 5 points on a bar, I had half and called it good! It’s funny the WW Calculator with the nutritionals in 1/2 says 2, but, the online tracker says 2.5 pts – hmmmm!
Thick layers of chocolate, WHOLE ALMONDS and Pretzels…Sweet, salty and totally like a candy bar. I will definitely be picking some of these up….Plus they are BIG – half was plenty!
Since I have been good ALL week and I didn’t have any leftover Cheesy Chicken Plantain Enchiladas to have 
, my co-worker and I headed out for Salad & Pizza at Fazarrati’s. I LOVE that you can make up a GIGANTIC salad with a slice of pizza and a drink for only $5.99 ~ DEAL!
My GIGANTIC salad included:
* Lettuce/cabbage blend
* Tbsp Kidney/Garbanzo Beans
* Beets
* Mushrooms
* Cucumbers
* Tomatoes
* Red Bell Pepper
* 1/2 an egg sliced
* Tbsp Sunflower Seeds
* Tbsp Crunchy Noodles
* 4 croutons
* 2 Peppercini’s
THE KITCHEN SINK all with the dressing on the side using my fork dip method with each bite ~ AWESOME!
I totally ate it all then dug into this cheesy slice of Veggie Pizza. It was the PERFECT lunch out and a great gossip session.
My lunch kept me full all afternoon long, however, while sitting in traffic on my way home I wanted something sweet. I know I didn’t need to spend a crazy amount of points (chocolate) when I wasn’t hungry, so I whipped out some 1 point Annie’s Organic Fruit Bunnies….So Good! I honestly think Sunny Citrus is my FAVORITE flavor well because it’s sunny like me Haven’t you all noticed I am just a ray of sunshine??? Kidding LOL.
Dinner was courtesy of the FANTASTIC TJ (My Bay Area Blogger Meet-Up Team Co-Captain!)! I put a spin on her Baked Macaroni & Cheese to make a Cheesy Bacon Vegetable Mac n Cheese that ROCKED!!!!
I LOVED the addition of bacon and extra veggie plus two types of cheese and spice. I will be posting the recipe (hopefully today) so I can add it to my collection (to make it again!) I am thinking that mine comes in at 6-7 points, but, I have to calc it next.
I made up a fast side salad to go with it 1 pt.
Yum, I cannot wait for leftovers tonight!
You all didn’t really think I was done with that and that I’d go all day without chocolate did you? Sometimes you really do just NEED to have milk chocolate and I knew I couldn’t have a couple of pieces of the ChocoLOVE and stop there.
So, I decided to keep it in check and eat the ENTIRE bar of TJ’s 100 Calorie Milk Chocolate bar for 3 points for dessert.
Today is my LAST LONG RUN with my sis BEFORE OUR RACE next weekend!!! Ahhh, so excited and so nervous., We are shooting for 11 miles and then heading to the Whole Foods Salad bar to refuel! Wish us luck!
If I don’t get a chance to post before then, I will post the Cheesy Bacon & Veggie Mac N Cheese Recipe and announce the scale winners when I return later today/tonight.
Have an AWESOME Saturday all!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi ~ Good Intentions
Happy Hump Day All! Sorry I never made it back yesterday to post this fantastic Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Creamy Mushroom Spinach Sauce Flop. Ok, well, actually the sauce was AWESOME, but, my Sweet Potato Gnocchi gets a needs improvement. Let’s get into how my Tuesday went down…..
First, I just have to give a QUICK Bachelor Tell All statement ~ I LOVE that ABC didn’t cut out all the good stuff and they actually let some of the FANTASTIC comments by Roslyn come through ~ that girl has some cahones It totally made for a great show
I knew I had to eat something before my dentist appointment, but, I wasn’t really hungry. I opted for a 2 point Perfectly Hard Boiled Egg because I figured the protein would hold me over the longest.
After getting my mouth all sawed on (0k, just a cleaning plus having a filling replaced since it made my tooth break), I treated myself to a 3 point “dirty latte” (Grande, NF, Decaf, 2 pumps of Mocha). I figured I’d earned it and since I couldn’t eat for 3 hours…..
On my way back, I had to make a quick stop and look what I found ~ BAGEL THINS!!!! Just like the Sandwich Thins, but, 1 point of CHEWY, BAGELNESS! I picked up the Everything Bagels and the Whole Wheat.
Check the stats ~ awesome!!! I may just LOVE these more than Western Alternative Bagels.
You know lunch HAD to involve my new find, plus I wanted something I didn’t involve too much chewing.
I steamed up my immunity blend of Green Giant Veggies while I heated my Amy’s Tomato Bisque soup. I LOVE adding veggies to my soup because it just makes it more satisfying. I LOVE so many of Amy’s Soups, but, this, well ~ it was just too sweet. I sorta felt like I was eating spaghetti sauce and I totally missed any hint of herbs 4 points for the soup and 1 point for the veggies.
Bagel thin plus 1 Laughing Cow Lite Wedge = LOVE!!! (2 pts)
Two HUGE Glasses of Soda Stream Fizzy Water….I honestly think over half of my water intake each day comes from bubbly water
I did have a few croutons to put in my soup too.
Another one of these 4 point eggs may or may not have appeared as my afternoon snack. I LOVE the eggs more than the regular version because like Alison says…they contain so much more salty peanut buttery goodness! Totally a great justification to buy a holiday shaped candy
I was hungry again an hour later so I snacked on a 1 point cheese while I whipped up dinner.
I have totally been wanting to try to make Gnocchi ever since I first tried them for our Holiday Party Celebration a few months back. I would’ve LOVED to have tried the pumpkin gnocchi but seeing as I’ve never made it and only had it one time, I went with a traditional recipe that I could find online for Sweet Potato Gnocchi. However, I decided to put my own spin on it and create a Creamy Mushroom Spinach Alfredo sauce in an attempt to recreate the dish I had at the party.
Here are the steps I took to make my Sweet Potato Gnocchi.
I peeled and chopped up 5 small sweet potatoes.
Since I didn’t have time to bake them in the oven, I added them to my microwave steamer with a little water and steamed them for about 10 minutes.
Using my potato smasher, I smooshed them into a puree.
You could easily use a food processor or blender, but, this was super easy to make the pulp since them were super soft.
I measured out 1 1/2 cups of my Sweet Potato Pulp and saved the rest for some cinnamon sugar smashed sweet potatoes another day.
Plus, I measured out 1 cup of Low-Fat Ricotta and 1/4 c shredded parmesan. I went with a low-fat cheese and less parmesan to help lighten up the calorie/fat content.
1 Tbsp of Brown sugar for extra sweetness
Stir to combine all of the above ingredients you just measured out.
One thing I LOVE about this recipe is that is allows you use measuring cups or your super cool food scale to measure everything out. I used my Eat Smart Precisions Pro Scale ~ don’t forget, you have ONE more day to get this scale 15% off
After I turned my scale on and toggled to grams, I placed my bowl on top ~ pretty cool to know that my bowl weighs 372 grams LOL.
I hit the TARE button one time and it automatically makes the scale go to 0 with my bowl on there ~ I LOVE that TARE feature!
I measured out 75 g of Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Flour (mistake #1 ~ don’t use Whole Wheat Flour to make Gnocchi ~ it makes it gritty, versus smooth).
Stir your dough until it dough holds together but is still very soft and light. Place it on a floured surface (making sure to leave your spoon in your flour bag because you will need more).
Divide it into 3 equal dough balls. Don’t forget to have two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper at this point as you will be placing your finished Gnocchi on it.
Slowly roll each ball into a nice long strip until it’s about 1 inch thick.
I honestly have NO clue what it means to roll the gnocchi on the tines of the fork to give them ridges. So, I just flattened them peanut butter cookie style and fluffed them up a little
Bring a big pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add 15 gnocchi at a time. They sink to the bottom.
When they float to the top, they are done and you can remove them placing them on a your parchment paper.
While the Gnocchi were cooking in batches I sautéed some mushrooms in a little butter. Then, I wilted in a few handfuls of spinach adding a little tomato and basil after it was done cooking. I also slow cooked my Low Fat Alfredo Sauce (recipe coming up soon) too.
I let my Sweet Potato Gnocchi cool and get firm. Then, I scooped up about 8 of them, topped them with a little of the veggie mixture and a scoop of my Low Fat Alfredo Sauce. Looks good huh? The sauce is AWESOME ~ totally thick, creamy, garlicky and peppery.
It doesn’t look so pretty all mixed up LOL….
But, it looks better with each bite. Sweet potato doughy balls of goodnes ~ sounds bad lol!
Ok ~ so here is what I learned:
1. Gnocchi is actually pretty easy to make, but, buying it may be easier than making it
2. Don’t use Whole Wheat Flour because it doesn’t allow the gnocchi to have the smooth doughy consistency.
3. Make your Gnocchi into small bites, like 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch ~ mine were way too big so it made them feel like you were eating HUGE dough balls.
4. There is a reason that all the Sweet Potato Ricotta Recipes I found involved frying them in a butter sauce ~ the ricotta makes them extra soft so they “need” the frying to make them firmer. If you are not using a butter sauce, then, opt for a Gnocchi recipe that doesn’t involved ricotta.
5. Not all recipes will work perfectly the 1st time ~ even Julia Child had recipe fails….I am bummed this was just ok since I put so much LOVE into it. However, I did learn from it and will definitely try again.
Have an awesome day all ~ I will see you all tonight!
Ooops!
I started my day off super early with two AWESOME things. A great informational call with the simply AMAZING Shane from Enviromental Booty and Starbuck’s! I savored my “Dirty Latte” (grande ff decaf latte with 2 pumps mocha) (3 pts) while we chatted it up ~ check out all her sites, I think she will impress you too
Since I was starving and not wanting to wait until I got to work, I decided to pick up one of their breakfasts. The only thing was I couldn’t exactly eat it in the car since I couldn’t take my pictures ~ oops
I picked up their recommended High Energy Power Protein Plate.
I LOVE how they show their stats without the Peanut Butter (6 pts)….
And with (8 pts)
I LOVE it when an ingredient list tells you something is added to prevent your food from being “RETARDED” ~ nice
Here is everything you get for 370 calories. I gave away the peanut butter packet to my co-worker to save 2 points. You could also save 2 points by popping the yolk out of the egg or skipping the cheese. I ate everything except the pb for 6 pts.
I really wasn’t feeling my lunch today but I wanted to get out. I have been obsessing over Panda Express vegetables so today is a total repeat of Friday (sorry all ~ sometimes you just gotta have it!)
Mushroom Chicken ~ 3 pts!
Fire Cracker Chicken that was sooooo spicy it made my lips burn! (4 pts)
A bunch of steamed veggies with Dinosaur Trees ~ I heart Dinosaur Trees!
You didn’t really think I could go and pass up the Froyo next door when I have a 10% off pass, did you? I had half vanilla with 1/2 pineapple with sprinkles and mini yogurt chips…4 pts and totally worth it. Someday I WILL get their large container – then again that could be bad since it’s all self serve
I had planned on skipping my afternoon snack since my lunch kept me full. However, my co-worker wanted to sample some chocolate so I broke out the CHOCOLOVE that Jasmine sent me!
Cherries and Almonds in Dark Chocolate!
Check out the AWESOME stats 3 pts for SIX pieces (1/3 OF THE BAR).
Ok, you all would be totally proud. Since I know I didn’t NEED anything, I only had one little heart square for less than a pt!!! It’s tasty – nutty, crunchy and just a hint of cherry after.
I had printed out this Weight Watchers Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli Recipe last week to make for dinner tonight. Since I was too lazy to make my own fresh bread crumbs, I decided to use the Panko Bread Crumbs I received at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival. 
Ronzoni sent us this Smart Taste pasta that seems interesting. I like that it is fortified with calcium and Vitamin D.
The Husband likes that it is white pasta, but, has wheat pasta stats.
One reason I LOVE having a food scale is for when recipes call for 12 oz and your package is more. I am not sure how I’d portion out 2.5 oz without my scale.
Bet you all only thought I used my scale to measure portions sizes, huh?!
I thought the cooking instructions were a bit off, however, I followed them exactly boiling the pasta for only 12 minutes to make it a dente.
Total fail! I don’t think I’ve ever seen penne split into spaghetti ~ oops. I really think if you are going to cook with the Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta it should only be cooked for like 10 minutes, not 12 unless you want mush
I still went with it and made my WW Baked Macaroni and Cheese. I boosted the protein a little by adding some grilled basic chicken breast.
The verdict ~ um, well, it looks about as good as it tastes. We both didn’t really love this recipe ~ it was a bit bland and felt like it was missing something. I cannot even convince The Husband to have leftovers with me tomorrow LOL….bummer. I LOVE days I don’t have to cook. *sigh*…..
I do think this would’ve been better using Annie’s Shells & White Cheddar with grilled chicken and steamed broccoli…am I biased?!
Alright, nothing too exciting for a Monday….sorta bland like my pasta dinner
Do you ever think some days you are not meant to cook? I think that is how my day went down today, partly by choice, partly by a total cooking flop……
Good thing Scandalous Bachelor is on tonight to spice things up a bit.
WHOSE GOING HOME OR NOT???? I cannot wait….
Night all!
Get ready for Crock-Potting!
Happy Monday all! I was so ready to hop out of bed and get back to running after my mini back break that I was up at 3:45 am. Wide awake – seriously….I do NOT need to be up that early but, if you can’t sleep why not take advantage of it and slam out a run. I took it easy lowering my run/walk intervals to 4:1 and a few 3:1 to go a total of 3.21 miles. The BEST part is my back didn’t hurt – yahoo! I am hoping that my new shoes make my back even better on my runs..I can handle knee issues, but, your back is totally different.
Last night I put BOTH my crock pots into use to whip of TWO recipes. I have one more crock pot recipe planned for this week as well so you all better get ready for some serious crock-potting.
The first recipe was a Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Quiche!!! Of course, I can NEVER stick to a recipe so I will be posting my modified version this week. One serving is 3 pts and it’s FANTASTIC.
I also had the BEST 3 point latte ever today ~ Grande FF, Decaf with 2 pumps of mocha. It was perfectly chocolately but not overly rich ~ LOVE it!
Usually eggs keep me going for awhile but I think my body was off a bit from being up so early. I was STARVING 2 hours later so I had a banana and a low-fat colby square (2 pts)
I was STILL hungry ~ mornings on my hungriest times (not nights). so, I thought I could break off a little Honest Foods Blueberry Vanilla Crackle to snack on.
OMG ~ I LOVE this granola. It’s a tad bit hard to bite into, but, the flavor is amazing. I LOVED the whole almonds, chewy fruit and sweet/salty/crunchiness of it all. I ended up eating the entire bar…..
Thinking that it was only 4 points for it. Ooops ~ When I read the fine print I realized I just spent 8 points on a bar *sigh*. It is delicious, but, I am not so sure it was worth that many points.
I headed out at lunch to enjoy the sunshine and do a little shopping at Target, TJ’s and Whole Foods (although I STILL want to rebel against WF for their fat policy!).
I was SO EXCITED to find Tiger Balm Patches!!! For those who asked me and told me about Tiger Balm ~ did you know they have patches for only $6.29 at WF? AWESOME!
I came back to whip up a lunch I was CRAVING since I smelled it cook in the crockpot all yesterday.
CROCKPOT KUNG PAO CHICKEN
I completely changed the recipe and will be posting it this week for you all. I topped my Kung Pao with Sriracha hot sauce for added kick.
Served over BEAN Sprouts instead of rice to save on points. All together my entire plate was 6 pts ~ BARGAIN!
This afternoon we had an Annie’s Deluxe Mac & Cheese Party to try out the NEW Creamy Organic Deluxe Pasta! I LOVE the new packaging ~ it looks so professional!
This version of Annie’s is like the Velveeta Shells n Cheese, but, with REAL ingredients you can recognize and 100% organic ~ you can’t beat that!
The stats are a little higher but I am sure that is due to the cheese sauce being ready to go in the pouch.
We were served up the Barbeque Chicken Pasta recipe that was on the back of the box. I HEART SMOKED GHOUDA CHEESE!
I have to admit this was pretty tasty ~ it reminded me ALOT of BBQ Chicken Pita Pizza (like my BFL Pita Pizza ). I had 3 servings in my sample container and called it dinner since 1 serving of the recipe is 10 pts.
I am still a basic Annie’s Shells and Cheese girl, but, this was a fun alternative to try. For those wondering, Annie’s is also coming out with a GLUTEN FREE Deluxe too ~ fun!
Dessert…..4 creamy milk chocolate caramel DOVE chocolates. All of the sayings in these are by Martha Stewart….I miss the wisdom of the usual DOVE quotes
I hope to get my crockpot recipes up for you all at some point this week….but, tonight I am ready to relax.
I think the BEST part of MONDAYS is SCANDALOUS BACHELOR! It’s almost time – woohoo! Do you all think he will eliminate ONLY ONE girl or will he go on get rid of multiple girls like last time? I think I am rooting for GIA and/or maybe Tenley….but, just for the conspiracy, Vienna would be fun
Night all!
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