Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions

My Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions is made with a mixture of three types of cheeses, some light cream, crispy pancetta, and caramelized onions, and topped with shredded mozzarella.  It’s flavorful, light, and TOTALLY delicious! 

What better way to surprise my girls when they come home from college than find some good old-fashioned comfort food like mac and cheese?ย  ย 

I had some pancetta left over in the fridge and decided to use it with this recipe to give my mac and cheese more flavor.ย  The pancetta added a nice smoky flavor,ย not too overpowering.

Besides the mixture of cheeses, mozzarella, mild cheddar, and Gruyere gave a nice mild flavor to this mac and cheese.

It also gave its luscious creamy-cheesy texture that everyone expects and adores.

Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions by 2sistersrecipes.com
 
 

TIPS for this MAC and CHEESE!

The extra bonus to our mac and cheese with pancetta is the wonderful flavor of caramelized onions.  YEP! 

Caramelized onions offer so much flavor to our mac and cheese.ย  You’ll notice the difference right away!

Plus, to make it lighter in calories and texture, I decided to add half-and-half instead of heavy cream, or butter.  And I easily mixed everything directly into my casserole dish, instead of a mixing bowl.  

Then baked in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes.

Next, I carefully removed the casserole from the oven and topped it with more shredded mozzarella cheese, and baked it for 5 minutes more, until the cheese was completely melted.

Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions turned out to be amazingly delicious!!

 

Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions by 2sistersrecipes.com
 
 

Your family and friends will adore our mac and cheese with pancetta and caramelized onions!

This is such a delicious mac and cheese casserole.  Everyone gave me a thumbs up, even my daughter who is a picky eater, loved it!

I was so happy it turned out really well.  After all,  I created this recipe myself and was very happy with the outcome!  And so will you!

Best of all, noย need to use aย mixing bowl, all the ingredients are easily blended intoย your bakingย dish, makingย clean-upย a littleย easier.

The best part is taking leftovers (if any) for lunch the next day!

Enjoy!

*You can follow along or jump down to the bottom of our post for the full recipe card!

Ingredients for Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions:

  • 2 cups elbow pasta or Gluten-Free elbow pasta

  • 1 package (4 ounces) Pancetta-chopped

  • 2 to 3 medium Sweet Onions-chopped

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 cup shredded Mild Cheddar cheese

  • 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese -divided

  • 3 ounces Gruyere cheese -minced

  • 1 +1/2 cups half-and-half

  • 1/8 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

  • olive oil cooking spray

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray lightly all sides of a (7 x 11) medium-size casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  In a medium saucepan, cook the elbow pasta in boiling water with 1 teaspoon of salt.  Cook pasta for about 7 minutes until “al dente.” Drain.

3.  Meantime, in a large skillet, cook the pancetta until fully cooked and crispy.  Drain and discard the fat. Transfer to a 7 x 11 baking casserole dish.

4.  In the same skillet add olive oil and sautรฉ the onions for about 5 to 7 minutes, until onions are tender and golden brown.  Transfer onions to the baking dish.

 
Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions
 
 

5.  Using a wooden spoon, transfer the cooked elbow pasta to the baking dish.  

6.  Add 1+1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella (reserve the other 1/2 cup for topping), cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese, and fresh cracked black pepper.  Then pour in the half-and-half.

 
Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions by 2sistersrecipes.com

 

7.   Give it a good stir and mix until everything until well combined.

 
 
 

8.  Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove and stir gently. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella. AND Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top is completely melted.  Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 …THANKS for PINNING!!  

Mac and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions by 2sistersrecipes.com

MORE TASTY RECIPES!

 

Yield: 6

Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions

Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions

Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions are made with a creamy white sauce made from three different kinds of cheese and half-and-half, then topped with shredded mozzarella and baked with crispy pancetta and caramelized onions. Light, creamy and delicious, I promise everyone will be back for seconds!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups elbow pasta or Gluten-Free elbow pasta
  • 1 package (4 ounces) Pancetta-chopped
  • 2 to 3 medium Sweet Onions-chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup shredded Mild Cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese -divided
  • 3 ounces Gruyere cheese -minced
  • 1 +1/2 cups half-and-half
  • 1/8 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
  • olive oil cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray lightly all sides of a (7 x 11) medium-size casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, cook the elbow pasta in boiling water with 1 teaspoon of salt.
  4. Cook pasta for about 7 minutes until "al dente." Drain.
  5. Meantime, in a large skillet, cook the pancetta until fully cooked and crispy.
  6. Drain and discard the fat. Transfer to a 7 x 11 baking casserole dish.
  7. In the same skillet add olive oil and sauté the onions for about 5 to 7 minutes, until onions are tender and golden brown. Transfer onions to the baking dish.
  8. Using a wooden spoon, transfer the cooked elbow pasta to the baking dish.
  9. Add 1+1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella (reserve the other 1/2 cup for topping), cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese, and fresh cracked black pepper.
  10. Pour in the half-and-half.
  11. Stir and mix everything until well combined.
  12. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove and stir gently. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella. Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top is completely melted. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
  13. Serves 6

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 xo Anna and Liz

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11 Comments

  1. Oh I cannot wait to make this recipe . . . I am such a sucker for anything mac and cheese! And with the pancetta — shut the front door you two! Thanks Anna and Liz!

    1. Thank you Sue! Our families adore pancetta which is why you will see it in many of our recipes. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

  2. Seconds!!! I'd polish off the lot!! totally delicious – a wonderful sophisicated mac and cheese!

  3. I must admit I am not a huge fan of mac and cheese. But this one might change my mind. I will definitely tell my daughter about this as she could eat mac and cheese morning, noon and night!

    1. HI Abbe! Welcome to 2sistersrecipes! Go nice to meet you! My kids too can eat this morning, noon and night! Thanks for stopping by!
      Warmly, Anna and Liz

  4. This Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions screams comfort food to me. As the weather cools down, my family craves for this kind of meal. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you so much for sharing.