Easy Bacon and Cheese Pasta Bake

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This easy bacon and cheese pasta bake is so creamy, delicious, and requires no boiling at all! Just fry the bacon, leeks, and mushrooms, then bake them in homemade cheese sauce with pasta shells in the oven.

Includes easy-to-follow process shots and a 15-minute air fryer creamy pasta bake version, too!

White Denby bowl full of a creamy cheese pasta bake with bacon, leeks and mushrooms, sat on a Spanish tea towel.

This dish is proper comfort food for the whole family doesn't get better than this super easy bacon pasta bake recipe!

There's no pan-juggling whatsoever while your pasta boils because I worked out the water-to-sauce ratio in my previous one pot sausage pasta bake.

It's also a versatile family favourite where you can infuse it with an enticing combination of your choice, chosen meat, and vegetables.

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✔️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
🛒 Ingredient Notes
📋 Instructions
👩‍🍳 Substitutions
⚖️ Variations
🔪 Equipment
❄️ Storage
💡Pro Tips
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
❓ FAQ
➕ More Baked Pasta Recipes
🍽️Pairing
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

✔️ Why You'll Love this Recipe

Uses simple ingredients
Cooks the pasta perfectly (al dente)
Easy to add chicken breasts, sausages, etc
Can be baked in an air fryer in just 15-20 minutes
Easy dinner with no need to cook pasta first for less prep time
The perfect recipe for personalizing to satisfy cravings

🛒 Ingredient Notes

Please see the printable full recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, preparation instructions, and daily values at the bottom of this post.

labelled ingredients for cheese and bacon pasta bake

Oil - we use rapeseed or olive oil, butter or cooking spray if following a low calorie diet

Smoked bacon - for the perfect amount of smokiness with all bacon fat trimmed, discarded, then cut into chopped bacon pieces, (unless you grill it well for crispy bacon)

Leeks - instead of green onions for subtle flavour and extra veggies

Mushrooms - sliced to bulk it up, or can be replaced with other veggies - ie, you can make it a broccoli pasta bake

Heavy cream - this can be double cream, but it also works with creme fraiche, sour cream, etc

Whole milk - to cook the pasta, while also making it creamy

Herbs and spices - mustard powder (or use dijon mustard), paprika, but you could also add garlic powder for extra depth of flavour

Cheese - to make a deliciously creamy cheese sauce, we use grated mature cheddar cheese. Or you can use different types of cheese like parmesan cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella or gouda cheese, etc

Pasta - so far we know it works well with Gnocchi Napoletani shells and penne pasta, or you could use whole wheat pasta for extra fibre

Water - to cook the pasta, but you could instead use chicken stock, vegetable, etc

Seasoning - this is kosher salt and black or white pepper

📋 Instructions

First: Pre heat oven to 180 c fan (200c conventional/ 400F/ gas mark 6).

person frynig and sauteeing leeks in oil in a large frying pan

Next, spray a large frying pan with Fry Light or a small amount of oil.

Fry the lean bacon strips and leeks over medium heat until softened.

This should take approx 4-5 minutes.

person making a homemade cheese sauce in a frying pan with double cream, cheese, milk and water until thickened

Add the mushrooms and continue frying for 1-2 minutes until they're a little soft.

Then add the cream, grated cheese, water, milk seasoning and herbs and spices.

Then simmer in your homemade cheese sauce for about 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat until melted.

raw pasta in the bottom of a casserole dish with cheese and bacon micture on top before baking in the middle of the oven

Now place pasta in a large baking dish.

Then pour mixture on top of the pasta and stir, but make sure they are concealed to avoid burning.

Grated cheddar cheese on top of baked pasta in a cheese sauce before baking again in the oven

Bake in the middle of your preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Then add the remaining cheese and bake for a final 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

Tip: if you find your pasta bake is a bit too golden halfway through, next time, cover it with tinfoil for the first stage.

Freshly baked recipe for cheesy pasta in a large Pyrex casserole dish on a brown marble worktop

👩‍🍳 Substitutions

There are a few simple ways to adjust this easy cheesy pasta bake sauce for any special dietary needs:

Oil - melt butter, or saute onion or leeks in cooking oil spray for low fat

Cream - for low fat pasta sauce, you could try plant based cream or fat free quark

Milk and cheese - use low fat milk and cheese if desired to reduce the fat content if following Slimming World or Weight Watchers, or plant based for vegan

Pasta - use gluten free pasta if required. Or if using fresh pasta, reduce the coking time by half

Meat - swap diced bacon for turkey bacon or diced chicken for a healthier source of protein. Or make it vegetarian with Quorn pieces, or extra veggies like roasted zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers or garden peas, etc

Close up of luxurious cheesy pasta bake in a Denby bowl and a sprinkle of cheese and fresh parsley

⚖️ Variations

To make the best chili recipe, then it really is down to personal preference. So here are a few ideas to adjust this slow cooker chilli recipe:

Spicy - add chili pepper flakes and smoked paprika for delicious smoky flavors
Deluxe - add minced garlic cloves, stir in butter, diced tomatoes, spinach and top with mozzarella cheese
Kid friendly - use unsmoked bacon for less smoked flavours and use kids pasta shapes like Mickey Mouse, Peppa Pig, Dinosauri, or zoo pasta, making it a fun meal for them to eat

See this healthier version using chicken and chorizo on my website!

Serving cheesy pasta bake for the family with a large spoon

🔪 Equipment

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Medium skillet* or large saucepan
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Weighing scales
Measuring spoons
Cheese grater
Baking dish

*If you want to double the recipe to serve 8 people, then use a large skillet.

Birdseye view of serving cheese pasta bake on a marble kitchen worktop and grated cheese on the side

❄️ Storage

Storing - we prefer eating this pasta casserole fresh, but it can be stored in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.

Freezing - cool to room temperature and again, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Reheating - if wanting to eat the next day, defrost in the fridge if required and microwave for 4 minutes, stirring halfway.

For ovens, I cover it with tin foil and bake it for about 20-25 minutes at medium-low heat until piping hot throughout

cheese, bacon and leek pasta bake in a clear Pyrex casserole dish

Tips for Using Leftovers

Try using leftovers as a filling in a grilled cheese sandwich
Add on a salad for a quick and easy lunch
Serve as a toast topping
Topping on a baked potato

💡Pro Tips

No need to follow the pasta packet instructions as we use water and milk to cook right in the sauce
Don't be tempted to use solely milk to cook the pasta as the sugars may catch at the bottom of the casserole dish
If you find your oven is running hot, next time, cover it with tinfoil for the first stage.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Salad: We like to enjoy our cooked pasta dish with a simple green salad on the side

Bread: eat with some crusty garlic bread, or cheesy Italian bread for dipping

Vegetables: serve with a side of sauteed greens and steamed or roasted vegetables

Wine: let's not forget a refreshing glass of wine to enhance the flavour

❓ FAQ

What type of pasta can I use?

Ideally, when you choose your dry pasta, you're better off with shapes that can hold ingredients like shells. But it should work with rigatoni, fusilli, conchiglie, penne and more short pasta shapes.

If you're considering a macaroni pasta bake, then we recommend increasing the water by 20%.

Can I make this pasta bake in an air fryer?

We've recently found the easiest way to make this recipe is in the Ninja Speedi under the Speedi Meals setting at 170c (375F) for 15 minutes.

You can sear/saute the bacon and leeks first, or for an easy recipe, chuck everything in the pot while the bacon air fries on the crisping tray.

Then half way through, chop and stir the bacon into the pasta mixture. The cheese won't be bubbling on top, but it is still a delicious cheesy bacon creamy sauce!

Can you put raw bacon in a pasta bake?

Yes, you can skip frying the bacon and simmer it with the cheese first before baking everything in the oven together, but it wouldn't have as much flavour.

Is it better to bake or broil at the end?

We like to bake our pasta bake using residual heart in the oven, but it would be much quicker broiling (grilling) for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is golden.