Longhorn Steakhouse Mac & Cheese Recipe Copycat (2024)

Make the delicious Longhorn Steakhouse Macaroni and Cheese Recipe from home with this easy and delicious recipe. Filled with white cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and bacon bits – this will be the star of any dinner or buffet table!

I’ve had so much fun developing some copycat recipes for Longhorn recently – like their broccoli with garlic Parmesan recipe, so I decided to try my hand at their macaroni and cheese!

I think I’ve shared this before, but I’m a bit of a macaroni and cheese snob. The mac and cheese from Longhorn definitely check all the boxes.

It’s super creamy, the panko breadcrumbs on top add the perfect crunch, and it has bacon. Isn’t everything better with bacon?

What should I serve with this dish?

Macaroni and cheese is a great side dish for many things (and really, you can even just eat it on its own):

• Pulled Pork
• Brisket
• BBQ Chicken
• Hot dogs and hamburgers
• Any kind of vegetable
• Chicken wings

That’s just tipping the scales! This can be paired with so many dishes.

Do I have to use heavy cream?

I wouldn’t skip this, but if you can’t have it for some reason, you could try using coconut cream or half-and-half. The consistency will be a little bit different.

Can I use a different kind of cheddar/cheese?

To make it as similar as possible to the Longhorn recipe, I would make sure you use white cheddar. However, if you are okay with it being a little bit different, feel free to substitute it with the cheese of your choice.

INGREDIENTS

• Water
• 16 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter + 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 2.5 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shaved parmesan
• Bacon bits
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoon parsley
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

FOR STOVETOP

1. Bring water to a boil and cook macaroni noodles until al dente (refer to noodle package for these instructions – usually around six minutes).
2. In the meantime, melt butter in a pan and make a roux with 1 Tablespoon of flour.
3. Add in the heavy cream and evaporated milk and whisk until incorporated with the roux.
4. Add in cheeses and seasonings and stir constantly over medium heat.
5. Once the noodles are done cooking, drain the water (reserving 1/2 cup) and mix the pasta into the cheese mixture.
6. Stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Add water to thin the sauce.
7. CONTINUE TO FOR BOTH METHODS SECTION.

FOR INSTANT POT

1. Add 4 cups water, elbow pasta, paprika, salt, pepper, and ground mustard to the Instant Pot bowl. Stir and make sure the pasta is covered with the broth.
2. Put the lid on and set it to manual high pressure for four minutes.
3. After the timer goes off, release all the pressure.
4. Once the pressure has been released, mix in the heavy cream, evaporated milk, and butter.
5. Slowly mix in the cheeses until totally incorporated. It may be a little liquidy – this is okay!
6. Mix in bacon bits.
7. Continue to the FOR BOTH METHODS section below.

FOR BOTH METHODS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Transfer pasta to a large baking dish.
3. Mix together the parsley flakes with the bread crumbs, bacon, and butter, and top the pasta.
4. Bake covered with tin foil for about 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for an additional five.

What kind of bacon did you use?

I was feeling lazy, so I decided to just use bacon bits. My favorite bacon bits are the Kirkland brand that you can buy at Costco. They are hearty and perfect for this recipe.

What brand of elbow pasta did you use?

I used whatever brand that’s on sale! Feel free to use whatever brand you want. Be aware that if you use a gluten-free pasta, it can get gummy, so just keep an eye on it and make sure to cook the pasta al dente.

Can I make this gluten-free?

Yes, you can substitute the noodles with a gluten-free elbow pasta and use a gluten-free bread crumb.

Longhorn Steakhouse Mac and Cheese

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Make the delicious Longhorn Steakhouse Macaroni and Cheese Recipe from home with this easy and delicious recipe. Filled with white cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and bacon bits - this will be the star of any dinner or buffet table! 

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 16 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter + 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 2.5 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shaved parmesan
• Bacon bits
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoon parsley
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

FOR STOVETOP

Bring the water to a boil and cook macaroni noodles until al dente (refer to noodle package for these instructions – usually around six minutes).

In the meantime, melt butter in a pan and make a roux with 1 Tablespoon of flour.

Add in the heavy cream and evaporated milk and whisk until incorporated with the roux.

Add in cheeses and seasonings and stir constantly over medium heat.

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Once noodles are done cooking, drain the water (reserving 1/2 cup) and mix the pasta into the cheese mixture.

Stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Add water to thin the sauce.

CONTINUE TO FOR BOTH METHODS SECTION.


FOR INSTANT POT

Add 4 cups water, elbow pasta, paprika, salt, pepper, and ground mustard to the Instant Pot bowl. Stir and make sure the pasta is covered with the broth.

Put lid on and set to manual high pressure for four minutes.

After the timer goes off, release all the pressure.

Once the pressure has been released, mix in the heavy cream, evaporated milk and butter

Slowly mix in the cheeses until totally incorporated. It may be a little liquidy – this is okay

Mix in bacon bits.

Continue to the FOR BOTH METHODS section below

FOR BOTH METHODS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Transfer pasta to large baking dish

Mix together the parsley flakes with the bread crumbs, bacon and butter and top the pasta.

Bake covered with tin foil for about 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for an additional five.

Other Longhorn Copycat Recipes

Here are some other copycat recipes we have developed:

• Longhorn Steakhouse Mashed Potatoes
• Longhorn Steakhouse Broccoli
• Longhorn Steakhouse Rice Pilaf Recipe
• Copycat Longhorn Garlic Parmesan Broccoli Recipe
• The Best Copycat Longhorn Steakhouse Bread Recipe
• The BEST Copycat Longhorn Wild West Shrimp Recipe