Straightforward Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is our favourite consolation meals. And whereas we love the nostalgia of that orange mac n cheese in a blue field, generally you need the actual deal. Our recipe is made with actual cheese, and it doesn’t that rather more work than making it from a field! We promise, it’s price it!

Make it a meal and serve with these scrumptious Crockpot Ribs and a few Coleslaw.

Why My Recipe

Takes only a few extra minutes than the boxed stuff—and tastes 100 instances higher.
Made with actual cheese for a brilliant creamy, flavorful sauce.
Stick to sharp cheddar or combine it up along with your favourite cheeses.

An overhead image of creamy Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese in a cast iron pan.

This recipe is ideal for busy weeknights, choosy eaters, or anybody who simply needs a bowl of traditional mac and cheese made proper. Sharp cheddar offers you that traditional taste, however you can even mess around with different cheeses relying on what’s in your fridge. It’s quick, simple, and far more scrumptious than something that comes from a field.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese.

Elbow Macaroni: Basic and dependable, however you possibly can swap in shells, cavatappi, penne, or another related small pasta form.
Salted Butter: If utilizing unsalted butter, simply add an additional pinch of salt to the sauce.
All-Function Flour: This helps thicken the cheese sauce. You should definitely whisk it properly with the butter to keep away from any lumps.
Onion Powder: Provides taste with out precise onions. Don’t skip it. It makes a distinction.
Floor Mustard: This enhances the cheese taste. You should use 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard as a substitute.
Salt: Begin with 1 teaspoon and regulate to style after including the cheese.
White Pepper: Retains the sauce wanting clean with out black flecks, however you need to use black pepper whether it is what you might have.
Milk: Complete milk offers the creamiest end result, however 2% or 1% nonetheless works nice.
Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded melts finest. See our cheese swap observe for extra concepts.

Utilizing Pre-Shredded Cheese

We get it, generally grabbing a bag of pre-shredded cheese is simply simpler. And sure, it’s going to work on this recipe! Simply know that pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-clumping brokers like potato starch, cellulose, or natamycin. These components can mess a bit with how easily the cheese melts, so your sauce won’t prove fairly as silky.

For the creamiest, dreamiest mac and cheese, freshly shredded cheese is the best way to go. But when pre-shredded is what you’ve bought, go forward and use it. Your mac and cheese will nonetheless be scrumptious.

Different Cheese Choices

Sharp cheddar is a traditional for a purpose, however you don’t need to cease there. This recipe works with all types of cheese, so be happy to get artistic along with your cheese decisions. Simply keep on with ones that soften properly. Nobody needs a bizarre, clumpy sauce.

Gouda, gruyère, fontina, provolone, and mozzarella are all nice choices. Even brie or goat cheese can work if you wish to be fancy. Wish to keep on with cheddar however change it up? Strive a pointy white cheddar for one thing just a bit completely different. Combine and match to seek out your favourite combo!

After I wish to get actually fancy, one in every of my favourite mixtures is cheddar, goat cheese, brie, and smoked provolone, which I exploit in my gourmet mac and cheese.

A spoon in a bowl of creamy Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese.

Chef’s Secret: Scorching Sauce

Right here’s a trick straight from professional cooks. Add a touch of sizzling sauce to your cheese sauce. It doesn’t make it spicy, we promise! We’ve served it this strategy to actually a whole bunch of children and we’ve by no means had a grievance about it being spicy. It simply bumps up the cheese taste and makes every little thing style a little bit higher.

For this recipe, you possibly can add about 4 dashes of Tabasco or 2 tablespoons of Frank’s Purple Scorching whenever you pour within the milk. It’s a small step that makes a giant distinction, particularly if you happen to’re utilizing milder cheeses. Give it a attempt to you may by no means skip it once more. My children can at all times inform if I do!

Storage & Reheating Directions

Retailer leftovers within the fridge in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days. Ensure it’s totally cooled earlier than sealing it up.

Reheat in a saucepan on the range over low warmth till heated by way of. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk to a serving to deliver again some creaminess.

Reheat within the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between to assist it warmth evenly. You may add 1 tablespoon of milk to a serving to assist deliver again among the creaminess.

Extra mac and cheese goodness…

Watch the video under the place Rachel will stroll you thru each step of this recipe. Typically it helps to have a visible, and we’ve at all times bought you lined with our cooking present. You could find the entire assortment of recipes on YouTube, our Facebook Page, or proper right here on our web site with their corresponding recipes.

Trending Merchandise