A silky, glossy cheese sauce with tender, never mushy macaroni in just 20 minutes!
This stovetop Macaroni and Cheese is a perfect classic – and it just happens to be made in one pot. Butter, flour, pasta, milk, cheese and a few seasonings is all you need to make this epic classic that’s on the table super quick!
MY GO-TO MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
Of all the versions of Mac and Cheese I have, this Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese is the one that I use most frequently because the effort vs output is off the richter scale.
It would be easy to assume that I make this in one pot for convenience. But I swear to you, that’s not the reason why. Less washing up is a side benefit. The reason I make this in one pot is because the starch released from the pasta mixes in with the sauce and emulsifies it, creating a cheese sauce that is silkier and clings better to the pasta than making it the traditional way (i.e. cooking the sauce and pasta separately).
This isn’t just a theory of mine, it’s the proper way to make Italian pastas. The way Italians have been making it ever since the dawn of time. Every single pasta recipe on my blog is finished off by tossing the almost-cooked pasta in the sauce with a splash of pasta water. Doing this thickens the pasta sauce and it clings to every strand of pasta so you don’t end up with a pool of pasta sauce at the bottom of the bowl. I chatter on about this technique in every single pasta recipe I share. (See all my pasta recipes here!)
And by applying this same technique to Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese, the sauce comes out really luscious. Silky and glossy, and it clings to every macaroni. No gluggy sauce!!!
HOW TO MAKE MAC AND CHEESE
It starts with a traditional roux made with melted butter and flour which is the thickener for the sauce. Add seasonings, milk, cheese, then add the pasta.
And it all cooks together at the same time! Because the sauce thickens as it cooks, it needs to be stirred frequently. Not constantly, but pretty frequently. A leisurely stir every now and then, taking a sip of wine in between and flicking through a magazine.
Now that’s a nice vision of preparing dinner, isn’t it?? (Just to be clear, that’s not what it’s like for me most nights….I wish it was!!)
I thought a cooking video would be especially useful for this recipe so you can see the thickness of the sauce when you take it off the stove. If there is one tip I’d give for Mac and Cheese – any Mac and Cheese, even baked ones – it’s this: take the sauce off the stove BEFORE it’s the consistency you want. The sauce continues to thicken as you stir it and serve it. And it thickens really fast.
So take it off the stove earlier, and if it’s still too thin for your taste, pop it back on later.
I know there are many fancy schamcny Macaroni and Cheese version “out there” in this big wide world. Truffled, Lobster (yes, really!), multiple types of cheeses, loaded with cream. The list goes on and on. And I’m definitely partial to playing around with Mac and Cheese myself.
But a real classic Macaroni and Cheese is something that everyone should know. I realise I’ve completely contradicted myself here because this is a one pot version which isn’t traditional! But the end result is absolutely bang on traditional. 😉 – Nagi x
THE MAC & CHEESE COLLECTION
- This Stovetop Mac and Cheese – one pot, 20 minutes
-
Baked Mac and Cheese – huge reader favourite!
-
Shrimp Mac and Cheese – outrageously delicious!
MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
1 minute cooking video tutorial. Dozer fans – don’t miss him bombing the shot at the end!
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Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 50 g / 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk (full fat preferred but low fat is ok)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 250 g / 2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni , uncooked
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1 1/2 cups cheese (Cheddar, Colby, Gruyere) , shredded (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
Seasonings (optional)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium pot or large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add about 3/4 cup of milk and mix into butter mixture - it will become a slurry pretty quickly.
- Add remaining milk and mix so the slurry mixes in. Then add water and Seasonings.
- Add macaroni and mix. Stir occasionally as it comes to heat. When you see wisps of steam as you stir, lower the heat down to medium low.
- Stir regularly as it cooks for 9 - 10 minutes (it will bubble gently), or until the sauce thickens and the macaroni is just cooked - tender but still firm. It should still be saucey at this stage and thinner than you want.
- Take it off the stove and stir the cheese in quickly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. <- In this step, the sauce thickens and reduces considerably.
- Serve immediately!!
Recipe Notes:
* Pasta keeps cooking in the sauce after you take it off the stove. So take it off when it is still a teeny bit firm!
* The sauce thickens ALOT after you take it off the stove when you stir the cheese in and simply by stirring it. It is better to take the pot off the stove too early than too late. TROUBLESHOOTING:
* If you take the pot off too late at the sauce becomes too thick, just add a splash of milk or water. Easy fix!
* If you take it off too early, just pop it back on the stove. 3. I make my stovetop Mac and Cheese in one pot because I think it comes out better, using just the traditional ingredients. The reason is because the starch in the pasta releases into the sauce as it cooks, making it silky, glossy and it clings to the pasta. This is a technique used by Italians for all their pastas. Read more in the post! 4. My Baked Mac and Cheese is made differently, but you can bake this one too. Mix panko breadcrumbs with butter and parmesan, take the pot off the stove before it's done but enough sauce has reduced so the breadcrumbs will stay on top, then pop under grill/broiler for a few minutes. During this time the pasta will continue to cook. This recipe is very forgiving so don't stress if your timing is a bit out! 5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. I only use a pinch of salt in this because I find the cheese is salty enough.
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
His tail gets in all sorts of trouble. It can clear a coffee table of wine glasses, brush through cheese platters. And gets caught in things like a crack in the leg of this table.
The perils of having long hair, hmm?
My husband: “I was going to put blue cheese and hot sauce in this, but it’s perfect the way it is!”
I’m glad he enjoyed it so much Stella! N x
Worked really well. Despite your warnings I only had tasty cheese in the house so used that, and it was fine. Freshly grated probably helped. Flavour add ins: Dijon, fish sauce, garlic powder and paprika. Had some leftover cream so used that too. Parsley to serve. Had it as a side for some baked salmon.
Wanted to try this Mac and Cheese, but…
1 cup in Sweden is 150ml but I guess that’s not what you mean here?
Usually your recipes have the metric equivalent but not here?
I’ll guess I have to Google it. US cups? Or Imperial?
I assumed 1 Aus cup grated cheese = 115g (America cup = 112g, and Aus is only slightly bigger)
Australian cups are 250 millilitres
Thank you! 💖
I always make my tried and true baked mac and cheese but I wanted to try a quicker version today instead. This recipe did not disappoint! 10 thumbs up in our house.
Everytime I’d like to try something new, your site is my first go to for recipes. I have yet to find one that my family didn’t love. Thanks Nagi!
That’s a lovely comment – thanks Elizabeth! N x
Can we double the recipe to make more
The weight of the pasta says 250g in the recipe for 2 1/2 cups dry pasta. A full one pound box is 454 grams which is 2 1/2 cups. Sorry us Americans don’t know grams very well. Kind of confused as to the amount(in cups) of pasta for recipe as written for 5-6 servings.
Just do maths! 250 divided by 454g = 0.55 x 2.5 (cups) = 1.37 America cups of that specific pasta needed so in reality just heap 1 1/3 cups
Ok, so this is where I went wrong then. My bag of pasta said 500g, so I put in half of it and ended up with Mac and cheese soup. 😭
Can we add rosemary, and maybe some basil as a garnish
I would do one or the other – maybe not both at once! N x
Nagi, I love your recipes. I made your chilli con carne last night and we loved it. I always used chilli powder previously but your spice mix is amazing. Tonight I’ve made your stove top Mac and Cheese. Divine. I fried bacon and onion to add when finished. You are my go to site for recipes. Never fail. Thank you and I love Dozer.
Wow! Husband and i married 21 years ago and never agreed on what constituted a good mac and chee. This.Is.It!! Loved making it; loved eating it! We used monteray jack instead of motz and the neighbor’s funky failed attempt at swiss for the main flavour — crazy good and creamy.
Best stove top mac and cheese I’ve tried so far 💕
Hi Nagi, can we add some ham or bacon??
Or you could just make this is in a way that’s doing the least possible harm to animals and the environment and NOT add unnecessary meat – just a thought
Go eat a bacon sandwich, Bea, you’ll feel better for it.
Sure can Linda! N x
Loved this for a quick lunch! My biggest irk with mac and cheese is doing noodles and cheese separate. This totally fixed that problem! The sauce was mild enough for everybody to add their own mix-ins. We will be making this again!
I really loved this, however, I did think it was a little bland at the end. I know you’ve said to add “cups” of cheese, however I prefer the weight in case I went too little? Either way the consistency and dish is really beautiful, I just added some garlic salt at the end and that made it 100% perfect.
We love this mac and cheese! Quick, easy, foolproof, delicious. I’ve made it with elbow, cavatappi, and radiatore. Made it with and without the recommended seasonings. It is delicious every time. Added bonus- leftovers reheat beautifully. We add a little butter and a splash of milk and heat in the microwave. A quick stir and the sauce is beautiful again. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Hi Nagi,
Can I use cheddar cheese powder instead?
i only have cream cheese and mozzarella at home as cheddar is hard to come by in my country.
I haven’t tried the recipe yet and I’m curious
any helpful replies will very much be appreciated 🙂
Hi Amber, unfortunately not as it will make it grainy. Is there any other tasty/gouda type cheese you can get your hands on? N x
Hi Nagi, is it dried pasta you’re using??
As I’m diabetic and can’t have pasta, do you think this would work with cauliflower and, if so, how much cauliflower?
Hi Norma, it won’t work as written sorry as all the liquid ratios and cook time will be different. N x
Nagi, Would this work with a bit of sneaky veg mixed in at the end? If so what do you think would work? (Other than mushroom please). Thanks, Sally
Hi Sally, you could add some veg here – some greens like broccoli, peas or even chopped carrots/capsicum would work! N x
I put some frozen peas and grated carrot in at the end, and it was absolutely gobbled up by my 3 kids. Thank you very much Nagi, another winner from your site!
As I can’t get anywhere onion and mustard powder… can I do it with fresh garlic, onion, and simply add a little bit of mustard? Or that’s the wrong idea?
This recipe is now may favorite for mac ‘n’ cheese! I’ve played with two other stovetop recipes (seriously, why bake?!). One was a hit and the other a gloppy mess. I was skeptical about this one-pot approach of adding uncooked pasta and water, but it seemed to make sense, and frankly, this site has never let me down (though I’m still having trouble with my Pad Thai). The result was a creamy delight that I topped with fresh Dungeness crab meat. As the recipe points out, the dish firms up quickly. In the future, I might let it settle just a bit before serving. But it was a hit. For cheese, I used equal parts mozz, and sharp cheddar, and then about a half part of gruyère.