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!
- Chili Mac
- Shrimp Mac and Cheese – outrageously delicious!
- Chicken and Broccoli Mac & Cheese
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?
Hey stranger!!Love the recipe and video!Hope all is superb with you.Been busy carefully deleted dud/dead pins on Pinterest;since I maxed out!?LOL.Way too much work,and no paycheck!!WTW!!HUGS TO YOU AND THE DOZER!!
Hi Teri! Oh gosh, I am fearing hitting my Pinterest limit!!!! I feel your pain!
This is NOT how Italians cook pasta. You are wrong to say that and then boil the pasta in the sauce instead of in water. You are misleading your readers. My nona would die reading this ridiculous article of yours. WRONG.
Hi Olivia – I totally agree with you! I’m not saying that Italians cook macaroni this way, I’m saying that I base it on the Italian technique to toss cooked pasta in sauce before serving it so the pasta sauce is thickened and clings to the pasta, no watery sauce at the bottom of the bowl. So I’ve taken a page from that book and applied it to Mac and Cheese, but taken it a step further! And it works brilliantly. That’s all I’m saying – I never said that Italians cook macaroni like this!
Made this for lunch. Amazing and soooo easy. Video on instagram was brilliant! Thanks for posting Nagi x
Made the leftovers into mac n cheese nuggets! Delicious.
HIGH FIVE! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed it Gillian! N xx
Looks so easy and tasty as well.
Thanks so much Victoria! 🙂
Thank you Phyllis! I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes!!! N xx
On the way to work this morning I was thinking about what to have for dinner tonight as I forgot to take something out of the freezer and when I checked my emails a few minutes ago my dinner woes were solved! Thanks Nagi this is on the menu tonight along with the glass of wine you mentioned also.
Hi Steve! I whole heartedly agree, in fact, I grew up in a household where we barely used salt. Never had it on the table, that’s for sure! I only add a pinch of salt to this and that’s what the nutrition table reflects. 🙂 N x
Made it using Pepper Jack, no mozzarella. Perfect! It’s a keepe, thanks for the recipe
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Elisa!! N x
You gotta forgive Steve. He apparently doesn’t know how to read or cook yet. Recipe states add salt and/or pepper to taste.
Made it for lunch, and it was awesome. I used all the optional seasonings as well. I had cheddar, but I didn’t have mozza, so I used Fontina and a bit of smoked Gruyère. Your recipe is AWESOME, and for some reason, it didn’t even think of scorching. Absolutely perfect!
HIGH FIVE! So glad you enjoyed it Shalryn, I think you’re the first!!! N x
This sounds really great, and like something I could make in my electric skillet, perhaps (when I don’t have a stove). Love that you do it all in one pot!
Definitely can be done in an electric skillet! I would cook the whole thing on medium (or medium high if heat is not strong) because I find electric skillets take longer to reduce temperature. Better to cook in a lower than too high heat 🙂
Did you make this recipe before giving it a rating of 3 stars? It seems like the recipe leaves it up to you how much salt to add because it doesn’t specify an amount of salt. If cheddar cheese adds enough flavor and sodium for your taste, then it’s not necessary to add a lot of salt.
Did you make this recipe before giving it 3 stars? Just because something has sodium in it does not mean that every person on earth who eats it will think that it has enough salt . This recipe calls for 1.5 cups of cheddar cheese which has approximately 1,053 milligrams of sodium. When you divide the recipe into servings that means you get 175 mg of sodium per serving from cheddar cheese. The daily recommended intake is 2300 milligrams meaning that you get 8% of that in one serving of cheddar cheese in this recipe. I’m sure the other ingredients will add some more sodium but it seems safe to say that a little salt is probably need to bring out the flavors of the ingredients. Not to mention that the recipe doesn’t specify the amount of salt, so it’s up to you! If you make it and thinks it’s got plenty of salt from the cheddar, then no need to add any extra!
Dozier is a natural!
isn’t he just? 😉 N x
Poor Dozer! He’s got such a hard life…LOL!
I know, right???? 😉
I’ve never made mac and cheese from scratch. Always afraid I would mess it up. this looks like something I can most definitely do though! This is going on the dinner menu for this weekend!
Thanks for the recipe, Nagi!
I do hope you try it Jenn, I promise this is really easy! For the first time, stir alot and once the liquid comes up to boil, cook on medium. It will take slightly longer but you’ll have more control over the recipe, if that makes sense? Just taste test regularly until the Mac is just done, then take it straight off. By the time the mac is cooked, the sauce will be thickened, that’s the magic of this recipe and why it is easy! 🙂 N x
Thanks for the tip, Nagi! My favorite part of cooking is taste testing 🙂 I will let you know how it turns out. This would be great with some fried chicken and roasted veggies. So excited!
I have to try this. I never even thought of cooking the pasta in the white sauce. I have a Martha Stewart mac and cheese recipe and she is very specific about rinsing the starch out of the pasta before incorporating into the cheese sauce. I’m not sold though. I found your version intriguing, so I will try it.
P.S. Love Dozer! I have a Golden Retriever / Corgi mix. She looks like a miniature Golden, with the wonderful golden personality.
Hi Mary Ann! It would depend on the ratio of flour to pasta and sauce 🙂 The starch on the pasta would thicken the sauce more so I guess that’s why her recipe says to rinse. I decided to use that starch as my thickener! Oooh – Goldie / Corgi? SO CUTE!!! I would love to see a photo, have you got one on your site?
Yes I do. I just wrote a post about her! (sort of)
Hi Nagi! I was looking for a stove top mac n’ cheese recipe yesterday! I have a real weakness when it comes to mac n’ cheese, yours sounds perfect and I like the cheese to pasta ratio! I like to use a good sharp white cheddar and I add some cayenne or smoked paprika for a little kick!
Love the addition of cayenne or paprika!! Our cheddar over here is only white – well, yellow. Not orange like yours!