One Pot, Stove Top, Creamy Mac and Cheese – My decadent revolution
Update: This Stove Top One Pot Mac and Cheese was originally shared in 2009. It now has new step-by-step photos, video and updated technique to satisfy all our hungry readers. Also, try this “healthier” version of Broccoli Mac and Cheese. It’s another reader favorite.
Stove Top Mac and Cheese Recipe
I’m calling for a mac and cheese recipe revolution. For those sweltering Summer days when cranking up the oven means turning our kitchen into a sauna, or for those times when I don’t want to be a dishwasher, but still want to have a satisfying home cooked meal, I need a meal that can be cooked fairly quickly and efficiently. Enter the solution and what I call, my mac and cheese revolution: the One Pot, Stove Top, Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
Watch this delicious Stove Top Creamy Mac and Cheese Video:
Start by boiling small macaroni in water on low simmer
constantly stir so that macaroni doesn’t stick
after macaroni is pre-cooked in water, add milk and simmer on low heat
when macaroni is plump, tender and cooked, add the cheese
optional- add toasted bread crumbs or panko for extra crunch and texture
How to Make One Pot, Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
It’s simple, clear, and considerate of everything we need in order to still eat well and prepare quickly, without compromising on quality and taste.
- – One Pot– Yes, you read it correctly. All the raw macaroni is cooked in one pot, without a pre-boil step that most other stove top recipes require. There is no extra pot to pre-boil or wash. One pot means less dishes!
- – Stove Stop- Stove top means NO oven. During our hot summer days, that last thing that I want is to turn on my oven and sweat even more just for a bowl of mac and cheese. The stove top method is a wonderful way of cooking the macaroni pasta, quickly and to your desired texture. I can control exactly how soft or al dente I want my macaroni to be.
- – Creamy – This mac and cheese recipe is slowly cooked in water, then milk and a little butter. The cheese is added in the end and it’s so creamy and amazing.
- – Flavor blasts with creative cheeses- Now that I’ve figured out how to cook it easily and still maintain great texture, now comes the best part—-great flavor! Have fun with this recipe and experiment with flavorful, cheeses that melt well. My favorite is using parmesan and asiago cheese because I can use less cheese and still have bold flavor. Every single bite is delicious.
I’m still a huge fan of oven baked mac and cheese because the warm, comforting, casserole bake can’t be compromised. The cheesy crusts are a show stopper too. But when I’m starving and the weather is scorching hot, the last thing I want to do is to blast that oven to 350°F.
happy Stove Top Creamy Mac and Cheese times to you,
-diane
Toasted bread crumbs: I love toasted bread crumbs and it’s so easy to make. Just break up some old bread, heat it up on a skillet. Continue stirring until crumbs start to brown and become fragrant. Remove from heat and top off your macaroni and cheese!
One Pot, Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 g) small elbow macaroni , uncooked
- 3 cups (720 ml) water (approximately)
- 2 cups (480 ml) low-fat Milk , or more if needed
- **if more milk is needed , additional 1/4 cup milk at a time for final cooking. **Macaroni pasta varies so much! have additional milk on hand, or be ready to increase the heat if your macaroni doesn't absorb fast enough.
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Butter , for flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) Mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Salt , plus additional for final season later
- generous dash of Nutmeg
- 8 ounces (227 g) Grated Cheddar Cheese , any one or combination of (jack, cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan*, asiago*, pecorino*) *Hard cheeses are best combined with a secondary, softer, better melting cheese. Cheese varies in flavor and salt level too! The more cheddar cheese you use, the creamier the mac and cheese will be
additional toppings:(optional)
- bacon bits
- bread crumbs
- chopped parsley
- diced tomatoes
- black pepper to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Place raw elbow macaroni in colander and quickly rinse under water. Let drain.
- In medium sauce pot (about 3.5 qt), add water and raw elbow macaroni. Heat the pot on medium heat to bring the mixture to a low simmer and keep the flame consistent to maintain the low simmer.
- Stir the macaroni frequently as it comes up to a simmer. This will separate macaroni and keep them from sticking together. DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE! The mixture will come to a low boil very quickly and leaving it unattended will leave a big mess on your stove stop.Once mixture comes to a simmer, add the milk and bring the mixture back to a low simmer. Then immediately turn down heat to LOW. Macaroni will slowly cook in the milk. Having your heat too high will burn the milk and scorch your pan
- Continue to stir the mixture frequently so that macaroni will cook evenly and absorb milk evenly. If you don't stir your mixture frequently, you will get a big clump of macaroni in the end! Stir, stir stir!Cook for about 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Make sure there is still some milk in the pot to melt the cheese, which makes the mac and cheese creamy. **If macaroni is not cooked fully, add a little more milk to mixture ( in small amounts) until macaroni is fully cooked.
- When the macaroni is plump and cooked, add the mustard powder, salt, nutmeg and grated cheddar cheese. Stir the cheese mixture evenly into the macaroni. We will add more milk to the pot if needed, then add the cheese to make the mixture more creamy.
- Take a final taste and add additional salt to taste. Before serving, stir one final time to mix everything together. Turn off heat and serve immediately.Add bread crumbs for a crunchy bite if you wish.
Has anyone tried to make this a day ahead and reheat it in the oven (aka bake it) the next day? I was thinking of doing that for Thanksgiving, but wondering if it would be too dry (even if covered?) or if anyone has had any experience doing it that way. Thanks!!
Hi Emily- I wouldn’t recommend making it a day ahead. The cheese tends to dry out quickly and think that you’ll get a really mushy batch of mac-and-cheese if you were to re-heat it. But if you do attempt it and it does work, please let us all know because it would be so helpful to learn from your experience!
Amazing stuff!!! i tried this out today…loved it!!! will be making it again and again and again. Thanks a lot!
I tried this recipe and it was so good! I needed to add some more milk and water & I didnt use the nutmeg. I also used regular mustard instead. I got impatient and the pasta came out more firm than I would of liked, so next time I’d probably add more water & milk and leave it on the stove longer. I used shredded cheddar cheese & some cream cheese. It was delicious even though the noodles werent too tender. Great recipe!
This recipe is such a great find!! Never imagined something so creamy and decadent would come out of something so easy!
Just a note, I needed much, much more milk than as per the recipe. I suggest you keep plenty handy!
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit!!! Everyone went crazy over it, it was hard for me to stop ‘test tasting’ it after it was finished! lol I thought I was going to mess it up cuz I get easily distracted when i’m cooking other things but I stuck to it and kept stirring and it turned out AH-MAAAAAZING!
Thank you for this recipe, this is definitely a keeper in my home! =)
I tried your recipe with regular mustard instead of powder since I didn’t have any. It came out delish, although I think I might have put a tad too much. Other than that it was easy…also it was My first time making it from scratch! Thanks for sharing!
I just finished making and it is wonderful! So glad I pinned this 🙂 I used Rotini noodles and they work just as well. Used skim milk, low-fat shredded cheese, margarine and threw in a little light cream cheese! Delicious! Oh also, I didn’t have nutmeg or mustard powder so I used a little garlic and cinnamon instead:)
Thanks!!
Ok, I just made this with SOY MILK! I have tried many times to use soy milk to make macaroni and cheese, to no avail. This actually turned out really well. I used garlic salt, onion powder, and a couple dashes of cayenne to counteract the sweetness of the soy milk. The only thing I would do different next time is substitute 1/2 cup of the soy for 3/4 ish cup of water. It turned out kind of thick, and very creamy, but still…. very good.
WOW! I never leave comments on recipes I try, mostly because I’m lazy… But if you follow this, and really commit the 15 to 20 minutes to standing at the stovetop, you will fall in love! It turned out absolutely perfect! I used sharp cheddar and 4 slices of Kraft American. VERY VERY tasty recipe that will become a go-to.
I would like to try this using whole wheat pasta next.
great recipe. i used gluten free macaroni and it worked just fine too. i also used just a bit of yellow mustard – because i didn’t have mustard powder. great recipe!! thanks for the post.
There is a method ( and a science) when cooking starches in the family of grains and starches like oatmeal and grits to be able to get the correct consistency in the end result. If you want a creamy end result, you have to start your grain and your liquid cold and bring it up to boil and cook. If you want a firmer result, you have to add the grain to boiling liquid.
In my opinion, I would rather bring the milk up to a simmer and then add raw pasta. The end resulting consistency was off and for me I feel this would help it. Everything else was delicious and nice.
Russell- thanks for the input. This could be very helpful for some readers to do as you suggest: bring the milk up to simmer first, then add raw pasta. Hope readers consider this option as well!
I just made this and it was AMAZING. I followed the recipe and used cheddar and mozzarella. The mozzarella made it pretty stringy, but it tasted great. I felt so guilty eating it that I had to keep reminding myself that it’s only milk and cheese. I didn’t use butter, by the way, and it was still fantastic. This will definitely be a repeat recipe, and I’m sure my bf will love it too!
This recipe is AMAZING. I almost could have eaten it before I put the cheese in. Not kidding. I’ve tried some recipes recently that were supposed to be simple and amazing and they’ve been less than stellar. This is awesome. I followed your instructions exactly and had absolutely no trouble. I used little pasta shells and they may have cooked a bit faster. Amazing. So fun to have delicious mac & cheese with no crazy day-glo orange powder involved.
To make it healthier try whole wheat macaroni! Now for some really special suggestions. My son is an executive chef for the Ritz-Carlton. Along with several of the unique cheeses they also add a little truffle oil to their macaroni and cheese and serve it as a side dish for adults. I have NEVER tasted macaroni and cheese this good!!! I think one cheese is gouda but don’t remember the others. the truffle oil adds a really great taste. He also adds a dash to scrabbled eggs!!mmmmmmm
let the milk boil first [used almond milk!], brought it down to medium low then added the pasta
used dreamfields elbows pasta
worked perfectly – after cooked, kept adding milk to my desired creaminess
added muenster & monterrey jack cheese [then added a bit more milk – i like it creamy!], garlic salt, pepper, cayenne, and sprinkle of salt
so easy! thanks for the great recipe!
Kim- thanks for your suggestion about letting the milk boil first. This could be very helpful to readers!
Quick question… I tried making this for dinner tonight but the milk separated and went all grainy. I’m in the UK and we have 0%, 2% & 4% fat content milk as a general rule and wondered if it was the level of fat in the milk that I used? I used 0% fat. Hope you can put me straight, I loooooove Mac n’ Cheese :p
Rgs Lotty
Lotty- Hi Lotty, do you think the grainy texture could have been from the cheese? We can’t think of any reason as to why milk would have separated and go grainy. Hopefully a reader can help out!