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.
This recipe ROCKS! I live in Taiwan, where summers are SWELTERING and kitchens are small–ovens are almost nonexistent. I can’t just go and buy a box of Kraft here, but all the online recipes I’ve come across require an oven, so I’ve lived the past 2 years without this delicious treat. Thanks to your recipe, I have made some of the best, creamiest, most amazing mac n cheese I’ve ever had– I don’t think I’ll ever make another kind. It’s simple, fast, easy and DELICIOUS. Thank you!!
I added an extra cup of chicken broth and a couple of handfuls of chopped raw cauliflower to Step 2. Also added some sour cream because it really thickened up at the end. I’d imagine adding bacon will be my natural path of progression. 😉
Heavenly days, this so goooood! And so easy! I love that I don’t have to fire the oven. The texture is so amazingly creamy. THIS is the recipe that I will use time and time again. Thanks so much!!!
It seems alot of people are saying this turns out “mushy” or “pasty” but I’ve made it well over a dozen times and that’s never happened. It could be because I always make a half batch (I’ve never made a whole batch before), or because I always use small noodles – never large ones. Also, I have to say I neglect it. I only stir it a couple times while the milk is boiling until the very end when it starts to thicken. (One time I completely boiled all the milk out of it because I walked away for too long. Oops.)
My noodles all fell apart! I was cooking on very low – did I stir it too much?
The recipe looked so good, but did not work for me…
Alison
This recipe is GREAT! I’ve been looking for a good one, and this is it! For a nice little addition, in the very beginning, saute the butter with some minced garlic, then add the milk, salt, noodles and bring to a boil. It adds a nice ‘adult’ flair! 🙂 Also, I used small shells and it worked great with those.
Thanks for this recipe – it’s amazing!
Hi… I tried this receipe and it lead to disaster! I stood in front of the stove and stirred and stirred…. it got VERY thick… I added milk…. still stayed thick and the noodles didnt cook well.. they werent clumpy just not done and very pasty 🙁 not one I will try again.
Should have read the comments and paid attention to LARGE elbows. Just made it with small, and the macaroni have absolutely no integrity left; I have a pot of paste on my stove. Absolutely terrible.
Wow just made this, but used McLaren’s Imperial Sharp Cheddar (cold pack cheddar in the red tub) and is the creamiest mac and cheese ever! Best thing is that McLaren’s requires no shredding and melts instantly!
Thank you so much! I followed your recipe to the dot and now my sisters can’t get enough of it!
😀
i made this recipe and it turned out feeling, and tasting, like play dough. I don’t know if it was the recipe’s fault or my own, but it was terrible.
I just tried making this and it turned out surprisingly well. I halved the recipe because it was just going to be me eating, I dunno if something got lost in the process but I ended up having to use a lot of extra water to keep it smooth and not too thick and a fair amount of extra cheese for taste. All in all it’s a great method, I will definitely be using it again in the future.
I finally found the perfect mac n cheese recipe after searching for years, and this is it. It is so simple compared to the others, yet taste so much better. I love the method of using the noodles own starches to thicken the sauce. Other recipes I tried called for flour and it always ended up so grainy or gummy. This is nothing like that at all. Its very creamy and flavorful. Thank you for this recipe.
YUMMM it’s truly amazing, especially with nutmeg!
So glad I found this. Was doing a search on google of mac and cheese recipes without butter 🙂
Going to try it now. From the comments, it looks like a favourite! I’ll let you know.
Added you to my reader too! Awesome blog!
Am am gonna try this today for sure. It looks so yummyyyyy……….