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.
OMG! I just made this for my husband and step-daughter and I haven’t heard a peep out of them since they started eating! I added diced ham to mine to make it a main dish:) Love, love, LOVE this recipe:)
I am so glad I found your recipe. To say my son loves mac and cheese is an understatement. I just finished making this for him and he said, “Mama, thanks for making me the best mac and cheese ever.” All while making “mmmmmm” noises! Thank you!
I’ve eaten a lot of macaroni in my life, and I consider myself a very picky audience. I’ve never liked any stovetop macaroni (except for the kraft kids kind, you understand if you grew up with it) because they all call for a roux that doesn’t really taste very good unless it’s baked.
Being a college kid and only having access to standard grocery stores, cheese is pretty expensive too. Most macaroni takes 2+ cups of cheese and then extra (for me) for it to taste good.
I made this for the first time last week and have officially adopted this as my go-to macaroni. It’s deliciously creamy and cheesy enough to serve to guests, cheap on my wallet, and it’s so easy to make. You are completely awesome… seriously. :]
It turned out perfectly for me by just using the directions as-is, so I think people having issues are just not reading your post thoroughly. It’s definitely a must to keep stirring the pasta or you will wind up with a big block of goo!
My sister and I found this on Pinterest and it’s one of the few recipes we’ve mastered! I make sure we always have the ingredients in the house so I can make it! It tastes amazing! (Panko bread crumbs are a good topper, and so are crumbled Ritz crackers!)
Good recipe, I doubled it. I didn’t have enough milk, so I used 1 3/4 cup almond milk (then I ran out of almond milk lol) and then supplemented the last 1/4 with regular milk. I did not use the nutmeg nor butter, and I didn’t have any mustard powder; instead I used regular mustard. I also splashed a bit of Cayenne pepper into the recipe.
I did not rinse the pasta… Rinsing the pasta causes the starch on the pasta to form a starchy ‘glue’, which is why some people had a problem with clumpiness with the recipe. Stir constantly, and it won’t clump 🙂
I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheese. I will try the recipe again, however with different cheeses, as the mozzarella was… okay, I think a mix of cheddars would be better though 🙂 . All in all however, good recipe! 7/10. 🙂
Just tried this after seeing it on Pinterest. The flavor and even the texture of the pasta itself was okay (I used a cheapie brand from Aldis), but for me there was way too much sauce and it was way too thick. I thinned it out with some water but it still seemed pretty gloppy. I think next time I will do as a couple others have suggested and just boil the pasta separately.
Great recipe! I’m trying this right now but with whole-wheat penne and praying that it comes out still delicious. I made something similar to this last year in my Home Economics class with a few friends and it turned out AMAZING! I recommend to everyone! (:
To the commenters who ended up with gluey/mushy pasta: I find this sometimes comes with lower quality pastas. Get the good stuff for a recipe like this, and save the discount brands for traditional cooking methods (even then some of the cheaper stuff is no good).
Happy cooking!
I just did this and it was delicious! So much better than the receipts that said to use flower and to build a rue and what not. Soo good!(:
Wow! Just made this with whole wheat pipe regate because that’s what I had on hand. I also used skim milk and 1 tablespoon of butter. So, so, so easy and so delicious! It was even good before I stirred the cheese in. This is a keeper. Kids gobbled it up, too!
This was the worst mac and cheese ever! I followed the recipe to a T. It became very pasty and sticky. Eating it was like eating mashed potatoes. Maybe add more milk?
Kelly- I would definitely add more milk. “low heat” varies tremendously on everyones stove. But I’m finding that when cooks add more milk the second time around to adjust to their “flame”, the results are more successful.
I completely agree.
I tried this last night, but mine ended up really gooey. All the macaroni wanted to stick together despite my continuous stirring. What do you think I did wrong?
Jeni- hi Jeni, maybe try again using more milk and on your lowest heat. Everyone has a different flame on their stove and I’m finding out that when cooks add more milk to adjust to their flame, they have much better results.
Found this recipe on Pinterest and really wanted to try it since I love mac’n’cheese, but the old fashioned baked kind is a lot of work. I think it worked the way it was supposed to…the milk thickened up into a sauce like consistency (I had to add extra milk a couple of times) and the pasta cooked through, but when I ate it I found the texture too gluey. The taste of the sauce was fine, but you can’t make the sauce like that (without flour) without the starch from the pasta to thicken it up, as other readers pointed out. So if the texture doesn’t work I’m not sure what to do as alternative. Overall, I was disappointed. I was only able to eat a few bites because of the texture issue.
OMG.. I made this using ALMOND MILK and BROWN RICE PASTA. For those who may have been nervous about using those ingredients, I just did and it was fantastic. The almond milk makes it unbelievably creamy! Kind of like velveeta… I imagine I cut the fat and calories almost in half with those subs. Great recipe!
hi,im 11 years old and love cooking i was looking for a easy homeaede recipe for my family to cook well actually me to cook for my family easy and yummy cant wait to give a try i think that this is a great recipe and saves me from doing the dishes no straining thats great well thnx for the great recipe ! 😀
Tried this tonight, it was pretty sticky, I think I used too much cheese! But it tasted really good!!