According to my hubby, this is THE BEST mac ‘n cheese he’s ever had! A win-win for me, because it’s the EASIEST mac ‘n cheese I’ve ever made! Completely made in one pot, on the stove, an easy-peasy no béchamel, no-fuss recipe that will immediately become your go-to for a simple, rich, creamy and super-cheesy, lick-the-pot, game-changing mac ‘n cheese that the entire family will LOVE!
Yeah. This is some SERIOUSLY creamy, rich ‘n cheesy, mac ‘n cheese! The kind you want to just eat straight from the pot! NO-fuss, entirely made in one pot, and NO béchamel to fret over, so easy that anyone can make it! What’s not to absolutely LOVE, right?
And guess what? For those who want even MORE cheesy fun, you can always ladle some into an oven-safe dish, top it with some shredded Mexican blend-style shredded cheese, and pop it into the oven until it’s gooey melted on top!
This also thickens the sauce quite a bit for those who prefer the “oven-baked” style! Now how’s THAT for a triple win?!
Okay. Some here’s some tips for you. Any good mac ‘n cheese has to start with a great noodle. I’ve tried so many pasta brands it’s ridiculous. If you’ve found “the one” that you love, go ahead and stick with that, but for those still searching, this is the brand and type I’ve found that works best for us.
The noodles have small ridges in them to boot, which helps to grab the cheesy sauce so you get more cheese in every single bite! Plus they always cook up so nicely every single time!
The other trick is simply this. I have NEVER had good luck using expensive cheeses, especially sharp cheddars as they either refuse to melt at all, or separate into a greasy, yucky mess, pooling oil on top. Yuck, yuck.
I’ve found that simply using plain ol’ regular American cheese slices works best. Just tear them up as you add them!
And here’s the best part, it’s all made in ONE. POT. You boil the noodles right in the milk, cream, (and a few other goodies for an extra boost of flavor), to cook them!
No flour and butter roux to fuss with! No boiling water to drain!
Once they’re all done, and the cheeses have been melted in, just let it sit for a few minutes, and it will thicken up all on it’s own.
(I could stick my whole FACE in that.)
Now, as I said, I prefer to just ladle a nice scoop of this right into a bowl and dig in!
But my hubby prefers his topped with MORE cheese and baked.
So, I simply did that for him, and he was in mac ‘n cheese HEAVEN.
I had a bag of Sargento’s shredded Mexican blend cheese in the fridge already opened, so how easy was THAT to make us both happy with literally NO fuss?!!
Not too shabby for a quickie mac ‘n cheese, eh?!!
And if you like it the super old-fashioned old school way, you can add a buttered crumb topping, or even simply finely crush some regular potato chips and sprinkle them on top for a fast and easy topping!
What do I prefer them with? A nice “order” of my very own WINGS! Below are my newest, “Nashville Hot Chick-fil-A-Style Wings“! But I have tons of awesome wing recipes on here if you’d like to check those out as well.
Okay, so who’s going to make THIS for lunch? …supper? ….tonight?!!!
Or, okay, breakfast is fine, too. I won’t tell.
(I admit, I had a bowl of ice cream for breakfast the other morning. It was coffee-flavored, it had cream and milk, it was frozen, and it was GOOD. I don’t judge.)
So, if you’ve had a string of bad luck making fancy-pants mac ‘n cheeses that dirtied too many pans for the result, this is one you’ll certainly want to try!
It’s easiest enough for anyone to make, it doesn’t COST an arm and a leg, and most likely uses ingredients that you don’t even have to trek to the store for. Great as a side dish. But also a meal in itself for an easy weekday lunch!
This Best Easy One Pot Stovetop Mac and Cheese is just too delicious to pass by! So, be sure to PIN this to your favorite Pinterest Boards for safe keeping! This is one awesome mac ‘n cheese you don’t want to miss out on!
Have a wonderful week, STAY SAFE, wear those masks, please! We are far from out of the woods, Toto!!
Best Easy One Pot Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Makes 4 – 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. Premium Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. dry mustard powder
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, I used Barilla
3 Tbl. butter, cut up
8 oz. (12 slices) American cheese
4 oz. grated monterey jack cheese, do not use pre-shredded
1/4 cup lightly packed freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. regular or coarse ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp. regular table salt, or to taste
(shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, optional addition and step, but good!)
Directions:
In a large pot, (or medium-sized stockpot), on medium to medium-high heat, stir together and gently heat the milk, heavy cream, chicken base, garlic powder, and mustard powder to a simmer. Add the elbow macaroni. Cook until the pasta is al dente according to package directions, or tender to your own preference. Watch the pot so that it isn’t boiling over. Lower heat if needed, and stir now and then.
Turn off the heat but leave on still-hot burner to keep warm, and stir in butter until melted. Add cheeses, a little at a time, folding in to melt, creating a cheesy, creamy sauce. Taste test, and add regular salt and pepper to your own taste.
(*If mac ‘n cheese starts to cool too much, you can turn the burner back on to low, if needed, to get all of the cheeses melted in.)
Let rest a bit so it can cool down from a molten lava-state and thicken up a bit. (Stir gently now and then.)
Now serve, or ladle into oven-proof serving-sized bowls placed onto a baking sheet, top with a Mexican blend-style shredded cheese, and bake in a preheated 375º oven just until cheese on top has melted. Only about 10 – 20 minutes, depending on doneness preferred such as “just-melted”, or “lightly browning”. Just watch and remove when the cheese on top is done to your liking.
