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
MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
1 minute cooking video tutorial. Dozer fans – don’t miss him bombing the shot at the end!
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?
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