Stovetop Mac and Cheese

The easiest creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese recipe is ready for the table in just 20 minutes! Even the pickiest little eaters will love the simple combination of pasta in a smooth cheddar sauce. Serve this as a side dish for your next family dinner, or whip it up at lunchtime for the main event!

When you’re looking at a pretty bare fridge and trying to decide what to serve with the pantry staples on hand, this easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese totally comes to the rescue! It’s one of those great last-minute sides that you can pull together when all else fails…and you don’t want to run to the grocery store. Heck, throw in some leftover chicken, diced ham, or extra taco meat and call it the main dish. Have some broccoli? That works, too! This is a classic stovetop mac and cheese that can be tailored to suit your family’s preferences with whatever you’ve got in your kitchen.

How to make Stovetop Mac and Cheese from Scratch:

I’ve got nothing against American cheese “pasteurized cheese product” or those blue boxes of macaroni with the powdered cheese packet (my kids love them!), but this particular recipe is the “real deal” — made with just a box of elbow macaroni and a classic cheesy béchamel sauce. Best of all, it’s almost as easy as the packaged shortcuts, and my finicky kids all approve! Let’s get started…

Ingredients:

• Elbow macaroni
• Salted butter
• All-purpose flour
• Milk
• Cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Ground mustard and ground nutmeg

Step 1: Boil the Pasta

First, cook the pasta in a big pot of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain.

Step 2: Whisk together the Cheese Sauce

While the pasta cooks, whisk together the creamy, cheesy sauce in a separate pot.

Step 3: Stir the Pasta into the Sauce

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce, give it a good stir, and serve!

What to serve with easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese:

Serve this macaroni and cheese as a main dish with a side of broccoli or salad. You can garnish with a bit of cooked, crumbled bacon, stir in some diced chicken, or add taco meat for a Tex-Mex version.

If you’re serving it as a side dish, here are a few entrées that go well with the creamy macaroni and cheese:

• Grilled Steak
• Slow Cooker Beef Barbecue
• Grilled Chicken
• Meatloaf
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
• Crispy Southern Fried Catfish
• Crock Pot Ham with Cola Glaze
• Pineapple Glazed Ham
• Southern Glazed Salmon
• Baked Salmon Fillet
• Pulled BBQ Pork or BBQ Chicken
• Cornflake Chicken
• or include it in your Thanksgiving feast alongside all of your favorite sides and this Garlic & Herb Roast Turkey

Preparation and Storage Tips:

• To cut down on the prep time, I like to get the pasta boiling while I prepare the rest of the ingredients (such as grating the cheese). Then, as the pasta finishes cooking, you can whisk together the cheese sauce simultaneously. This way the pasta isn’t sitting around getting cold while you prepare the sauce, and everything comes together quickly at the end.
• This particular macaroni and cheese is best when served immediately, so I do not recommend preparing the dish in advance.
• If you have leftovers, the mac and cheese will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Stovetop mac and cheese does not freeze well, since the cream-based sauce has a tendency to “break” when thawed.
• How to reheat stovetop mac and cheese: Place the mac and cheese in a saucepan. The pasta and sauce will dry out a bit as it sits, so it’s helpful to add a splash of milk and a little bit of butter to the pan. Then warm over low heat, just until it reaches the desired temperature. Stir regularly and the sauce should become smooth again!

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• It’s important to use a block of cheese that you grate by hand. Do not use pre-shredded cheese in a package, because those packaged shredded cheeses include a powdery coating with stabilizers that prevent the cheese from melting smoothly.
• The recipe calls for sharp cheddar cheese, but you can use just about any good melting cheese that you prefer (or a combination of more than one type of cheese). For instance, mild cheddar, gruyere, gouda and fontina would all work well. You can even throw in some (gasp!) American cheese — good old Velveeta! — if that’s what your family enjoys.
• If you don’t have elbow macaroni on hand, you can substitute with another type of small pasta shape (such as small shells, cavatappi or ditalini).
• I typically use 2% milk since that’s what we keep in the fridge, but you can substitute with whole milk or heavy cream. Just don’t use a lower fat milk like skim or your sauce won’t have that creamy mouthfeel.
• The ground mustard and the ground nutmeg are nice “extra” touches that add depth of flavor to the creamy sauce, but they’re certainly not necessary. You can omit either (or both) of those ingredients if you don’t like them or if you don’t have them on hand.
• It’s important to salt the water before boiling your pasta. This is your chance to season the pasta for a flavorful dish!
• Cooking for a smaller family? You can scale the recipe down to serve just 2 or 4 people. For instance, cut the recipe in half for 4 people, or cut the ingredients in fourth for 2 people.
• Optional mix-ins: Use this base recipe and add any of your favorite proteins, vegetables or seasonings. For instance, try chicken, shrimp, bacon or ground beef. You can stir in some peas or steamed broccoli, or season the macaroni with Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or my all-purpose “house” seasoning.

More easy mac and cheese recipes that you might enjoy:

• Overnight Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
• Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
• Dump-and-Bake Chicken Mac and Cheese

Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 478 kcal

A quick, creamy, easy Dutch oven mac and cheese that's ready on the stovetop in just 20 minutes!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¼ cup (½ of a stick) salted butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of smoked paprika optional
• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) diced or shredded Velveeta cheese (or sub with an additional 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese)
• 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions

Instructions

• In a 6- or 7-quart cast iron Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute.
  
• Whisk in milk, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until thickened, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese until melted and completely smooth.
  
• Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until just heated through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve!
  

Notes

• To cut down on the prep time, I like to get the pasta boiling while I prepare the rest of the ingredients (such as grating the cheese). Then, as the pasta finishes cooking, you can whisk together the cheese sauce simultaneously. This way the pasta isn’t sitting around getting cold while you prepare the sauce, and everything comes together quickly at the end.
• Use a block of cheddar cheese that you grate by hand, rather than the pre-shredded cheese in a packet. Those packaged shredded cheeses include a powdery coating with stabilizers that prevent the cheese from melting as smoothly.
• The seasonings add depth of flavor to the creamy sauce, but they’re certainly not necessary. You can omit any of those ingredients if you don’t like them or if you don’t have them on hand.
• Salt the water before boiling your pasta. This is your chance to season the noodles for a flavorful dish!
• Remove the pot from the heat before adding the cheese (or keep the flame very low) so that the sauce stays creamy and smooth. When cheese gets too hot, it separates and gives the sauce a grainy texture.
• If you like a crunchy topping on your mac and cheese, sprinkle the finished dish with buttered panko bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, or crushed potato chips. You can even put the Dutch oven under the broiler for a minute or two to toast the topping. Just keep a close eye on it so that it doesn’t burn!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the dishCalories: 478kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 20gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 785mgPotassium: 343mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 749IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 409mgIron: 1mg

Keyword: cast iron dutch oven mac and cheese recipe, creamy stovetop mac and cheese, Dutch oven mac and cheese, easy mac and cheese, stovetop mac and cheese

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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