Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese

5 from 2 votes

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

Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American

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

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 478kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

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!

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