Perfectly creamy and cheesy mac and cheese that takes only 30 minutes to make on the stovetop. There are three kinds of cheese in this recipe for the best flavor and creaminess. Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of homemade mac and cheese, especially when it’s so easy and only takes about 30 minutes.
There is something so comforting about pasta and cheese combined together in a creamy delight and there is more. Try my Baked Mac and Cheese and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.
Table of Contents
The Most Comforting Dish
Mac and cheese is my weakness. Pasta on its own is only okay but combine it with lots of cheese, and it’s perfection.
Luckily, my family agrees and I’ve had many years of practicing the cheese combinations and spices. I have a favorite cheese combination for my macaroni and cheese, so I highly recommend that you try this one. But of course, you can play around with your favorite cheese as well.
When choosing cheese, remember how well it melts, how smooth it melts, and the flavor. If you want sharper, stronger flavors, then choose sharp cheeses. Remember that the harder the cheese, the lower melting point. Parmesan and other hard cheeses don’t melt as well. Hard cheese can be a flavor addition but not the main cheese.
For smoother melted cheese, choose cheeses like cheddar, Monterrey Jack cheese, Colby Jack, and even Mozzarella. These cheeses all melt very well because they are not soft cheeses and not too hard.
My favorite cheese combination for a classic mac and cheese is extra sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack cheese, and a little cream cheese. Sharp cheddar provides great sharp flavor, Monterrey Jack melts beautifully but also has extra flavor, and cream cheese provides extra creamy texture.
When making mac and cheese, don’t forget to add a little paprika for that special flavor pop.
Ingredient Notes
Macaroni Pasta – You could also use small pasta shells if you’d prefer. You just need small pasta that has a nice shape so it’ll grip the cheese.
Salt – use about 1 tablespoons of coarse salt to add to 2-2.5 quarts of boiling water, before adding pasta. Note that if you are using table salt, use less. (Don’t cringe, most of that salt will go away with the drained water.)
Butter – it’s always best to use unsalted butter to control the amount of sodium.
Garlic Cloves – fresh garlic will yield much better flavor than pre-minced.
Flour – all-purpose flour is what you’ll need to help thicken the consistency of the sauce.
Milk – use 2% or whole milk for the creamiest consistency.
Cream Cheese – this ingredient works in tandem with the milk to thicken the sauce into a creamy, decadent consistency.
Cheeses – For this simple homemade mac and cheese recipe, I use a combination of sharp cheddar cheese for flavor and Monterrey Jack cheese for smooth and creamy texture. Make sure to get a block of cheese and grate it yourself!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Cook macaroni according to the package instructions in salted water, drain, and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, grate cheese and start to prepare the cheese sauce:
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour (1) and once it’s combined, start pouring in milk (2) while constantly stirring. Keep whisking slowly until all incorporated.
Cut cream cheese into small pieces and add it to the pot (3). Stir and let cream cheese mix into the sauce. Add cheeses, one handful at a time (4), while slowly stirring (5).
Season with paprika, salt, and pepper (6). Once all cheese is melted and smooth, add pasta (7). Stir until all completely combined (8). Let it cook on medium-low for a couple of minutes and serve. The point if to heat the mac and cheese through after adding the pasta.
PRO TIP: Never let the cheese sauce or mac and cheese boil! Cook the cheese sauce over medium to medium-low heat to let the milk heat through and the cheese melt. After adding the pasta, you will only cook for additional couple of minutes to heat up the pasta.
Make It Gluten Free:
Mac and cheese is very easy to make gluten free with just two easy substitutions. First, use gluten free pasta. If you don’t have a favorite, I prefer the Tinkayada brand of gluten free pasta. Its texture is the least crumbly and tastes the most like regular pasta.
As far as thickeners, you have two options. Option one is substituting flour for gluten free flour, and option two is using cornstarch instead of flour.
If choosing to use gluten free all purpose flour, simply substitute it for regular flour and mix it with melted butter.
When using cornstarch instead of flour, it has to be mixed with cold milk first and then added to the pot to heat through. (1 tablespoon of cornstarch is enough for this recipe.)
Make It Lactose Free:
Did you know that you can easily enjoy mac and cheese even if you a lactose free? Many people who are lactose intolerant are actually not aware that they can still eat cheese. Cheese that is aged 6 months and longer is naturally lactose free through the aging process.
Soft cheeses like blue cheese, Brie, feta, cream cheese, and a few others are not lactose free but cheeses like cheddar, Parmesan, Monterrey Jack cheese and even some Mozzarella are lactose free.
Many brands will put lactose content right on the label, under the nutritional information. Look for words like “contains 0g of lactose per serving.” If the wording is not there, you can look at sugar content. If sugar is 0g, that will indicate there is very low chance for lactose.
Cream cheese can be substituted for vegan (plant-based) cream cheese. I haven’t tried all brands but a few brands that I’ve tried do melt and mix into the sauce well.
Instead of regular milk, use lactose free milk. (Tip: Fairlife brand is not as sweet as Lactaid. I recommend that one in savory dishes.)
Recipe FAQs
Most likely the cause of cheese sauce separating is overheating! Never let your cheese sauce or milk boil. Cook over medium to medium-low heat the whole time. Don’t over-cook either, as soon as the cheese is melted and smooth, add in pasta. As soon as pasta is heated through, take the pot off heat.
Your cheese sauce can be grainy if the flour didn’t get a chance to cook well and thicken the milk or the type of cheese you used. It’s always best to get a good brand of cheese and use a BLOCK not pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese always had additives like separators and preservatives that will affect the texture of your sauce.
When letting the milk heat through, before adding the cheese, make sure you give it several minutes to heat through completely and thicken. Don’t add cheese too soon.
When choosing cheese, remember how well it melts, how smooth it melts, and the flavor.
If you want sharper, stronger flavors, then choose sharp cheeses. Note that the harder the cheese, the lower melting point. Parmesan and other hard cheeses don’t melt as well. Hard cheese can be a flavor addition but not the main cheese.
For smoother melted cheese, choose cheeses like cheddar, Monterrey Jack cheese, Colby Jack, and even Mozzarella. These cheeses all melt very well because they are not soft cheeses and not too hard.
My favorite cheese combination for a classic mac and cheese is extra sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack cheese, and a little cream cheese.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Keep any leftovers you have mac and cheese in an airtight food storage container, in the refrigerator. You can also use the same pot you used to cook it but cover it air-tight. Properly stored, this dish should stay good for about 3-4 days.
While you can reheat individual portions in the microwave, you can also reheat the whole pot on stove-top. Make sure to reheat it over medium-low heat and add about 1/4-1/3 cup of milk. Cover the pot as mac and cheese reheats and stir every few minutes.
When reheating individual portions in the microwave, add a couple of tablespoons of milk to the bowl with pasta and use a microwave cover if you have one. Reheat the mac and cheese in 30-45 second increments, stirring in between. Make sure to reheat only until heated through.
PRO TIP: you will need to add some milk when reheating, to invigorate the pasta and cheese sauce again. Pasta tends to soak up moisture from the sauces as it sits, so adding a little milk will help refresh it.
More Mac and Cheese Recipes To Try
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Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- salt salt water for cooking pasta
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 10 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese block, it melts smoother
- 8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese block, it melts smoother
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with salt. Cook pasta according to the box instructions. Drain completely once pasta is cooked.
- While pasta is cooking, grate cheese and prepare the cheese sauce.
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour and once it's combined with butter, start pouring in milk while constantly stirring. Keep whisking until all incorporated. Let the milk heat through until thickened, while slowly stirring from time to time.
- Cut cream cheese into small pieces and add it to the pot. Stir and let cream cheese mix into the sauce.
- Start adding the grated cheeses, one handful at a time, while slowly stirring and letting it melt.
- Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Once all cheese is melted and smooth, add pasta. Stir until all completely combined. Let it cook on medium-low heat for just a couple of minutes and take off heat. The point is to just heat the mac and cheese through after adding the pasta.
Video
Notes
- *Read the post to learn how to make this mac and cheese gluten free and/or lactose free!
- Remember: Never let the cheese sauce or mac and cheese boil! Cook the cheese sauce over medium to medium-low heat to let the milk heat through and the cheese melt. After adding the pasta, you will only cook for additional couple of minutes to heat up the pasta.
- Reheating: You can also reheat the whole pot on stove-top. Make sure to reheat it over medium-low heat and add about 1/4-1/3 cup of milk. Cover the pot as mac and cheese reheats and stir every few minutes.
- When reheating individual portions in the microwave, add a couple of tablespoons of milk to the bowl with pasta and use a microwave cover if you have one. Reheat the mac and cheese in 30-45 second increments, stirring in between. Make sure to reheat only until heated through.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on February 1, 2019.
Deidre says
Can I use evaporated milk instead of regular or 2%?
LyubaB says
Hi, I haven’t tried using evaporated milk in this recipe, I think it may change the flavor. If you’d like to use it add equal amounts of water to the milk. For example, the recipe calls for 2 cups of milk so you will use one cup of evaporated with one cup of water. Hope that helps.
Terry says
Are the servings for an entree or as a side dish?
LyubaB says
Hi Terry, the serving is for a side dish. Hope you like it! 🙂
Eli says
Recipe amounts are perfect, wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you, we really enjoyed it on a rainy January evening 🙂
LyubaB says
Thank you, Eli! Glad you liked it!
Laura says
Hi there
Do mine was a little grainy in texture not as bad as the first time. The first time I cheated and used bag cheese definitely don’t do that. Second time I used block cheese but it was still a little grainy. How long do I melt the cheese maybe I’m not melting it long enough?
Thanks
Laura
Amanda says
Cheesesauce will break and become grainy if it gets too hot
Carly S says
Why was it sweet. Good, but why was it sweet.
LyubaB says
Hmm, I am not sure, it shouldn’t be at all sweet. Maybe it was the cheese you used?
Annalise says
OH MY GOSH!!!! This is the BEST Mac and cheese I have ever made. I can’t thank you enough for this. I literally kept eating it out of the pot!!! The only thing I decided to do different was (after I was done eating several fork fulls out of the pot of course lol) put it in a baking dish add more cheese on top and bake it at 325 for 15 minutes.
LyubaB says
Awe thank you! I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Lyn B says
This is the BEST Mac-n-cheese ever!!! So rich, creamy and absolutely delicious!! I had been searching for the perfect Mac-n-cheese recipe and I finally found THE ONE!! Yummy!!
LyubaB says
Wow! Thank you so much for the sweet compliment! I am so glad you liked it!
Ella says
Everytime i used the flour and butter to make a roux, the end macaroni and cheese always ends up being grainy despite whisking the heck out of the butter and flour mixture. Is there any way to fix that?
lyuba says
Hi Ella!
I’ve never noticed the grainy texture myself but you may be sensitive to texture. I know plenty of people who are sensitive to textures in sauces and other things.
What you can do is try to use cornstarch to thicken the mac and cheese and see if you like it better that way. It’s a little bit of a different process though. You would whisk the cold milk and cornstarch together first, before adding it to the hot pot and warming it up. So start by melting butter and then whisk cornstarch (about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons) and cold milk. Pour the milk mixture into the pot and slowly stir the whole time as the milk is warming up. When the milk is hot, start adding the cheeses. The rest is really the same.
I really hope this helps! Let me know
Manda says
Youre getting it too hot. Cheesesauce will break if too hot and becomes grainy
Lisa in Spokane says
This was super easy and super yummy. I used a little more paprika (I’m a big fan), some mustard powder, cayenne and Essence of Emeril. Yum! I usually bake my Mac n cheese, but this was way better and cheaper. Yum—where has this recipe been all my life??
LyubaB says
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for the sweet compliment, you made my day! I am so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂