Looking for easy, dreamy creamy stovetop macaroni and cheese that doesn’t require any time in the oven? Here’s your recipe! (And your kids’ favorite.) So toss that boxed mac and cheese, because you have found super creamy macaroni and cheese right here!
If you asked me what my favorite recipe was on this site (and as of this moment, I have over 1,200 recipes), it would most definitely be my cornmeal and brown sugar crusted bacon, OBVIOUSLY.
But my second would be one of the simplest, most classic dishes on here, which is super creamy macaroni and cheese, cooked on the stovetop for maximum creaminess. Ready for some good old-fashioned comfort food wonderfulness? Let’s make it!
This was one of the very first recipes I ever published on this blog, and every now and again I go back and revisit those old favorites – I tell myself because I need to take a better picture of them (always true) and spiff up the recipe a little (usually true), and I needed to do both here.
But honestly? I also really wanted an excuse to make creamy macaroni and cheese.
Because here’s the thing: back when I first published this recipe, I had a house full of teenagers. My own and her pack of always hungry friends. Creamy macaroni and cheese was their fave, and it was on the menu at least once a week.
Those two tweens up there? The one on the left is a grown-up, soon to be married first grade teacher living 1,000 miles away (sob), the one on the right is ALSO a grown-up (and her maid of honor), the whole pack of once-teenage friends are all doing their own grown-up things, and while I am ridiculously proud of all of them, that creamy macaroni and cheese recipe has most definitely fallen out of the rotation.
So while it definitely won’t be coming back once a week, I decided the Southern husband and I deserved a little dreamy creamy macaroni and cheese of our own.
It comes together in about 20 minutes (and that counts boiling up the macaroni!) and is the most comfort food version of macaroni and cheese you will ever find! Here’s a quick little video to show you how deliciously easy it is…
What’s your go-to easy comfort food? Tell me in the comments!
PrintCreamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Looking for easy, dreamy creamy stovetop macaroni and cheese that doesn’t require any time in the oven? Here’s your recipe! (And your kids’ favorite.)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- Salt
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 5 cups milk
- 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack
- 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar (I recommend Cabot)
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to package directions until tender in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside.
- Heat butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour and whisk to combine, about one minute. Whisking constantly, add milk.
- Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, whisking occasionally.
- Take off heat and stir in cheeses and one teaspoon salt until cheese is fully melted. Add pasta and stir over medium low heat until heated through, 3-5 minutes.
- Ladle into warm dishes and watch the faces light up in happiness.
Shelly says
How do you store leftovers? We’re having this tonight and I know we’ll have lots of yummy leftovers.
Hi Shelly! I’m so glad you are making this recipe – it’s a fave in our house! You can store the leftovers in a covered container in the fridge. When you are ready to have them again, the best way to reheat them is to put them in a pot over medium low heat with a little milk – stir them up as they are reheating and they will be scrumptious! (Now I want to make mac and cheese, even though I have a pot roast in the oven right now!) :)
Camilla Toro says
I just made Hillyard, one of my very fave boys that I babysit for, SO HAPPY today because he was asking if we could turn some leftover buttered elbow macaroni into mac & cheese for his lunch. I whipped up a fantastic cheese sauce following this recipe (I halved it based on the amount of macaroni we had to work with) and he declared it the best mac & cheese he’d ever had!
Five stars from the tween set!!
Well I just LOVE this! Rave reviews from kids are my very favorite kind because as we know, they don’t hold back! xoxo
Lorraine says
I do the oven one and it’s been a hit for some 46 years
I layer partially cooked elbow macaroni , hand crushed San Marzano tomatoes, a layer of cheese, Land o Lakes white or yellow, I do approx 3 layers ending with cheese on top. I take the juice from the tomatoes and add to the casserole, if needed a little water just so you can see it slightly on the side of the top layer. Sprinkle with bread crumbs …dot with some butter and Bake at 375* for approximately 50 minutes. YUM if you like grilled cheese with tomatoes..your gonna love this,
Hi Lorraine! Thanks for sharing your family favorite – I love grilled cheese with tomatoes so I am DEFINITELY trying your version! :)
Theresa Murphy says
What’s not to love? Cheesy pasta is the bestest of meals! And I love that you use two cheeses here! I usually do mozzarella and cheddar because I love that gooey, stretch factor the mozzarella lends to the dish. And if I’m feeling a little decadent, I’ll throw in some gruyere with the cheddar, just for a hint of something a bit different but not over the top.
Oh yes, the mozzarella goodness is the BEST! Gotta change it up with some of that next time.
ry says
made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with the boys! they are the mac and cheese experts in this home. thanks again for a winner!
Kate says
Hurray! Always happy to know it is a hit with the experts (I have one of those in my house too!)
Davon says
Yes I’m a seasoned chef and I know many little tricks Ive learned along the way…By the way I’m baking mine with some shredded cheddar and olive oil for a crispy top…
Thanks for these great tips, Davon! Love the topping especially!
kimchi says
This is exactly how I make my mac ‘n cheese and I love it this way! Cooks Illustrated is the BEST. So much good information without all the filler advertising and everything (I get the magazine). I cherish my backcopies and refer to them often! Happy cooking!
kimchi says
This is exactly how I make my mac ‘n cheese and I love it this way! Cooks Illustrated is the BEST. So much good information without all the filler advertising and everything (I get the magazine). I cherish my backcopies and refer to them often! Happy cooking!
kimchi says
This is exactly how I make my mac ‘n cheese and I love it this way! Cooks Illustrated is the BEST. So much good information without all the filler advertising and everything (I get the magazine). I cherish my backcopies and refer to them often! Happy cooking!
Jenn says
I’m a new-ish cook and I tried to make this meal. It wasn’t creamy at all! It looked really good at first and then suddenly I mixed everything together and it was thick, chunky, and almost gritty. What did I do wrong? :(
Kate says
Oh dear! My best guess is that you might not have gotten the flour and the butter part totally combined before you added the milk. When you whisk them together they should be pretty smooth…if not, add a little more butter. Then pour the milk in slowly in a steady stream, whisking whisking whisking as you go. Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat down and stir it until it thickens up a bit – it should look really creamy. Now you can put the cheese in – do it a handful at a time. If you can find the kind that is shredded really fine, that works really well. I promise this is a fantastic mac and cheese…I hope you try it again! :)
Jenn says
I know it -tasted- fantastic. I’ll need to try again to get the proper consistency. I’m going to try again this weekend and make this just as perfect as it looks above! Maybe I should buy a whisk while I’m at it…a fork just doesn’t cut it. Thanks for the advice!
Kate says
Let me know how it comes out! :)
Davon says
When you add the milk you may encounter lumps. To smooth it out take a HAND BLENDER and blend smooth, then add the cheese shredded little by little stirring as you go.