Stovetop mac and cheese
A silky, sharp cheddar sauce made from scratch in the time the pasta boils, with no box and no oven, and it might ruin the blue box for you.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.43 a serving
- 780 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2½ cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 12 oz elbow macaroni
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2½ cups milk
- 1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
From your pantry
- 3½ tsp salt, divided
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 780 calories, 33 g protein, 78 g carbs and 37 g fat, and costs about $1.43 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese or mexican blend cheese works.
- No elbow macaroni? Penne works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a large pot of water over high heat with 1 tablespoon salt. the cheddar while it heats.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: Grate it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to stop clumping, and it melts grainy.Cook the macaroni 1 minute less than the package says, then .
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 6 min
Meanwhile, the butter in a medium over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, , 1 minute, until it smells a little toasty.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Slowly pour in the milk, the whole time. Keep whisking now and then until it bubbles and , 5 to 6 minutes.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Pour in a little at first and whisk it smooth before adding more. That’s all it takes to stop lumps.Turn the heat to low and stir in the garlic powder, paprika, pepper, mustard and ½ teaspoon salt.
Low heat
Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful before adding the next.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heat
Dolly’s tip: Low heat keeps the sauce smooth. If it boils, the cheese turns oily and stringy.Stir in the macaroni until every piece is coated, adding of milk if it’s thicker than you like. Taste for salt and serve hot.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
