Did you know that you can make creamy, rich, and saucy stovetop mac and cheese from scratch in the same amount of time it takes to cook boxed mac and cheese?
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6servings
Calories: 623kcal
Ingredients
16ouncesdried pasta cavatappi, shells, or large elbow macaroni
4ouncesfreshly shredded Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese(about 1½ cups)
¾teaspoonkosher salt
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In a large pot, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Bring the water to a boil and then add 2 tablespoons of salt (trust me on this, salted water makes ALL the difference when cooking pasta.) Add the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, being careful not to overcook. The pasta should still have a nice chew to it. Drain and do not rinse.
In the same pot used for the pasta, add half of the milk and cream over medium heat. In a separate bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the remaining milk and cream with the flour and spices. Whisk until smooth.
When the milk on the stove begins to steam (not boil!) add the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until the milk thickens slightly, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the shredded cheese, a handful at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon to melt. Remove from the heat once all the cheese has melted. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Taste and add salt, only if needed.
Notes
Want to make this even easier? or prefer to skip the flour? Replace the milk with additional heavy cream (for a total of 1 1/2 cups heavy cream). Skip the flour. Just warm the cream and spices to steaming and add the cheese as directed in the recipe.This recipe CAN be made gluten-free by substituting brown rice flour and GF pasta. It is super tasty that way, but to be 1000% honest, it is not quite as creamy as the traditional recipe. GF pasta and flours simply are not equal in this case.