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a bowl of mac and cheese on a dark blue background

Stove Top Mac And Cheese

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
This easy macaroni and cheese recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes, using one pot, on top of your stove.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces elbow macaroni other shapes can also be used
  • 3 1/2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese sharp cheddar cheese works well - you can use other semi-hard cheeses as well
  • 4 slices American cheese cut into smaller pieces, fresh sliced from the deli case is highly preferred
  • 4 ounces cream cheese cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
  • 1 3/4 cups half and half or milk half and half will give a richer flavor
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

OPTIONAL ITEMS

  • Hot sauce a few drops
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  • Drain pasta.
  • Prior to placing pasta back into the pot, place butter, cream cheese and grated cheese into the pot.
  • Pour drained pasta back into pot, on top of the ingredients. Add cut up slices of American cheese, and approximately 1 cup of half and half or milk into the pot.
  • Return pot to stove and turn burner to low heat. Use the same burner already used to cook the past as it will still be warm. Give a good stir.
  • Sprinkle in salt (and optional mix in items if using) and stir well. As cheeses start to melt, add an additional 1/2 cup of milk or half and half.
  • Continue stirring over low heat until all ingredients have melted and have combined with pasta. It may take some time and stirring for it to all incorporate, just keep stirring.
  • Add additional half and half or milk as needed to reach desired level of creaminess. If desired you can add more milk than is called for in the recipe.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

It's highly recommended that you grate fresh your cheese versus using pre-grated cheese, which contains added starches and anti-caking agents, resulting in cheese that doesn't melt as well. 
Feel free to get creative, you can use white cheddar, sharp cheddar, or even other cheese varieties. 

Nutrition

Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 904mg | Potassium: 288mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 960IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 553mg | Iron: 1mg
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