Easy Stovetop Macaroni and cheese is a creamy, delicious, family-friendly comfort food – quick and easy to make in 15 minutes!
A friend of ours had surgery recently and I was grateful for the opportunity to take her family dinner once she returned home from the hospital. My husband grilled some chicken and one of the side dishes I made was this easy macaroni and cheese. I really hoped her two children would enjoy this creamy, cheesy side dish!
A second batch was made for my husband and I because it tasted so GOOD (Yep… I sampled it when I made it for my friends… quality-control)! The recipe is incredibly simple to make, and if you enjoy satisfying comfort foods, you’ll enjoy this mac and cheese.
My theory is that you can never go wrong with a basic cheese sauce and pasta! Creamy, cheesy, satisfying and delicious are words used to describe this family-friendly recipe for macaroni and cheese! Here’s how easy it is to make this simple dish!
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How To Make Easy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Cook elbow macaroni (or other small shaped pasta) according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, in a separate sauce pan, melt butter and stir in flour, salt, onion and garlic powders until well blended.
Add milk to pan. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring (or whisking) often, until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn heat down to low, and continue to simmer (stirring often), until the sauce has thickened. This should take about 2 minutes.
Once sauce has thickened, remove pan from heat. Immediately stir in the grated cheddar cheese and a couple dashes of hot pepper sauce (or more if you like the heat). Stir until cheese has completely melted.
When the pasta has finished cooking, drain, then immediately place hot pasta back into the pan you used to cook it.
Time to Add the Sauce
Pour hot, thickened cheese sauce over the hot drained pasta, and stir well to combine.
Taste test…add additional salt (and pepper), if desired. I added an extra handful of cheddar cheese at this point, as well (but that is completely optional… we are big cheese lovers!). Stir well to make sure the easy stovetop macaroni and cheese is fully coated with the yummy sauce.
That’s all there is to it! Serve the macaroni and cheese while it is hot… and enjoy a bowl of this creamy, satisfying comfort food! If you like mac and cheese, perhaps you would also be interested in a Pasta, Ham and Gruyere Cheese Casserole (baked), or a Cheesy Ham, Spinach and Macaroni Bake.
NOTE: The leftovers are really good, too. Store in an air-tight container in refrigerator. Before you reheat, you might need to add a tiny bit of milk and stir, to “re-vitalize” it!
I hope you can see how EASY it is to make this side dish OR main dish in no time at all! If you cook the pasta at the same time you’re making the sauce, the whole “cheesy” meal can be ready in about 15 minutes… perfect for a main course, a side dish, or a quick lunch!
I hope you will consider giving this recipe a try! Be sure to check out ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. Have a great day.
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Easy Stovetop Macaroni and cheese is a creamy, delicious, family-friendly comfort food - quick and easy to make in 15 minutes!
- 3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups low-fat milk
- 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- couple dashes of hot pepper sauce (approx 1/8 teaspoon)
- Cook elbow macaroni (or other small shaped pasta) according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, in a separate sauce pan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt, onion and garlic powders until well blended. Add milk to pan. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring (or whisking) often, until mixture comes to a boil. Turn heat down to low; continue to simmer (stirring often), until sauce has thickened. This should take about 2 minutes. Once sauce has thickened, remove pan from heat. Immediately stir in grated cheese and a couple dashes of hot pepper sauce (or more if you like the heat). Stir until cheese has completely melted.
- When pasta has finished cooking, drain, then immediately place pasta back into the pan you used to cook it. Pour the hot, thickened cheese sauce over the hot drained pasta, and stir well to combine. Taste test...add additional salt, if desired. I added an extra handful of cheddar cheese at this point, as well (but that is optional. Stir well to make sure pasta is fully coated with cheese sauce. Serve the macaroni and cheese while it's hot... and enjoy!
Serving size is about a cup. If you wish to make this dish lower in calories, consider substituting fat-free skim milk and low-fat cheddar cheese for the ingredients listed.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!