Macaroni and cheese is comfort food, pure comfort food! It's filling, It's warm and most of all - it's cheesy! Stovetop mac and cheese is a delicious homemade macaroni and cheese.
This delicious cheesy pasta can be made in just 20 minutes using penne pasta or elbow macaroni.
Why make this recipe
Macaroni and cheese is always a hit in our household with both the kids and adults and this mac and cheese is definitely one of our favorites. Making homemade mac and cheese isn't difficult and just takes a handful of ingredients.
This cheesy macaroni is made with pasta, cheddar cheese, milk, butter, flour, dry mustard, garlic powder and a touch of salt and pepper.
Now I'll be honest, we also eat plenty of the boxed mac and cheese and there's really nothing wrong with that! But sometimes we want things a bit cheesier and that's when I bust out my homemade version.
If you're looking for a baked mac and cheese with a crunchy topping, check out this recipe for an Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese!
Variations on mac and cheese
Pasta
Use any type of dried pasta
- Elbow macaroni
- Rotini
- Penne
- Mini shells
Cheese
I typically use cheddar cheese, but sometimes I add a mixture to change up the taste. Just keep the portions the same and add your favorite variety.
- Cheddar
- Pepper Jack
- Monterey
- Colby
Optional Add ins
- Chopped ham
- Sliced sausages - smokies, hot dog, kielbasa
- Frozen peas
- Thinly slice sun dried tomatoes
- Cooked chicken breast
- Blanched broccoli
Step by step directions
- Boil pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta is boiling, melt butter in another sauce pan.
- Add flour and stir over low heat for about 2 minutes.
- Whisk in milk.
- Add dry mustard, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching. The mixture will begin to thicken as it heats up.
- Once your mixture has thickened, remove from heat and slowly stir in cheese.
- Drain pasta and return to pan.
- Pour cheese mixture over top, stir and serve.
Tips for making macaroni and cheese
- Drain pasta completely. Water left on the pasta can make your sauce watery
- Turn off heat before adding cheese to help prevent your sauce from breaking
- Taste sauce before adding to pasta. Add more salt and pepper, if needed
- For best results, serve right away
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. Reheat pasta in microwave or try it cold!
More great recipes for lunch
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my delicious pasta recipes!
Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (penne or elbow)
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white ground pepper (or black ground pepper)
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package directions.1 pound pasta
- While pasta is boiling, melt butter in another sauce pan. Stir in flour and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes.¼ cup butter, ¼ cup flour
- Whisk in milk. Add dry mustard, garlic powder and salt and pepper2 cups milk, ½ teaspoon dry mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon white ground pepper
- Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching. The mixture will begin to thicken as it heats up. Do not bring to a boil.
- Once your mixture has thickened,, remove from heat and slowly add cheese while stirring.8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- Drain pasta and return to pan.
- Pour cheese mixture over top, stir and serve.
Notes
- Drain pasta completely. Water left on the pasta can make your sauce watery
- Turn off heat before adding cheese to help prevent your sauce from breaking
- Taste sauce before adding to pasta. Add more salt and pepper, if needed
- For best results, serve right away
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. Reheat pasta in microwave or try it cold!
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in October 2015. The pictures, text and recipe have been updated.
Hayden says
This was so bad I hated this recipe the sauce was like dough
Kathy says
Hi Hayden,
I'm sorry this didn't work for you. If the sauce was like a dough there's two things that may have gone wrong. Either you added too much flour or not enough milk. Be careful when measuring the flour that you aren't compacting the flour into the measuring cup. This can almost double the amount of flour called for in the recipe.
Kathy
Allie P says
I made this recently and found that if you take it off heat sooner rather than later when it’s starting to thicken to add the cheese it’s ooeygooey perfection. Maybe you waited til it thickened too much
Kathy says
Hi Allie,
Thanks for you suggestion!
Kathy 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Mac and cheese is always a hit in our home too..I mean, what's not to love, right? This looks so creamy and delicious, Kathy, and totally wishing I had a big bowl for lunch today!
Kathy says
You just can't go wrong with a creamy comfort food like mac and cheese!
Alex says
There is nothing more comforting than good old mac and cheese 🙂 Your version is so creamy, cheesy and delicious!
Kathy says
Thanks 🙂
Valentina says
I never met a person who didn't love mac and cheese. This recipe looks and sounds fabulous! 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced says
You know what's funny? We were literally making Robbie mac-and-cheese last night on the stovetop, and we commented how much better it tastes than the boxed stuff. And it's so easy, too! This post is making me crave mac and cheese like crazy right now - there's a chill in the air, and I'm ready for some good fall comfort food!
Kathy says
It really is easy peasy! 🙂
Suzi says
Thumbs up from the "box loving"kids! So quick and easy too!
Kathy says
Glad you tried it and your kids loved it! Hooray!!!