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This Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese is easy, creamy and delicious! Make this classic, one-pot comfort food meal in just twenty minutes!
Like so many other kids, our 11-year-old daughter is a huge fan of macaroni and cheese. (I’d even go so far as to say that she’s a mac and cheese connoisseur!) 😉
It’s her favorite meal of all-time, and ever since she was little, our daughter loved the creamy white cheddar macaroni and cheese that was on the kid’s menu at a local restaurant not too far from our house.
Sadly, they changed the recipe a few months ago – and their mac and cheese just isn’t the same anymore! So that inspired Jack to create today’s Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
What is the best cheese to use for macaroni and cheese?
We think that the best macaroni and cheese recipes have mix of cheeses – varieties of cheese that melt easily giving your stovetop mac and cheese its creaminess, while other cheeses add flavor.
Our Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese is made with a mix of American cheese and New York sharp white cheddar cheese – and it’s perfectly melty and creamy with a mild cheesy flavor. (Exactly the way our daughter likes it!) You can definitely use other cheeses if you’d like. Fontina is another type of cheese that melts quite well, and Gruyère is an alternative to cheddar, but both have a stronger flavor than the cheeses we chose for today’s recipe, so adding them will definitely change the flavors of the finished dish.
This Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese is also lightly seasoned with ground white pepper, dry mustard, a touch of fresh nutmeg and a few drops of Tabasco sauce – all of which help to balance the rich cheesiness of this favorite meal. (Don’t worry – picky eaters won’t know all of those seasonings are in their beloved mac and cheese dinner…they will just know that it tastes good!)
Although we’ve shared several other mac and cheese recipes in the past, these days, this easy Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese is the one that we make the most often. It gets a big ‘thumbs-up’ from our daughter, as well as from all of her friends.
You may enjoy these other mac & cheese recipes:
- Mac and Cheese Cupcakes
- Lobster Mac and Cheese
- Perfect Macaroni and Cheese
- Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
12 ounces dry elbow noodles
Salted water for noodles
1 1/4 cups half & half
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Few grinds fresh nutmeg
Few drops Tabasco sauce
6 tablespoons butter cut into pats
1/2 pound white American cheese, shredded or chopped
1/2 pound New York sharp white cheddar, grated (we like Cracker Barrel brand)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water on to boil and once boiling, add a teaspoon of kosher salt. Then add the noodles. Cook just shy of the recommended time, which for the brand we used, was 7 minutes.
While water is heating, crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk. Add the half & half and whisk again.
Put a few tablespoons of the egg and half & half mixture into a small cup and add salt, pepper, mustard, nutmeg and Tabasco. Stir to dissolve the spices then add back into the bowl with the eggs and half & half and whisk to combine.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander then using a cup measure, start adding cups of the hot pasta to the egg and half & half mixture, stirring each time until you have added half of the pasta. This process is to temper the eggs so they don’t scramble when they hit the hot pasta.
Add the remaining pasta back to the pan and stir in the butter over low heat.
Add the bowl with the eggs and half & half into the pot and stir again, keeping the burner on low.
Add in both cheeses and stir to melt.
Once the cheese has melted into the noodles, remove from heat and serve.
Add more half & half to loosen if heating for leftovers.
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Oh my goodness! This looks SO good! Can’t wait to try it!
Feel free to share your recipes on my website – Kitchen Thyme. I share the recipes on social media, weekly meal plans, newsletters and recipe round ups.
Thanks Jane – Hope you love the mac and cheese!