READY IN 30 mins

Best One Pot Cheese and Macaroni

Read Reviews (16)

"This recipe uses less milk and no thickener what-so-ever! Very cheesy, too! You can either serve it from the pot, or top with buttered crumbs and put in 350 oven to brown for half an hour, but we like ours fine without. " — JILL_FAUCHER-ROSS

Directions

Pour water and salt into a medium pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the shell pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the water has cooked down a bit, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the milk, and continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Add the Cheddar, Parmesan, pepper, and mustard; stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is thick and creamy. The starch from the pasta thickens the sauce as the pasta cooks.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 30 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 21, 2009

This was a tough recipe to rate. Would I serve this to guests for dinner? Probably not. Would I totally make this for a quick lunch for myself again? YES (especially because all of the ingredients are things I usually have sitting around the house anyways)! I reduced the recipe down to 1 serving for my lunch today & it went pretty well. I upped the noodles to 3/4 cup because I didn't use elbow noodles & so had to add more water. Once the noodles were done I just poured out the majority of the excess water. I added in a tbs of butter & melted it, then added in the milk as the recipe indicates. Once the cheeses were melted & the pepper added (skipped on the mustard) I tasted the macaroni & it seemed a little bland, so I added in a few dashes of hot sauce as well as sprinkled in just a bit of onion powder. This took the recipe from "okay" to "mmm...good". As far as easy & tasty lunches go, this one is a recipe I will make again!!

—ADZELL

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 24, 2011

An odd method of making mac n cheese. I used elbow macaroni, and it was cooked perfectly. The final 5 minute cooking time is almost too long as the bottom started to stick. Took off the heat and added the cheeses, pepper and mustard. Very very cheddar cheesey. Not creamy but definitely thick and cheesey. Thanks for the recipe.

—sassyoldlady

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19 Ratings

May 06, 2009

Delicious, quick and easy! But very rich and cheesy too. I think next time I will either use less cheese or boil more pasta. I usually don't have Parmesan around so I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the Cheddar and Parmesan combination. I loved it and I will definitely be making this one again!

—Roxanne J.R.

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Nov 02, 2010

Great recipe for a quick easy creamy stove top mac and cheese. I switched things up a bit, but adding asiago, feta and cream cheese to the cheddar and parmesan. I found that if I stirred the cheese in as it melted and didn't add it all at once, it kept it from clumping as others have complained about. I also sauteed some onion and then added that as well. Turned out super creamy and flavorful. Thanks for the recipe! :)

—jayminv

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Jan 04, 2010

Really good and FAST, and an excellent concept for making quick homemade macaroni and cheese. I skipped the Parmesan cheese and added about 3 cups of cheddar cheese, substituted white pepper for black pepper, and used a combo of skim milk and heavy cream (what I had on hand). All family members ate it!

—HPP22207

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Aug 12, 2009

Not at all what I expected. Tasted like strong tasting globs of melted cheese and noodles. Will not make it again.

—TMC

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Jan 19, 2010

I kept trying to like it but I could only taste the parmesean with the macaroni. I won't save the leftovers. :-(

—Jo

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Dec 07, 2009

When I made this the sauce turned out gloppy and the pasta was underdone even though I used the kind suggested and cooked it for the recommended amount of time. It's a good thing I cut the recipe in half because my kids wouldn't eat more than a couple of bites.

—karen

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Nutrition

Calories
518 kcal
26%

Carbohydrates
30.7 g
10%

Cholesterol
93 mg
31%

Fat
30.8 g
47%

Fiber
1.3 g
5%

Protein
30.1 g
60%

Sodium
930 mg
37%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Best One Pot Cheese and Macaroni

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 518
Calories from Fat: 277

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 30.8g 47 %
Saturated Fat 19.1g 96 %
Cholesterol 93mg 31 %
Sodium 930mg 37 %
** Potassium 217mg 6 %
Total Carbohydrates 30.7g 10 %
Dietary Fiber 1.3g 5 %
Protein 30.1g 60 %
** Sugars 3.5g
Vitamin A 18 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 96 %
Iron 17 %
** Thiamin 4 %
** Niacin 59 %
** Vitamin B6 8 %
** Magnesium 18 %
** Folate 50 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.