Absolutely love this recipe.....best mac and cheese ever!

I've made this macaroni and cheese twice now and it was loved by all both times! The first time I made it, I followed the recipe verbatim with the exception of the Dijon mustard. It's not really a taste that I associate with classic macaroni and cheese, so I opted to leave it out and it turned out great. The second time I made it, I included dustings of garlic powder and Cajun seasoning to give it some kick and it was even better than before. To those who have remarked that it was too saucy, simply make it ahead of whatever else you're preparing for the meal and let it sit on a warm burner for a while; it'll thicken up very nicely. Also, who complains about having to stir too much? This has like four cups of cheese AND flour in it. What do you expect!? Overall, this is an easy, delicious side dish that has a lot of potential for customization.

too much work for mac n cheese

My family is funny about homemade macaroni and cheese. They have one version that they really, really like and they compare every other one that I make to their favorite. Well, I’m happy to announce that they loved this “no baked” version of mac n’cheese. I made this as written using spiral shaped pasta and found it very creamy, just like the title says. I like that this can be made pretty quickly and would work for a quick week night meal. You could even make the sauce up ahead of time and reheat before adding to the cooked pasta. We had friends over for dinner the night I made this and they enjoyed it also and even had seconds. That always makes the cook feel good. :o) We really did like everything about this recipe.

Very good. I used one cup of chicken broth and one can of evaporated milk because several reviews mentioned too much liquid that had to be cooked down. I added 1/2 tsp ground mustard instead of the 1 1/2 T mustard. I also added a pound of frozen broccoli (cooked with the pasta for the last five minutes) and a cooked, cubed chicken breast. I had planned on putting this in a casserole to bake, but the sauce was thick enough that it didn't need to be cooked down and the mixture was hot enough to serve. I added 1/2 cup of water to leftovers to thin the sauce, thinking the passta will absorb additional fluid. Next time I'll try 1 tsp dry mustard and plan on 2 cups of chicken broth with one can of evaporated milk. Leftovers are in the freezer for DH to take to work; I warned him it might separate but he's looking forward to leftovers for work.

I scaled down this recipe to make for 2 children (age 2&4). I was skeptical about making Mac & cheese from scratch because these kids only like velveta shells and cheese! I used small shells and I also didn't have the exact cheeses so I used pecorino Romano, sharp white cheddar and 1 little stick of mozzarella string cheese. I only used a tiny drop of mustard (about 1/16 of a teaspoon ) and followed the prep directions. This still came out to about 4 kid sized portions. The pickiest (the 4 year old) said to me when she tasted it "you make good Mac and cheese" that is the best I could have heard! She said it tasted cheesy like her favorite popcorn (Smartfood)! I will be hanging on to this recipe for sure! Thanks so much for this easy and quick recipe!

sage loved, wyatt didn't like. better the 2nd day.

This was soooo good! Cheese sauce was creamy and smooth! I made it as directed and have also made it with some small tweaks to fit my personal tastes. I read reviews prior to making this and took the suggestion of other reviewers and use dry mustard instead of dijon mustard (which I'm not a fan of anyway). I met the butter over medium heat, then whisk in flour slowly to keep it from clumping and to ensure it cooked thoroughly. I added minced garlic, minced onion, dry mustard, and a little salt and pepper to the butter and flour while cooking. I used half and half instead of evaporated milk and chicken stock instead of chicken broth. Add the parmesean cheese first, a little at a time, stirring constantly until smooth. Do not add more cheese until what is already in the pot has melted. Then I added sharp cheddar, also a little bit at a time. I REALLY like cheese so I used more than the recipe called for, and just added a bit of 2% milk when it got too thick. I used about 1 and 1/4 cups of parm cheese and 2.5-3cups of cheddar. I also, after mixing in the pasta, threw it uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes while my meat finished cooking. My entire family loved it, and I can't wait to make it again!

try next time

I really loved this recipe. I used this recipe for Thanksgiving, I changed a few things. Instead of making the chicken broth and milk in the microwave I cooked it on the stove and slowly added the cheddar cheese mixing it in on a high to medium flame. I didn't use any mustard, or parm cheese. After I put in in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. I didn't think the measurements were correct so I added more pasta and more cheese. I loved this recipe I will use it in my home very frequently