Stovetop Mac and Cheese – cheesy creamy goodness comfort food made in one pot in under 30 minutes. Ditch the box and go for this perfectly delicious mac and cheese! You’ll have this on repeat!
I heard y’all! After the MASSIVE success of my Southern Baked Mac and Cheese recipe, I’ve developed and finally completed a stovetop version which some of you have asked for. And I can’t find the best words to describe how heavenly this homemade mac and cheese spoon after spoon. You should have seen how my son ate his bowl of mac!
Creamy, cheesy, goodness all made in one pot. You won’t have to break a box ever again!
Mac and Cheese Ingredients
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I don’t skimp on the ingredients. You may see the ingredient list longer compared to others, but I can assure you it’s all WORTH IT!
To make this guaranteed hit side dish or main course (for others coz why not?), you’ll need the following below:
- butter
- flour
- water
- evaporated milk and whole milk
- pasta
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- Creole seasoning
- ground mustard
- mozzarella cheese
- sharp cheddar cheese
- gouda cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
For those serious cheese lovers, get ready to be blown away with this 3-cheese homemade mac and cheese recipe. Yes, T-H-R-E-E!
Homemade Mac and Cheese Sauce
You know it’s good when it flies off the table quickly and it’s on repeat. I’m proud to say that the sauce in this mac and cheese recipe is incomparable. It’s creamy, milky, cheesy, seasoned with my winning Homemade Creole seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard. These spices accentuate the flavor in this cheese sauce. I also added a can of evaporated milk on top of whole milk to add more creaminess.
What is the Best Cheese to Use for Mac an Cheese?
Now let’s talk about the cheese. In this recipe, I use 3 kinds of cheeses – mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and gouda – which meld beautifully. The very thing that you need to remember about cheese, is that you have to buy them in blocks and not the pre-packaged ones. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt well unlike when you freshly grate them.
Freshly grated cheeses yield a noticeable silky smooth sauce that coats every inch of the pasta. You want to make sure that the cheese you use is a good melting cheese. Provolone, brie, gruyere, fontina, and asiago are just some of those cheeses that melts well.
Can You Make Mac and Cheese without Milk?
I don’t encourage you to skip the milk in this recipe. Every element of this dish is just as important as the main one. But in case you want to lower down on the calories, use low-fat milk instead of evaporated milk.
What Can You Serve with Mac and Cheese?
Did I just read “serve with”? Coz typically here at home, we eat this dish as the main course and nothing else. Yep, blame it to my son! But actually you may serve this crowd-pleasing dish as a side to any of the following below:
Other Kinds of Mac and Cheese on the Blog
How To Make Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Add butter to the skillet (I used 12-inch) or cast iron. As soon as butter melts, whisk in flour. Continue whisking until flour is fully mixed with butter, then cook for about a minute. Slowly add water a little at the time, followed by evaporated milk and whole milk; you do not want the mixture to form any lumps. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
Stir in the macaroni, followed by seasonings: onion and garlic powder, creole seasoning and mustard. Bring to a boil and let it cook on low heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is done. Do not overcook, if pasta is too thick you may adjust thickness with warm water or milk.
Stir in the cheeses, and continue stirring until everything’s melted and evenly combined and smooth. Salt & pepper, to taste.
Sprinkle with parsley and creole seasoning (spice lovers only) and serve piping hot.
Watch How To Make It
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Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) butter
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 g) flour
- 2 cups (474 ml) water
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 3 cups (720 ml) whole milk
- 1 pound uncooked pasta (I used cavatappi)
- 1 tablespoon (7 g) onion powder
- 1 tablespoon (7 g) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) Creole seasoning
- ½-1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 cup (100 g) freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- 2-3 cups (226 - 339 g) freshly- shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (100 g) freshly grated gouda cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add butter to the skillet (I used 12-inch) or cast iron. As soon as butter melts, whisk in flour. Continue whisking until flour is fully mixed with butter, then cook for about a minute.
- Slowly add water a little at the time, followed by evaporated milk and whole milk; you do not want the mixture to form any lumps. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
- Stir in the macaroni, followed by seasonings: onion and garlic powder, creole seasoning and mustard.
- Bring to a boil and let it cook on low heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is done. Do not overcook, if pasta is too thick you may adjust thickness with warm water or milk.
- Stir in the cheeses, and continue stirring until everything's melted and evenly combined and smooth. Salt & pepper, to taste.
- Sprinkle with parsley and creole seasoning (spice lovers only) and serve piping hot.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Khalia says
That was beyond good! I used almond milk and coconut evaporated milk, I also put shrimp on top. I adore your recipes, thanks so much.
ImmaculateBites says
Yay !!! So happy to hear this . Thanks so much for the feedback!