Pantry Plan Share a recipe Sign in Menu

Mac and Cheese · Creamy Stovetop

Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Silky, cheesy and ready in 25 minutes, this is homemade mac and cheese for weeknights. A simple cheese sauce coats every noodle, no oven required.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Start cook modeAdd to planSave
Print
Full pageOne page, ingredients and steps4×6 cardIngredients on the front, steps on the back3×5 cardIngredients on the front, steps on the back
Jump to recipe

Ingredients

  • Pasta
  • 8 oz elbow macaroni
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the pasta water
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • Cheese sauce
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
    Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
    Swaps for all-purpose flour

    Instead of all-purpose flour

    • Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
    • Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
    • Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.

    All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • 2 cups whole milk
    Swaps for whole milk

    Instead of milk

    • Unsweetened soy milk: The same amount. The closest plant milk for baking: its protein helps things brown and set.
    • Unsweetened oat milk: The same amount. Creamy and mild with a hint of sweetness.
    • Unsweetened almond milk: The same amount. Thinner and less rich, so cakes are a little paler and drier.

    All 5 swaps for milk

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • ½ tsp dry mustard powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
    Swaps for garlic powder

    Instead of garlic

    • Fresh garlic: 1 clove for each ⅛ tsp powder, minced fine. Sharper and stronger.
    • Granulated garlic: About twice as much as the powder. The same flavor in coarser grains, which blend better into rubs.

    More for garlic

  • ½ tsp kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
    Swaps for sharp cheddar cheese

    Instead of cheddar

    • Colby or Colby Jack: The same amount. Milder and softer, and melts very smoothly.
    • Monterey Jack: The same amount. Mild and buttery, one of the best melting cheeses.
    • Gouda or Gruyère: The same amount. Nuttier and richer; melts beautifully.

    All 4 swaps for cheddar

  • 2 oz Monterey Jack or American cheese, grated or torn

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

  1. Bring a pot of water to a
    boil (how to boil) Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid
    , add the salt and cook the macaroni until just al dente. Drain.
    ⏱ Boil pasta: 7 min
  2. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
    Whisk (how to whisk) Whisk Beat ingredients with a whisk to mix them smoothly or to add air. 1. Use a bowl big enough to whisk without splashing; set it on a damp towel to stop it spinning.2. Hold the whisk loosely and move it in quick circles or side to side, touching the bottom.3. For lumpy mixtures, add liquid a little at a time and whisk after each.4. For sauces on the stove, keep the whisk moving across the whole bottom of the pan. Done when: The mixture is even with no lumps or streaks of egg. How to whisk: mistakes to avoid
    in the flour and cook, whisking, until it smells toasty but hasn't browned.
    ⏱ Cook roux: 1 min
  3. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time so no lumps form. Add the mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  4. Cook, whisking often and scraping the corners, until the sauce bubbles gently and thickens enough to
    coat a spoon (how to coat the back of a spoon) Coat the back of a spoon A simple test for when a sauce or custard has thickened enough. 1. Dip a spoon into the sauce and lift it out.2. Turn it over and look at the back.3. Draw a line through the sauce on the spoon with your finger.4. If the line stays clean and the sauce doesn't run into it, it is ready. Done when: The sauce clings in an even, opaque layer and your finger line holds. Safety: Let the spoon cool for a second before you touch it; custards should reach 160°F.How to tell when a sauce coats a spoon: mistakes to avoid
    .
    ⏱ Thicken: 5 min
  5. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheese a handful at a time until smooth. Adding cheese off the heat keeps the sauce from turning grainy.
  6. Stir in the drained macaroni. If it's thicker than you like, loosen with a splash of milk. Serve right away.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking powder that can make sauce gritty. Grate your own from a block.
  • Stir in peas, broccoli or diced ham at the end to make it a full meal.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of milk, stirring, until hot.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.

Quick answers

What can I swap?

Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
630
Protein
28 g
Carbohydrates
53 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugars
8 g
Fat
34 g
Saturated fat
19 g
Sodium
730 mg

Whole recipe, 4 servings: about 2,530 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 10 of 10 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 4 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Not counted: kosher salt (for the cooking water).

Estimated cost

About $1.35 a serving

About $5.35 for the recipe as written (4 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 6 of 11 ingredients, 98% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • sharp cheddar cheese $3.05 BLS
  • Monterey Jack or American cheese $0.80 ERS
  • elbow macaroni $0.70 BLS
  • whole milk $0.50 BLS
  • unsalted butter $0.25 BLS
  • all-purpose flour $0.05 BLS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): kosher salt, dry mustard powder, garlic powder, black pepper.

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

Goes well with

Picked by our pairing rules: the same kind of kitchen, room in the oven and on the stove, ready in time, and a balance of starch, vegetables and richness.

  • Side Boiled Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter 25 min Both American. Ready in 25 min, inside the main's 25 min. Brings the vegetables the mac and cheese doesn't have.
  • Side Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw 1 hr 10 min No cooking: make it while the main cooks. Make it ahead: it keeps. Brings the vegetables the mac and cheese doesn't have.
  • Dessert Crumb-Topped Apple Pie 5 hr 55 min Light and fruity after a rich main. Make it ahead, so it's ready when dinner is.

More complete dinner menus

Keep this one

Sign in to save recipes into your own collections, log the days you cook them and keep private notes, like "use less sugar next time". Only you see them.

Sign in to saveNo password: we email you a code.

Gear for this recipe

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Brands are suggestions; any similar item works.

Cleanup score 2/5 (more cleanup): 4 things to wash, saucepan, stockpot, colander, box grater.

More kitchen gear and our gear guides

Reviews (0)

No reviews yet. Made it? Tell us how it went.

simmerbee.com/r/mac-and-cheese-stovetopSimmerbee