Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese — This is a no-frills stovetop mac and cheese recipe using shells that the whole family will love. It’s easy, ready in 30 minutes, and uses real cheese!
Table of Contents
My daughter, like most kids, would eat mac and cheese for every meal. Homemade creamy mac and cheese is her idea of pure comfort food, bliss, and happiness.
This stovetop homemade mac and cheese is a basic, straight-forward, no-frills recipe the whole family will love. No breadcrumbs, no lobster, no bacon. Just classic macaroni and cheese.
It’s easy, ready in 30 minutes, and uses real cheese. No processed blocks of cheese or neon orange powder!
Recipe Ingredients
To make homemade shells and cheese on the stove, you’ll need:
- Pasta shells (or pasta of choice)
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Milk (I used Silk Unsweetened Cashewmilk)
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder
- Dry ground mustard
- Extra sharp cheddar cheese
- Parmesan cheese
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Mac and Cheese on the Stovetop
Making mac and cheese shells on the stove is so simple and tastes way better than anything you’d get in a box! Here are the basic steps:
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Make the cheese sauce. Start by whisking together melted butter and flour in a large skillet until the mixture turns light brown and has bubbled for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the milk, followed by the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dry mustard. Whisk the shredded cheeses in last.
- Stir in the cooked pasta gently so you don’t break any noodles. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Use your favorite shape of pasta. I like using medium shells to make shells and cheese, but rotini or bowtie are fun, too. And, of course, classic macaroni pasta will work here too.
I used Silk Unsweetened Cashewmilk to make this stovetop mac and cheese recipe, and it’s so irresistibly creamy and thick but with fewer calories than skim milk. Eating more plant-based protein is a great goal and Silk Cashewmilk or Silk Almond Milk are my milks of choice for baking and smoothies. They’re so low in calories and fat, they’re vegan and dairy-free, and I always get impressive-tasting results. You could also make this mac and cheese with almond milk — use whatever dairy or non-dairy milk you like!
You didn’t add enough milk and / or cooked the cheese sauce for too long.
The cheese sauce for the stovetop mac and cheese can turn grainy when using pre-grated, bagged cheese. Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents, which can make for a grainy sauce. For the creamiest sauce, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself using a box grater.
Recipe Tips
Cheese: Grate your own cheddar rather than buying pre-grated because pre-shredded cheese is resistant to melting. It also tends to clump up when added to a cheese sauce.
To make it creamier: After adding the pasta to the cheese sauce, you may need to add a splash of milk to loosen things up. It really just depends on how thick you like your homemade creamy mac and cheese.
Reheating: If you have leftovers, be sure to reheat them gently on the stovetop. You don’t want the cheese to separate, nor do you want to dry out the pasta.
What to Serve with Shells and Cheese
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Fridge: Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: The recipe halves easily but I make it as written because I have a real mac and cheese fan. I freeze leftovers in single-serve portions and can pull them out and re-heat at a moment’s notice. I love planned leftovers. Frozen shells and cheese will last up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Warm over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or heat in 30-second bursts in the microwave. If the mac and cheese seems dry, add a splash of milk to loosen it up.
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Easy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium-sized pasta shells, cooked according to package directions
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (1 stick)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk, (I used Silk Unsweetened Cashewmilk)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dry ground mustard, (optional)
- 3 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 12 ounces (grate your own because pre-grated cheese in bags doesn’t melt well)
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, about 4 ounces
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set pasta.
- To a large skillet, add the butter and heat over medium heat to melt.
- Add the flour and whisk constantly until the mixture turns light brown and has bubbled for about 2 minutes. Cook long enough to cook off the raw flour taste, but not so long it gets overly browned.
- Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly, making sure to smooth out any possible clumps that formed.
- Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, optional dry mustard, and whisk to incorporate.
- Add the cheddar, parmesan, and whisk until melted and smooth.
- Add the pasta and stir to evenly coat. Depending on preference, if macaroni and cheese is on the thicker side, add a splash of water or milk to thin out to taste. I haven’t needed to do this, but it’s an option in case.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Mac and Cheese Recipes:
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30-Minute Stovetop Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese — The pumpkin flavor is present without being overwhelming and what you notice is how cheesy and creamy the macaroni tastes.
One-Skillet Tex Mex Beef Mac & Cheese – An EASY recipe that’s made in ONE skillet so you don’t have to cook the pasta separately!! Loaded with ground beef, peppers, tomatoes, cheese, and cilantro!
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Instant Pot Chili Mac — Hearty chili mac made with ground beef, onions, tomatoes, kidney beans, and two types of melted CHEESE! EASY, ready in 20 minutes, and a cheesy comfort food family favorite that’s perfect for busy weeknights!
Post brought to you by Silk. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
True Cali comfort !! So delicious made with burgers thank you Averie 😊 plz make a cookbook thnx
– Charlene in colorado !
True Cali comfort !! So delicious made with burgers thank you Averie 😊 plz make a cookbook thnx
– Charlene in colorado !
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was comfort food for you! I am in San Diego, not sure if you’re in Cali too, but stay dry. These storms are insane!
I do actually have two cookbooks that I wrote 10 years ago at this point. They are linked on the homepage of my website and there they are as well.
https://amzn.to/2xl9wZv
https://amzn.to/49t6HSb
Thank you for your support!
The flavor is good, but mine has a somewhat flour-y, gritty, pastey texture to the sauce rather than creamy/velvety, despite constant whisking and no visible clumping. I used 2 types of extra-sharp cheddar, one being grass-fed Irish cheddar and the other a Vermont white cheddar. What am I doing wrong? Also, I had whole milk on hand, so I used that, and it seems like a bit too much liquid for the amount of shells. Any ideas on why my sauce texture is off?
The flavor is good, but mine has a somewhat flour-y, gritty, pastey texture to the sauce rather than creamy/velvety, despite constant whisking and no visible clumping. I used 2 types of extra-sharp cheddar, one being grass-fed Irish cheddar and the other a Vermont white cheddar. What am I doing wrong? Also, I had whole milk on hand, so I used that, and it seems like a bit too much liquid for the amount of shells. Any ideas on why my sauce texture is off?
The sauce texture comes down to the cheese used and how smoothly it melts, and it varies from brand to brand. Also, hopefully you used hand-grated the cheese and it was not from a bag that was already shredded like I mentioned in the recipe.
It could also be that the flour/butter (roux) wasn’t done correctly in steps 2, 3, 4 and that could have caused your sauce to be a bit too gritty and/or also seem like it’s too much sauce.
I have never had anyone write with that issue so I am not sure what to tell you. Thanks for trying the recipe.
great
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks for the 5 star review!
This is great! I used almond milk, brown rice flour (instead of AP), colby jack cheese just because that’s what I had, and used brown rice pasta. It was somewhat mild because of the milder cheese, but nice and creamy! I’m really happy to find a mac & cheese recipe to use with almond milk. Thank you!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that enjoyed the mac and cheese and that almond milk worked great for you!
I will be using mild cheddar cheese for this recipe.
I do not like extra sharp cheese at all. To much
Bite to it.
About shredded cheese in bags, it melts with no
problem, especially on homemade pizza .
Not all cheese in bags melts the same in my experience. I find it varies from brand to brand, and from the type of cheese as well.
I absolutely love a simple mac and cheese for a quick easy meal, and this recipe looks fantastic. Quick – easy- full of flavour – = Magic : )
Christopher