Like I said last week, Sara and I have almost been doing this for 10 years. In those 10 years, there have been countless times when we’ve nearly posted the same recipe the same week or when we’ve posted something and then one of us has texted the other something like, “So remember when I posted almost exactly that same thing 2 years ago?” At the same time, there are some glaring absences in our recipe index. Most noticeably, these absences have been macaroni and cheese and red velvet cake recipes. This is not a red velvet cake recipe. (That’s a whole other post, like, Red Velvet Cake, what are you and what are you trying to be?? Are you chocolate? Are you just red dye? Can I just eat the cream cheese frosting??) This is a recipe for Homemade Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese and we’ve been seeing a lot of each other lately…I guess you could say we’re pretty serious.
the macaroni & Cheese challenge
Our biggest hesitation with posting a macaroni and cheese recipe is that we just did not have one that we liked; both of us had incredibly high standards for what a homemade mac and cheese recipe should be and while I don’t know exactly what Sara’s list of standards looked like, I know hers is similar to mine, which included: doesn’t use processed or American cheese, is smooth and creamy, has actual cheese flavor (if I’m eating a week’s worth of calories all at once, it had better taste like cheese), isn’t gritty, and isn’t baked.
I know the baked mac and cheese thing (and the subsequent accompanying bread crumb topping), like hating red velvet cake, is an abomination in the South…I’ll turn in my honorary Southern girl immediately. But my thing with baked mac and cheese is that it contributes to a lot of the issues that I tend to have with homemade mac and cheese–grittiness, rubbery-ness, and lack of cheese flavor. This is usually remedied by using American or processed cheese, which is in violation of another of my rules. Do you see why this took me ten years? Do you feel like it’s taking you ten years for me to get to the recipe? Like in this video? (Disclaimer: there’s a little PG language at the very end, so if you’re concerned or have littles around, you might want to hit mute during the last 3 seconds or so).
I’m almost there. I promise. Here, look at this picture. It will keep us all going on this journey together.
tips & tricks for creamy mac & cheese
One tip I unknowingly stumbled into was using the starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce instead of using milk. I know. Your reaction to this information is similar to his. But I started researching it and apparently it is a thing–it helps give homemade mac and cheese that silky, smooth, luxurious texture while milk sometimes makes it gritty and unpredictable. Don’t run. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get through this together and we get to have homemade macaroni and cheese when we’re done.
You’ll need 12 ounces of pasta (I love Cavatappi, but elbows would work; look for slightly larger, “meatier” elbows like Barilla if you decide to use elbows),
medium or sharp cheddar, fontina, and Parmesan (optional; it adds some dimension to the flavor of the mac & cheese, but it is a little strong and it’s gritty texture may impact the overall texture of the finished dish.) Whatever you use, be sure the cheese is freshly grated.
Pre-grated cheese is coated in a powder to prevent the shreds from sticking to each other and does not always melt very well.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When it’s boiling, add the pasta and cook al dente. When it’s almost done cooking, carefully ladle 1 cup of the pasta water into a heat-safe bowl, mug, or measuring cup and set aside.
Drain the cooked pasta,
return pan to stove, and turn heat to low. Place the butter in the pan and melt, then add the onion and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the pasta and stir to coat the pasta with the butter. Drop the cream cheese into the pot and stir until it starts to melt, then add the cheeses and stir until the cheese is melted. Drizzle the pasta water, a little at a time, until a desired consistency is reached (you may not use all the pasta water). Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately (with additional shredded cheese on top if desired.) Serve as a main dish with a big green salad on the side or as a side dish to grilled chicken, pork, or rotisserie chicken f0r a quick weeknight dinner.
Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bite-sized pasta I like Cavatappi, but elbows will work
- 6 ounces medium or sharp cheddar freshly grated*
- 2 ounces fontina cheese freshly grated*
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese freshly grated (optional; see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon grated onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- Up to 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When it's boiling, add the pasta and cook al dente. When it's almost done cooking, carefully ladle 1 cup of the pasta water into a heat-safe bowl, mug, or measuring cup and set aside.
- Drain the cooked pasta, return pan to stove, and turn heat to low. Place the butter in the pan and melt. Add the onion and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the pasta and stir to coat the pasta with the butter. Add the cheeses (including the cream cheese) and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the pasta water, a little at a time, until a desired consistency is reached (you may not use all the pasta water). Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately (with additional shredded cheese on top if desired.) Serve as a main dish with a big green salad on the side or as a side dish (alongside rotisserie chicken makes a quick weeknight meal!)
Questions & Reviews
This is similar to my fave mac & cheese except I add a spoonful of brown mustard (try it!), use milk instead of pasta water (no grit here but ok ok, I’ll try your way since you’ve never steered me wrong before. Has it been 10 years already? Oh my…) and exclude the onion. The original recipe says to add bread crumbs and bake but I (gasp) agree with you and omit that part too. Glad I’m not the only one that thinks that ruins perfectly creamy mac & cheese. I like to use spiral pasta which holds onto all that cheesy gooeyness.
I made this! I could not find Fontina at the store, so I Googled for
a substitute and used Gouda! It’s yummy! Has a smoky kick to it. I used the entire cup of pasta water, and as suggested, used it slowly. I also didn’t add any more salt since the pasta was salty from the salted water, and the cheese and butter are salty. Creamy and delicious!!
How do you get a 1/2 tsp of grated onion? That is such a small amount! Do you use a microplane or very small holed grater?
Yes, I use a microplane. 🙂
I made this last night and I must have done something wrong. It tasted great, but the cheese and pasta water never really melded together to form a sauce and the cheese kind of slid off the pasta. The consistency of the cheese after I had stirred the pasta water in reminded me of the marshmallows in rice crispy treats when they’re melting and super stringy. I’ll have to try it again, though, because my kids and husband loved the flavor of it.
Oh, no!!! That’s always so disappointing. Cheese is always tricky and a little scary, haha. Next time (and you may have done these things already, just troubleshooting), make sure the pot isn’t too hot, add the water very slowly (like 1-2 tablespoons at a time) and stir until smooth, then add a little more. Also, make sure the cheese isn’t pre-grated and it might be worth it to spend a little more for name brands (if you used store/cheaper brands). Hope that helps!!
Just wondering if you opt for adding the Parmesan in when you make this recipe?
I’ve done it both ways and they’re both good, just a little different. If you have more mature tastebuds at the table, try going for it. You could also sprinkle it on top if you’d like! 🙂
All of the other Mac n cheese recipes I have made once and thrown the recipe away so I am super excited to try this!! All of your recipes are so delish, I’m a little curious about the onion in there.
The onion just rounds out the flavors just a bit–there’s only a hint of it in there, so let us know what you think! 🙂
Where did the print recipe button go???
It’s there at the bottom—at least for me. 🙂
Ah-ha…found it! at the top just says Print…thought there was a “button” for it. Thanks!
I don’t know if I’m more intrigued or disturbed. This recipe goes against so many of my mac and cheese rules (onion has no place in mac and cheese, cream cheese in mac and cheese is a cop out, and pasta water makes gives me the heebies) and yet you’ve never steered me wrong. I guess I ought to at least try it before I condemn it!
??
Onion in mac and cheese…goodness no! I make oven baked and live in LA (lower Alabama, that is), where we never ever put any kind of topping other than cheese on our mac n cheese. Funny how even within the South there are regional preferences.
Ha!!
Seriously saved my life! I just got on to your website for a Mac and cheese recipe! Thank goodness I didn’t look years ago! 😉