Description
This one-pot creamy mac and cheese is meant to be made without measuring. You cover your noodles with milk, cook them right in it, and stir in the cheese at the end, so there’s no draining, no roux, and no measuring cups on the counter. I’ve written down what I used so you have a starting point, but once you make it once you’ll just eyeball it.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry pasta (any shape you have)
- About 2 1/2 cups milk, enough to cover the noodles by about an inch (I used 2%, but any milk works)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, grated from a block (about 8 ounces)
- 2 slices American cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- A few dashes hot sauce, optional (I use Frank's or Cholula)
Instructions
- Add the dry pasta to a medium pot and pour in enough milk to cover it by about an inch. You don’t need to measure. Just look at the pot. Add salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Stirring is a big part of the recipe here. It pulls the starch out of the noodles, which is what turns the milk into sauce, and it keeps the bottom from scorching. Once the noodles are cooked al dente, there should be a little sauce from the milk and starch in the bottom of the pan. If there isn’t, add another 1/4 cup milk.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the American cheese, the butter, and the hot sauce. Once the butter is melted, stir in the shredded cheddar. Keep stirring until everything melts into a smooth sauce.
- If the sauce is tighter than you want, splash in more milk a little at a time until it loosens up. Taste, add more salt if it needs it, and serve right away.
Notes
Skip the pre-shredded cheese. Bagged shredded cheese is coated in starch and cellulose to keep it from clumping in the bag, and that coating is exactly what makes a cheese sauce turn grainy. Grating a block takes two minutes and it’s the difference between creamy and gritty.
The two slices of American cheese aren’t a joke. American cheese has emulsifying salts in it, which keep the sauce smooth and, more importantly, keep it smooth the next day. Mac and cheese made without it tends to break and get oily when you reheat it. Two slices is enough that you won’t taste them.
The hot sauce isn’t for heat. A few dashes add vinegar, and that little bit of acid sharpens the cheddar and keeps the whole pot from tasting flat and heavy. Nobody will guess it’s in there.
Any noodles work. Elbows, shells, rotini, whatever’s open in your pantry. If you’re using gluten-free pasta, keep extra milk nearby. It tends to drink up more liquid and thicken faster.
Don’t walk away from the pot. Milk scorches on the bottom of a pan much faster than water does. Medium heat and frequent stirring, and you’ll be fine.
Storage and reheating: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring until it comes back together. The microwave works too, just stir halfway through and add milk. I don’t recommend freezing it. The sauce separates when it thaws.