Easy Creamy Mac and Cheese

Name: Easy Creamy Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound dried pasta like elbow macaroni, shells or penne (450g); 4 cups milk, whole milk is best (945ml); 4 tablespoons butter (56g); 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (24g); ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for cooking pasta; ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper; ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg, optional; ⅛ teaspoon mustard powder, like Coleman’s, optional; 2 ounces cream cheese, softened, optional (56g); 1 pound cheese, shredded, 4 cups, try sharp white cheddar, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, or American (450g); 1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ½ cup, optional (28g)

Instructions

Prep:10minCook:20min

This is our quick and easy homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. It’s extra saucy and very creamy. It’s made on the stovetop and does not require any baking. That’s not to say that you could not bake it. We’ve shared how in the recipe below. Cream cheese is optional but adds tanginess and even more creaminess to the sauce. *In the video, we add the cream cheese after the cheddar, but since sharing and testing again, we now prefer to the cream cheese before the cheddar. Also, we use slightly different amounts of butter, flour, and milk. Since posting that video, we received feedback that there was too much sauce, and after testing it ourselves, we agreed, so we’ve adjusted the recipe below. The method is the same, so you can still use the video as a guide!

Updated at: Sun, 28 Sep 2025 11:37:39 GMT