Recipe video above. This classic Macaroni and Cheese just happens to be made in one pot! Though made with the usual ingredients, the sauce is extra silky and glossy, and it clings to the macaroni without having to make make the sauce super thick because the pasta is cooked in the sauce. So there's no risk of gluggy Mac N Cheese or overcooked pasta.
Recipe by Nagi | RecipeTin Eats on November 2, 2016
Prep time: PT3M
Cook time: PT15M
Total time: PT18M
Rating
4.9 stars (138 reviews)
Keywords
Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
50 g / 3 1/2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk ((full fat preferred but low fat is ok))
Melt butter in a medium pot or large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add about 3/4 cup of milk and mix into butter mixture - it will become a slurry pretty quickly.
Add remaining milk and mix so the slurry mixes in. Then add water and Seasonings.
Add macaroni and mix. Stir occasionally as it comes to heat. When you see wisps of steam as you stir, lower the heat down to medium low.
Stir regularly as it cooks for 9 - 10 minutes (it will bubble gently), or until the sauce thickens and the macaroni is just cooked - tender but still firm. It should still be saucey at this stage and thinner than you want.
Take it off the stove and stir the cheese in quickly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. <- In this step, the sauce thickens and reduces considerably.
Serve immediately!!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 211 g
Calories: 472 kcal
Carbohydrates: 46.3 g
Protein: 19.9 g
Fat: 22.9 g
Saturated Fat: 14.1 g
Cholesterol: 67 mg
Sodium: 343 mg
Sugar: 5.9 g
Unsaturated Fat: 7.8 g
Reviews
Jenny on 2026-07-28 (5 stars): This is my favorite recipe for meatless Mondays. Love it.
Nancy on 2026-06-13 (5 stars): This is the absolute BEST stove top Mac & Cheese I've every tired. I have tried others and although the taste was right the sauce always came out thick and sticky. Not this time, the sauce was actually... a nice creamy sauce! Also I was just cooking for myself so scaled the recipe to 1 serving and it turned out perfect both in size, taste and texture. Thank you Nagi, I've never had a bad result with any of your recipes!
Cassaundra Brown on 2026-04-17 (5 stars): I’ll will try to be quick. I am both a classically trained chef and a home cook. The fact I have never seen or heard of this technique blows my mind! I was a little leery, but if this isn’t the most delicious Mac and Cheese recipe I have discovered, then I don’t know what it is. This is awesome recipe, delicious easy peasy. Thank you.
Nellipip on 2026-04-09 (5 stars): Love this easy to make, forgiving recipe. I only had tasty cheese and some leftover pre-shredded Bake mix (against all the recommendations, alas) and yet it still turned out really well. Spices used were paprika, gochugaru chilli pepper flakes, and a little bit of garlic powder (substitute for the mustard). Delicious.
Nell Shipley on 2026-04-09 (5 stars): Love this easy to make, forgiving recipe. I only had tasty cheese and some leftover pre-shredded Bake mix (against all the recommendations, alas) and yet it still turned out really well. Spices used were paprika, gochugaru chilli pepper flakes, and a little bit of garlic powder (substitute for the mustard). Delicious.
Julie M on 2026-04-04 (4 stars): I made this for lunch today, it was quick and easy. I used 2 cups of Mainland Colby cheese instead of 1 1/2 cups and 1/2 cup mozzarella. I also omitted the mustard and garlic powder as we didn't have any. I felt like the cheesy flavour wasn't as strong as I like it - I think that I would probably prefer to use Mainland tasty cheese rather than Colby, will try that next time - if it's floury, so be it, I'd rather the stronger cheese taste.
Nancy on 2026-02-28 (5 stars): Added cubed ham, chopped broccoli, a bit of cayenne, and 2 cups of cheddar and 1/4 cup parm for the best Midwest hotdish my husband ever inhaled. Thank you for a wonderful easy basic recipe to fix and tweak.
Kai on 2025-12-21 (5 stars): Needed to make dinner quickly for my 5 year old. This was a success!
This came together quickly and easily but you don’t want to walk away from it as it will catch.
Child loved it, asked for seconds.
Min on 2025-12-09 (4 stars): I tried out this recipe and I had to make a few adjustments only because there were some cheeses i couldnt find at the store so i had to make do with what i had.
I used this preshredded mozarella and red cheddar mix i had and grated parmesan. And i added some luncheon meat and chicken franks that i thought i i could use up (and pre fried before adding them in). Turned out pretty good though i could have cooked the macaroni a little longer.
I hope i dont get on culinary crimes lol i just needed a mac and cheese recipe that i could easily follow
Mac n Cheese on 2025-11-13 (5 stars): Made this today, much easier than the way I used to make Mac n cheese…no draining pasta! Does need regular stirring to prevent sticking while cooling. I used a teaspoon of Vegeta chicken Stock in my water, also used the seasonings. At end of cook, I added an extra dollop of Dijon mustard and shaved Parmesan cheese! Yum yum yum! Silky tasty and tempting to eat whole pot on this rainy day🤣 Thanks Nagi. Another winner😍
Priya Anto on 2025-11-11 (5 stars): Omg!! Kids absolutely loved it, said the best pasta in the world 🥹easy and fast and no fuss recipe even for someone like me who curdles mac and cheese everytime,
James on 2025-10-25 (5 stars): I substitute bega bold cream cheese in for the mozzarella. Makes a world of difference.
Connie on 2025-10-14 (5 stars): So fast! So delicious! I have celiac disease so used gluten free pasta, worked great!
La La on 2025-09-21 (5 stars): Fantastic recipe, thank you Nagi!
I used buffalo mozzarella, truffle cheddar and some gruyere. I thought the kids would freak out without the processed tastes, but they loved it and asked for seconds! I completely agree with taking off stove a little early, mine was ok but could have done with 2 minutes less on the heat.
Julie on 2025-08-30 (5 stars): Very creamy, the sauce was just the right consistency. This is what I was looking for: just mac & cheese, no bread crumbs/baking/browning.. The only request was to make it cheesier...going to experiment with different cheeses. Thanks!
Monica on 2025-08-20 (5 stars): I just made this recipe! Delicious and simple, but then all your recipes are! Can you freeze it?
Thanks Nagi.
Monica on 2025-08-18 (5 stars): UNBELIEVABLE!! Finally nailed Mac n Cheese thanks to this PERFECT recipe and tips - my kids (17 & 12) LOVED it!! I told my 12-year-old son who loves to cook that Recipe TIn Eats is the only place we will head for every single recipe because we know it’s going to be simple yet detailed, and PERFECTION!
Beetle on 2025-08-01 (5 stars): Lovely dish! I was out of powdered mustard, so used 1.5tsp of dijon mustard. We had a block of 'Mersey Valley' cheese that I cut up finely and added-delicious!
Matt on 2025-07-08 (5 stars): Great recipe, perfect ratios and timing.
Karen Shaw on 2025-06-10 (4 stars): Hi Niga,
This recipe was quick and easy
Can I freeze left overs ??
Yum 🤤
