One-pan, no-boil mac and cheese is not only conceivably easy, but also straightforwardly doable! We avoided roughly a dozen ingredients we definitely shouldn’t be eating, and the process only took a few minutes longer than using boxed food. Additionally, the food had amazing taste and texture. Everything should run well if you only make care to grate your own (high-quality) Cheddar and turn off the stove as soon as the cheese melts.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 3 mins |
| Total Time: | 28 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch dried mustard (Optional)
- 1 very small pinch ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded white Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Bring milk, salt, cayenne, mustard, nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon butter to a simmer in a pot over medium heat. Stir in macaroni. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until firm yet tender to the bite, about 8 minutes. Do not undercook.
- Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and toast until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir cheeses into the cooked macaroni. Reduce heat to low and stir just until melted. Turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 3 minutes. Uncover, stir, and season to taste.
- Spoon mac and cheese into warm serving bowls; sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs on top.
- If replacing kosher with fine salt, use 1/2 teaspoon.
- Use 2 packed cups of any variety of Cheddar you prefer.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 539 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 101 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 25 g |
| Saturated Fat | 21 g |
| Sodium | 987 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 35 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
YUM!! This turned out incredibly tasty and was quick and easy. I made as written and it turned out splendidly. The mixture of cheese was perfect. I usually don’t like such creamy mac and cheese but for some reason, this was not over the top. The breadcrumbs were the perfect accompaniment to it and I think next time I may add some parsley or lemon zest to the breadcrumb mixture. Thanks, Chef John!
A pretty good and quick little recipe. I doubled it for my family of four. I liked it, my husband liked it but the kids thought it was just “ok”. Perfect for a quick dinner; most people have these ingredients at home. The nutmeg adds a nice touch and I was surprised by how nice it was in this dish. Honestly I didn’t add any salt to this recipe as my cheese was salty enough. If you only have 2% milk like most people, add a tablespoon of corn starch with a bit of cold water to thicken it up. I’ll definitely make this again but maybe experiment with other ingredients to add a bit of a twist!
The displayed recipe claims “4 servings”.” That is far from accurate as it provides only one dinner-sized helping in a modest bowl. Flavor is okay.
I am so torn with this review. I made it as directed, but by the end of the 8 minutes, there was no liquid left in the pot at all. I added a good 1/4 cup of milk before I put the cheese in, because it was going to be a dry mess. I put the cheese in, and it separated. Here is where I am torn. The macaroni was delicious and the texture was great, but it looked awful. I’ll try it a little different next time.
I liked the taste and how creamy the sauce was however I had to add milk during cooking the pasta. Maybe it was the type of pasta I used but it took 10 minutes or so and was still a bit too al dente. Will add more milk next time when cooking as alot seemed to evaporate.
I only used about 1/4 tsp salt but everything else was as written. Texture was a bit gritty but the flavor was good. Husband said he really liked it and next time we need to make a double batch because the servings were pretty small.
It was okay, but a bit too moist for my taste.
I’ve made this several times with great success. I think it’s some of the easiest and best mac & cheese when it comes to homemade. It’s very simple and easy to make and everybody enjoys it.
I did not care for this recipe.
I made two batches. one with whole fat milk, and one with 2% milk ( am counting my calories and fat intake, hubby isn’t). Honestly, I couldn’t taste the difference between the two.. We both loved it. My advice to the person who stated that the noodles were too firm, cook them a bit longer, until you are happy with the texture.
Good quick recipe. The salt was overbearing however. I’ll cut that by 2/3 next time. Also, definitely let the cheese mix cook for the full amount of time, if not a little longer to blend it really well.
This is a really good one-pot mac and cheese. I made it three times, with and without the panko topping. The first two times I made it, my sauce broke–despite the fact that I turned off the heat when adding the cheese. The first batch, I let sit for 3 minutes, covered. The second time, I left the lid off the saucepan for 3 minutes and it still broke. Batch #3? Victory! I pulled the pan from the heat, stirred in the cheese, transferred the batch to a serving dish and *then* let it sit, covered. I used mini shells as the pasta and the cook time was a bit longer, 10 – 11 minutes, but the amount of liquid was still fine. Oh, and I’ve made it using nonfat and 2% milks and all extra-sharp cheddar.
The flavor is awesome, but the noodles need more liquid to cook in. I would double the amount of milk as the noodles were too firm.
It was pretty good, but it was also pretty heavy. But then again its mac and cheese, so its not going to be light on the tummy :p
I had been craving Mac and cheese but didn’t want a big mess of pots to wash. One pot Mac and cheese is genius! Watch the salt tho. Mine was a little salty due to not having any unsalted butter. Also used some velveeta, which is probably a little saltier.
I used Cracker Barrel Sharp White Cheddar cheese and the sauce never came together. I will try a different cheese the next time because the flavor was great, perhaps it just wasn’t a very good melting cheese. But who doesn’t love a big clump of cheese, so it was eaten!!
Great recipe and comes out perfect. However, It’s not one pot as per your recipe so that is misleading. Does not change it take away from the fact this is a solid recipe I will put in my rotation.
It’s great! had looked for a recipe like this before; so glad it was posted. I sorta took my eyes away and the milk boiled over (oops), but still came out perfect:)
it’s like magic how the sauce thickens. My only issue with this recipe is the salt. I’m not a big salt fan, so my review might not help many, but cheese has plenty of salt already. When I make this again, I’ll leave out the salt. ps, my toddler loved it.
Came out just as expected. Kids helped grating the cheese and asked for seconds! I subbed lactose free 2% milk
Just simply followed the recipe. It was easy, and it was great. Making it again tonight.