FINALLY!! A homemade stovetop Mac and Cheese Recipe that my children eat (and love)! This is one of the easiest mac and cheese recipes. The ultra creamy sauce is so simple to whip up and you can use a variety of pasta; macaroni, shells, spiral – you name it!
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This makes a big batch, but it reheats well and stays creamy. Read our tips below on reheating leftover mac and cheese so it doesn’t dry out..
Getting the cheese sauce right is no easy feat. I’ve tried so many different combinations of cheeses: sharp, fancy cheeses, mustards, nutmeg, etc., but this is the recipe that my children eat happily. The flavors of this homemade macaroni and cheese are very mellow and the texture is spot on. This recipe was adapted from the Sept 2016 issue of the Food Network Magazine (I collect their issues, and it is my favorite food magazine).
Ingredients for Stovetop Mac and Cheese:
Most homemade macaroni and cheese sauces call for sharp cheddar and mustard, which produce a harsher flavor than my children liked. I think I’ve beat the boxed mac and cheese with this combination, and it feels so good!
How to Make Mac and Cheese on the Stovetop
Making homemade mac and cheese couldn’t be easier! The process is so simple that you’ll be able to memorize it quickly.
- Cook the pasta (save some of the water)
- Stir together pasta sauce and whisk on the stove until thickened
- Add sour cream, cooked pasta and serve
Cook’s Tip: This mac and cheese recipe is quick and easy but DO NOT walk away from the cheese sauce. Whisk constantly while it is on the stove to keep it smooth and creamy. Do not overcook or boil, or it may curdle.
How to Re-Heat Mac and Cheese
- Before heating, add a splash of water or milk, which will loosen up the warmed cheese sauce and create the same creamy consistency as freshly made cheese sauce.
- Re-heat mac and cheese over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds.
P.S. We love that blue Staub braiser pan (Amazon affiliate link) for cooking the pasta because you can mix the cheese sauce right into it and it serves beautifully on the table. Pots and pans that go from the stove to the table save me some cleanup; I call it the “dish factor.”
Kid-Friendly Recipes to Explore:
- Cheesy Chicken Fritters are always a hit with kiddos (and adults!)
- Mashed Potato Pancakes – crisp on the outside with a cheesy center
- Baked Chicken Nuggets are so much better than store-bought
- Practical School Lunch Ideas – both hot and cold
- Baked Mac and Cheese – party sized!
Q: Do your children have a favorite food that you make – something they request again and again? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below. We are always looking for inspiration (and my children thank you in advance!) 😉
Creamy Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz elbow macaroni pasta
- Salt for pasta cooking water
- 12 oz evaporated milk, we used the Vit D one
- 2 large eggs
- 6 oz havarti cheese, (2 cups grated)
- 6 oz colby jack cheese, (2 cups grated)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/3 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta cooking water, then drain remaining water and set pasta aside in the pot.
- In a medium saucepan, combine 12 oz evaporated milk, 2 eggs, both grated cheeses and 3/4 tsp salt. Place saucepan over medium/low heat and cook 6-8 minutes, whisking constantly*, until completely smooth and thickened. As soon as it has visibly thickened, remove from heat. Do not overcook or boil or it may curdle.
- Off the heat, whisk in 1/3 cup sour cream then stir in drained pasta. Season with salt to taste. If the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with some of your reserved pasta water.**
Notes
** Keep in mind the sauce will thicken more as it cools so you don’t want it to be overly thick right off the stove.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hey Natasha. Thanks for all your great recipes and ideas. I usually start my Mac & cheese with a rue and then bake it but I will try your recipe. I noticed your instructions call to reserve some of the water that the pasta was boil in but don’t see where it was added back in. Should this go in with the cheese mix? Thanks
Hi Ric, we have a note in the recipe ”If the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with some of your reserved pasta water.**” I hope that helps.
Hey Natasha,
My name is Chef Sherry and I have a small bakery and cook all the time. I wanted mac and cheese and I saw your creamy mac and cheese in my email. I’ve been out making deliveries and didn’t want to go shopping, so I used what I had. I used half and half, cheddar instead of the Colby Jack. It is amazing and a keeper. Thanks so much.
Yum! Totally craving this right now! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This was the most easiest Mac and Cheese to make. The only problem, I found it to be a little dry. Is there something I can add or do to keep it creamy.
Hi Mary, it shouldn’t be dry. Wasn’t anything altered by chance, or maybe more noodles were added than the recipe calls for?
Can I make this a day ahead? I’d like to bring this to a family gathering.
Hi Heather, this truly is best fresh; I haven’t tried making it ahead to advise that would work.
My kids, my son especially, loves this. He would eat it every day if he could
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
I have never made mac and cheese before. I was afraid too, because I tried a cheese dish once and the cheese curdled. So, I tried this last night and it turned out great! I’m not a big sour cream fan and thought I would be able to taste the sour cream, but didn’t. Love your recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Barbara!
We don’t have evaporated milk in my country, what can I use instead?
Thanks!
Hi Jul, this particular recipe we only tested with evaporated milk, but from my research, the flavor and consistency isn’t quite right, so we stuck with evaporated milk. If you wanted to experiment, the next best thing would be equal parts of whole milk mixed with half and half. If you test it that way, let me know how it goes.
Perfect recipe. My son loves mac and cheese. I tried a bunch of other recipes but nothing is like your recipe. Thanks a bunch for this amazing one!!!!
Yay, that is fantastic! I’m glad you found this recipe and that he loved it.
Tried this tonight and the family absolutely loved it. Probably one of the best Mac and Cheese recipes I’ve tried. This one is definitely a keeper!
That is so awesome! Thank you so much for your great review, Julie.
Can I use Parmesan and mozerella cheese with it
Hi Ricolean, I haven’t tried adding that, but one of our readers did make a parmesan crust with it. If you experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
Hi Natasha! Just made this for the second time. It’s my daughter’s favorite! Absolutely delicious! We added bacon to the top and it was soooo good! My husband idea of course. It was a great idea! Ha ha!!
Adding bacon sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing that with us, Shannon.
And the 5ecipe falls for saving water from the noodles but never indicates when to add it……… I sooo wish I would have read this recipe. Fully prior to committing to it……… so busy and now stuck with it!!!
Typos……. Cooking and texting……… grrr
Hi Jen, we have a note in the recipe ”If the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with some of your reserved pasta water.**” I hope that helps.
Making this for a Christmas get together. Can I keep this warm in a crackpot?
Hi Pauline, I haven’t tested that, but it may work in a crockpot. Make sure to keep it on the lowest setting. I worry if it sits too long, it will “over-cook.”
Thank you!
Made this recipe tonight. My 5 year-old said “I don’t ever want to stop eating this mac and cheese” 😂 so thank you for the recipe.
How adorable! I’m so happy that your little one enjoyed this mac and cheese.
It has turned out really good as most recipes do from this blog. Having said that, I did have to readjust the amount of ingredients, as I would have way too much sauce. But I do this with Natasha’s recipes a lot. Like I never use 12 cups of broth to make soup. My family of 4 would eat it for a week! Other than that Natasha
recipes are good.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Anna! We have a recipe slider on the printable recipe card to adjust to how many servings you are cooking for.
IT was amazing , loved it
I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I like adding cream cheese to it too and breadcrumbs in layers with a Parmesan topping Then bake it for 40 minutes at 375°
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Rick!
Thank you for another great recipe……came out perfectly and tastes wonderful. I’m 75 and never to old to learn. You young whippersnappers aregood cooks.
You are most welcome, Joy. Thank you for sharing your great feedback with us!
I don’t know what I did wrong, but the cheese sauce never thickened very much on medium/low heat and it appeared to curdle. I stirred it CONSTANTLY (couldn’t find my whisk) It curdled a lot more when I added the sour cream off the heat. I was so disappointed in the results given my care in making it. Could you explain the chemistry of what happened? I thought I was following the instructions carefully. Also, I think the taste was bland. I think it needed some dry mustard and some garlic powder or garlic salt to perk up the flavor.
Hi Diane, you might consider if there were any changes in the types of quantities of ingredients (usually using lower fat ingredients can be the culprit of curdling) and different cheeses can be milder which will make the overall dish blander. Also, be sure to cook the pasta in adequately salted water.
I used a different brand of evaporated milk but it had Vit. D and the cheeses were the brands that you used, so I don’t think that low fat was the issue. However, I just read that cold eggs can cause batter to curdle. I know this was not a batter, but I did use cold eggs so I wonder if that was the problem. What do you think?
Hi Diane, that wouldn’t happen if you combined those ingredients before putting them on the heat.
some cheese i buy wont melt so i have to make sure ita good quality cheese
Any recommendations for re-heat instructions?
Hi Debbie, it does reheat well and stays creamy. Read our tips here on how to reheat leftover mac and cheese so it stays creamy.