Stove Top Mac and Cheese

Simple Stove Top Mac and Cheese is a crowd pleaser every time! Creamy, flavorful, and of course cheesy, this one pot recipe is made in only 15 minutes and is the perfect side to accompany any main course!

Stove Top Mac and Cheese

I’m a firm believer that everyone should have a go to Mac and Cheese Recipe. The dish is a classic for a reason. Whether you make it as a side, an easy lunch, or just eat it as the main event like me, mac and cheese is a staple in our household. This is a spinoff of my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe for those of you that don’t have an Instant Pot and still need a one pot recipe that is fast and easy! Sometimes you don’t want to have to pull out extra gadgets and thankfully, this stove top version is just as good, if not better. It makes a generous amount so there’s plenty of leftovers for the whole family!

How To Make Stove Top Mac and Cheese

• Combine. In a large pot, combine the macaroni pasta, chicken broth, water, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Heat on high.
• Cook. Once the pasta comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the noodles are cooked through. Stir frequently to avoid sticking. 
• Add. Remove the pan from the heat. Add in the milk, hot sauce, and dijon mustard. Stir.
• Melt. Sprinkle in the cheese, a third at a time, and stir until each handful or so has completely melted. Continue until all the cheese has been incorporated and is smooth.

Tips for the Best One Pot Mac and Cheese:

• This recipe comes together really fast.  I recommend shredding up your cheese, measuring out your milk, and grabbing all of your seasonings, broth, and macaroni before you start.
• You can dump your dry macaroni into a large pot or dutch oven.  Then, you pour over two cups of chicken broth, two cups of water, butter, and seasonings.
• You’ll bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low/medium-low.  It should be at a low simmer, you don’t want it boiling too hard!
• Now, you need to stir pretty frequently (every 2 minutes or so) to make sure that your macaroni doesn’t get stuck to the pot.  About 8 minutes total.
• If you notice that your macaroni is still very liquid at about 6 minutes in, turn up the heat and simmer a little higher while stirring.
• Also, if you notice that you’re running out of liquid, add about 1/4 cup more water at a time.

What’s the Best Cheese for Macaroni and Cheese:

For this recipe I prefer a mixture of sharp cheddar and parmesan!  Gruyere, fontina, gouda, mozzarella, or even swiss would also be great options.  You can kind of play around and find out what types of cheese you like best!  One note is to always use freshly shredded cheese off the block.  If you use pre-shredded, your macaroni will likely be clumpy and may not get smooth at all.

• Once your macaroni is cooked through make sure you turn off the heat and remove the pot from the stove.
• Now, you can add your milk, dijon, hot sauce, and cheeses!
• Add in the cheese in thirds, stirring between each addition until it’s all well incorporated.  If you don’t do this, the cheese may clump or not stick to the noodles very well.
• Note that the dijon and hot sauce are OPTIONAL but they don’t make your food taste like mustard and they don’t make it spicy!  They simply make the cheese flavor stand out a whole lot more!