Easy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

❤ Why We Love This Recipe

• No need to turn on the oven!
• 20-minute dinner.
• Features simple, classic flavors that the whole family is sure to love.
• Easily customized to meet your dietary needs.

🛒 About the Ingredients

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• Macaroni – Elbow macaroni is traditional, but you can easily swap in any tube or twist shaped pasta. I’ve used ziti, rigatoni, rotini, gemelli, and cavatappi with equal success.
• Cheddar cheese – I prefer an extra sharp Cheddar but you might like yours mild. Choose what suits your family.
• American cheese – American cheese is very mild and adds an extra measure of creaminess to the finished recipe. Plus, it’s BeeBop’s fave, so there’s that 😏.
• Parmesan cheese – A little parm added to the mix adds a subtle, nutty flavor.
• Butter – The butter helps round out all the cheese-y flavors.
• Milk – Thins out the melted cheeses and helps coat the pasta.
• Salt and Pepper – To taste.

🔪 How to Make Easy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

1. Cook the elbow macaroni according to its package directions.
2. When the macaroni is cooked, drain it briefly in a colander and then return it to the pan.
3. Add the butter and the cheeses, put the lid on the pan, and sit it back on the still-warm burner (the burner should be turned off but will still be warm from cooking the macaroni). Let it sit for about 5 minutes or so until the cheese starts to melt a little.
4. Add the milk and stir until all the cheese and butter have melted adding more milk if needed to get the consistency you want.
5. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste.

🔀 Fun Options and Add-ins

• Want to add more protein? Try including some grilled chicken, crumbled bacon, steak bites, shrimp, or even chunks of juicy lobster!
• Going gluten free? You can still make this stovetop macaroni and cheese with Barilla’s line of gluten-free pastas.
• Get your kids to eat their veggies by including a few steamed peas, carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower, or broccoli.
• Don’t be afraid to be creative with the spices! Make this simple mac and cheese your own by adding your favorite savory spices. White pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and ground dry mustard are a few of my favorites.

💡 Recipe Tips

• Looking for an easy way to feed a crowd? You can easily double or even triple this recipe. The finished dish is so creamy and cheesy, everyone is sure to love it!
• Don’t have American cheese on hand? Or maybe parmesan isn’t something you always keep in the fridge. No problem! You can make this easy recipe with whatever cheese you happen to have. Swiss, Gruyere, Gouda, Monterey jack, and even blue cheese make great additions.

🍚 How to Store and Reheat

Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, add the leftovers along with a splash of milk to a saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until warmed through.

🕒 How to Make Ahead

You can make this easy pasta dish from start to finish up to 24 hours in advance! Simply store it in the fridge until about an hour before serving. Pop it in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the dish reads at least 165°F.

🍽 Make it a Meal

This recipe is a great weeknight dinner all on its own! Or, you can always round out the meal with a side of apple cranberry salad, tomato zucchini tian, or oven roasted asparagus.

😉 Make it Fancy

This is a very easy, classic recipe but you don’t have to stop there! You can always take it a step further by placing the mac and cheese in individual gratin dishes (or one big casserole dish for that matter), adding bread crumbs on the top, dotting it all over with butter, and placing it under the broiler until the butter has melted and the bread crumbs are toasted.

Or take it even further by adding cooked veggies (peas and carrots are great) or a protein to the mixture. I’ve stirred in spicy cooked ground beef and made a tex-mex style mac and cheese out of this that was fantastic! Leftover roasted chicken mixed in is perfect. You could even adapt it to your favorite seafood – just think of shrimp or lobster mac and cheese! 

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