From Scratch Stovetop Mac n Cheese
Rich, creamy stovetop mac & cheese made with sharp cheddar, heavy cream, and shell pasta. Easy to make, endlessly customizable, and totally indulgent. No powder here!
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
- Whisk Recommended
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Shells or Elbow Pasta
- 16-20 Oz. Yellow Cheddar Cheese As sharp as you can get; try not to get pre-grated...see the notes
- 3 C Heavy Cream
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Ground Mustard (Optional) but great for color
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil for your pasta.
- While the water boils, grate your cheese. Grating will help make a smoother sauce.16-20 Oz. Yellow Cheddar Cheese
- Once the water is boiling, add your pasta along with a Tbsp of salt. Reduce to medium heat and cook the pasta to the longest time on the box/bag instructions.1 Lb Shells or Elbow Pasta, Salt and Pepper to Taste
- While the pasta cooks, start the sauce in a sauce pot. Add the cream to the pot and set the heat to medium-high. Cream is very difficult to curdle, but it is still possible - so keep an eye on it and stir constantly.3 C Heavy Cream
- As the cream begins to steam, start stirring in your grated cheese, one handful at a time. Stir in each handful until it is fully melted into the sauce. Then add another. Stir in all the cheese except for roughly two remaining handfuls. Save those for later.
- Once the cheese is melted into the sauce, stir in the (optional) ground mustard along with a couple pinches each of salt and pepper and cut the heat.1 tsp Ground Mustard
- Once the pasta is fully cooked, reserve 1-2 C of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, and add the cheese sauce.
- Stir the sauce to combine with the pasta. Check for sauce consistency here. If it is too thick, add a few Tbsp of the reserved pasta water and stir. Continue adding pasta water until it thins out to your liking. If the sauce is too thin, continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until enough liquid steams out to thicken the sauce to your liking. Additionally, if the sauce doesn't seem to cling evenly to the pasta, try adding a splash or two of the pasta water and stirring. The starch in the pasta water will help.
- Once the sauce thickness is where you want it, reduce the heat to low, stir in the butter, and let it melt into the sauce. Cut the heat and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.2 Tbsp Butter
- Finally, lightly fold the remaining grated cheese into the pasta, until it begins to melt, and serve right away!
Notes
If any of this mac n cheese makes it to leftovers, I recommend stirring some of the pasta water into it before saving. The pasta will continue to absorb water and will thicken the cheese sauce quite a bit over time. Thinning the sauce out before saving it will help counteract that.
If the leftover mac n cheese still ends up thick, stir in some milk or cream.
Feel free to experiment with other cheeses. Just make sure they are easy enough to melt. Sharp Cheddar is average to difficult to melt, so anything on that level or easier should do the trick. You also want to make sure the cheese is worth showcasing in a mac n cheese (i.e. bleu cheese probably wouldn't do well by itself). You can try other cheeses like pepper jack, gouda, gruyère, Monterey jack or swiss. You can also try a mix of cheeses.
A note on bagged, pre-grated cheese: what you get in convenience, you give back on flavor and texture. It is a great alternative to grating your own cheese, but remember that the store charges you extra for that. These pre-grated cheeses also contain an anti-caking agent, which is usually some form of starch (like potato starch). That starch can dull the flavor in your mac n cheese, and also mess with the smoothness and creaminess of your sauce. So, it isn't a deal breaker, but I really recommend grating your own cheese.