Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese
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Stove top macaroni and cheese cooks is super easy to make, and takes just under 20 minutes to get to the table. That’s the same amount of time that it takes to make the “Blue Box” mac and cheese, but this recipe tastes infinitely better!
About a dozen years ago, I got a job teaching summer school at a private school, here in Pasadena. I taught a cooking class to kids who were in 4th to 8th grade.
The food had to be easy and fast, since there were 13 students that I had to teach a kitchen skill to, in an hour every day.
Your mom probably made homemade macaroni and cheese starting with a bechamel sauce, cooking flour and butter, adding milk, then cheese. This stove top macaroni and cheese is so much easier! The best part is adding whatever kind of cheeses you want. Cheddar? Classic. Goat cheese? Why not? Bleu cheese? Even better!
This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated, one of my favorite cooking mags. The family loves macaroni and cheese night, so they were thrilled when I had to make it twice because I didn’t like how it looked the first time. I guess that’s the up or down side of blogging depending on your perspective!
Looking for more family friendly dishes?
Greek Pasta with Yogurt and Lemon
Mediterranean Soup with Sausage
Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 12 ounces macaroni noodles use brown rice pasta for gluten free version
- 6 unsalted butter
- 10 oz. sharp cheddar cheese cheese grated, about 3 cups
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix eggs, evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt, cayenne pepper and mustard in a measuring cup or bowl.
- Boil macaroni in salted water until nearly done. You want to drain when it’s al dente, because you’re going to continue cooking it on the stove for a few more minutes.
- Returned drained macaroni to pot and add the butter to melt and coat the pasta over a low heat.
- Add egg mixture and part of the cheese and stir constantly over low heat, about 7 minutes. Gradually add remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper. (Try a pinch of white pepper if you have it)
- If you want to, you can top it with bread crumbs and bake it, but around here, the forks are usually in the pot “testing”, before I can get it on the plate.
Maya & I made the macaroni & cheese for dinner last night – it was super easy and super yummy!
Giggle! You crack me up Robin! You know the first time you commented on this post was nearly a year ago! I’m glad you liked it!
I know this is an older post, but I just came across it today and it sounds easy (and yummy!!) enough to do with my middle-schoolers. Thanks for sharing this one!
@Mykell, yes it’s super easy! The best bit is that you can change the cheeses around and make it more elegant if you choose!
This recipe looks great and I love the idea of mixing some of your favorite cheeses in!
Love this!
What was the name of the recipe when it appeared in Cook’s Illustrated? I could not find it on their all-access website?
Hi Sarah,
I’d have to go back and look through some of my older copies, but I do know it would have been before 2012 as I published it before 2012. Not sure if that helps. They have a few recipes for Mac and cheese, but I love that this one uses evaporated milk. I hope that helps?