For years, I have struggled with homemade mac and cheese. It just doesn’t work when I make it. It turns out grainy and clumpy and just plain gross. Creamy is definitely more my style. I’ve always thought my failures were because I was using “real” cheese instead of processed Velveeta. Until I tried this recipe, that is. This skillet mac and cheese fit the bill perfectly. Creamy, flavorful and pretty healthy as far as mac and cheese goes – no heavy cream, just a perfectly working combination of evaporated milk, cornstarch and “real” cheese. Oh, and talk about easy – completely made in ONE skillet and definitely done in 20 minutes, start to finish. I used the ham and pea variation to make it more of a complete meal for my family. We all gobbled it up. The only word of warning is to eat it while it is warm – cold mac and cheese is pretty grody, if you ask me.
Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups water, plus extra if needed
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
12 ounces (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
Ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Bring 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the macaroni, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9 to 12 minutes.
Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce together in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet. Continue to simmer slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack, one handful at a time, adding water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce (I didn’t need any additional water when I made it). Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Ham and Pea Variation
Follow the recipe, adding 4 ounces deli-style baked ham, diced medium, and 1/2 cup frozen peas to the skillet with the cornstarch mixture in step 2.
Recipe Source: adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes
{ 66 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for sharing this one. You have just given me an idea on what to prepare today.
looking at the picture made me hungry
looks so yummy!
I made this a couple of weeks ago and my little family all loved it. I’m not a fan of peas so I used ham and corn instead but it was so delicious. A ?- I left out the hot sauce for fear it would make it hot…but did it? I hate to leave it out if it will make the dish even more tasty. Thanks again I love your blog!
I consider mac-and-cheese it’s own food group – so glad you found a way you could make it easily. I’ll have to try this new recipe, sounds great! Thanks for sharing.
Lauren – thanks for the comment! I agree with you, this is the best, creamiest mac and cheese I’ve had and is my go-to recipe. I’m glad everyone (wow, 7 kids???) loved it!
Three words: YUM, YUM, YUM!! This is a great family-friendly recipe. I also love it because it is inexpensive as far as mac n cheese recipes go…it doesn’t require much. And it was so easy/quick to put together! One thing…it is definatly something to eat as soon as it is done. The longer it sits, the less creamy it is. Nothing that a zap in the microwave can’t fix, though. Thanks Melanie!!
This was a hit tonight. I had some leftover salmon so I threw it in with the peas and it was super delish. Thanks for another great recipe.
Well that just looks like heaven on a plate! I LOVE mac and cheese!
My hubby will love this mac and cheese!
Tami – yum, the salmon sounds like a great addition. I’m glad you liked this.
Natalie – thanks for listing your variations (corn instead of peas). It’s always helpful to see how others change things up. To let you know, the hot sauce doesn’t add spice at all – the end result is definitely not spicy. It just helps enhance the flavor and give a little more depth to the mac and cheese.
Molly – thanks for your sweet comment! I’m glad you liked this mac and cheese – it was a hit at my house, too.
okay, the fact that you used the word “grody” well, pretty much seals the fact that you are my soulmate. ha!
and i have been meaning to comment for quite some time. i LOVED the skillet chicken pasta with sun dried tomatoes and broccoli. i LOVED the chocolate chocolate cookies. and i LOVED the outrageous loaded peanut butter and chocolate cookies. that recipe got around my neighborhood like the town slut. no joke, 6 families in one week made them. and hands down, best cookie ever contender. ever. so hats off to you, super mom/super foodie. thanks for sharing! i’m here to stay. 
ps- have the white velvet sugar cookie recipe on the docket for this week
Evelyn – so glad you liked this! I agree that it is a winner of a recipe because it is so easy to put together. (I also agree it is best eaten right away!)Jenn – that’s a bummer this didn’t turn out for you. I’m sorry! I hope if you use the right cheeses, it will taste a bit better.
Oooh. Oooh. I have been using a Rachel Ray one for a long time but mine usually turns out grainy. It tastes good but the texture is a bit to be desired. I shall definitely try this out and let you know how it goes.
Thanks for the comment, Melanie! Yep, it’s a keeper. (I skipped the roasted tomatoes as well as the chicken last night just to keep things simple, and it was still great.) The buttermilk banana bread recipe I’ll share soon is yours! I’ve been meaning to tell you that I’m totally in love with it.
I’ll definitely link you when I post it. Thanks so much!
Thanks for posting this. We have macaroni and cheese at least once a week. I struggle with the homemade recipes. Will be trying this one soon. Looks good.
I’m all over this!! I love homemade mac and cheese and like you, have struggled to find one that works well with real cheese! Can’t wait to try it!
That is what I was wondering. I love how in the majority of your recipes you mention whether or not the hot sauce will make it hot or not. That helps me out so much given that my husband and I are wimps and I’m also feeding a toddler. I’ll definately add it next time I make it.
I just have to thank you for saving my dinner. I had seven picky kids to feed and a half hour to do it. Every single one of them loved it! They are all so picky, but thanked me and said it was sooo good! I have tried every mac n cheese out there and this one was the easiest by far. It was also the best! I tell everyone about your blog and how it has changed my cooking life
Thanks for helping all of us busy moms!
emiflute – I actually have this on our menu this week because we love it so much. I totally agree with you, homemade mac and cheese has ALWAYS let me down until this recipe. I’m glad you liked it as much as we did. Thanks for the tip on reheating!
ooo, this sounds just like the recipe I’ve been using for stove top mac ‘n cheese by AMerica’s Test Kitchen. I’ll give yours a try and see if I like it better!
annebabe – phew! So glad I’m not the only one walking around saying “grody.” Loved your comment and so, so glad you have liked the recipes you’ve tried so far.
Yum! I’m gonna have to give this one a try.
The Bentley Family – I’m glad you liked the pizza dough! It is a family favorite of ours, too. Thanks for letting me know!
I just made this for dinner with the ham and peas! It was WONDERFUL…very creamy!
This sounds awesome. My toddler would love it I’m sure. I tried your pizza dough recipe that real mom kitchen posted this past Saturday and loved it. So did my hubby. Thanks!
ham and peas for me, please! that’s some creamy, dreamy mac and cheese, melanie–nicely done!
This sounds great! My family loves mac n cheese.
Yum! I bet my picky 15 month old would eat that. He will eat anything with peas…weird!
Wow! I made this last week and found Heaven on Earth! Thanks for building up my confidence in homemade macaroni. It had always turned me off for some reason- but this! This is simple beautiful. We gobbled and gobbled!
BTW- This doesn’t stroe or reheat well UNLESS you add a little water and place it back in the skillet to reheat. The water will bring back the creamyness. I discovered this when trying to think of how to have a nice hot plate for my husband when he arrived home late from work.
Thank you for the recipe!
YUMMMY!! We loved it here, perfect quick meal for after work when you feel like you’re running around trying to get supper on the table!Thanks! I’m a huge fan of the blog and have been testing recipes out left and right!
Oh, consider yourself wildly hugged!! I have always wanted a creamy mac and cheese but also wanted to use “real” cheese. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Michelle – thanks for checking back in to let me know you liked this. So glad that it turned out for you!
I made it for dinner tonight. It was easy, fast, and if I had used the cheeses suggested (and didn’t have such picky children), it would have gotten eaten. I emptied out the cheese drawer and used Monterrey jack, Colby jack, cheddar, and a little bit of chihuahua cheese. Won’t do that again! I’ll try it again another day with the right cheeses.
can you leave out or sub something in for dry mustard?
alexandra – try substituting 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard.
Becky – thank you for commenting to let me know that you liked this side for BBQ pork – it sounds like a delicious combination!
Another winning recipe! I made this last night (minus ham and peas) as a side for bbq pork. This was very easy and extremely rich and creamy. Another recipe in the rotation. Thank you!!
I made this last night for my husband, brother, and sister, and they all loved it. Definitely a winner! I have another mac and cheese recipe that I really like, but it is baked and uses smoked Gouda cheese. This one is so much faster and more appealing for picky eaters. Thanks for sharing!
Kayla – I’m glad this recipe was a hit – I love that it is fast, too, and my little picky eaters love it! Thanks for letting me know.
Sounds delicious and easy! Have you used any other combinations of cheeses in here?
April – I haven’t used any other cheeses but I think you definitely could as long as they are “good-melters” – you wouldn’t want to use a hard cheese like parmesan or asiago, in my opinion, since they don’t melt quite as well.
okay ~ i basically decided to make this for supper AT supper time so i had to just use what i had in order to do so. i improvised a bit, but i tend to do that with all recipes so it’s all good
so in place of evap milk i used skim. (since i’m a lame-o and tend to try to cook very low fat…i probably would have done this regardless) and i had no jack cheese at all on hand, of course, so i just doubled the cheddar.
this was very yummmmmy. i found it a bit too strong of a cheese flavour (but this would obviously not be the case with the monterey jack in there also…so no fault of the recipe!) i also found it very rich for some reason so i absolutely don’t regret using the non fat milk in it….definitely a keeper!
thanks so much mel for another awesome recipe!
mia – I love improvising and am glad your changes worked out well! Thanks for letting me know.
So good! I loved it!
Thanks, Ashlee!
I made this one yesterday, and loved how easy it was. Creamy, and no Velveeta! The kids liked it, another winner:)
Erin – thanks for letting me know you liked this mac and cheese. It reminds me that it’s been a month or so since I’ve made it – my kids love it so I need to make it again!
I made this last week and it was so yummy! I’m normally not a fan of anything mixed in with my mac and cheese, but I knew that if you were recommending it, it would be perfect! And it was! My son now claims that he will always eat peas if they are in this mac and cheese! Thanks!! Hope you and your family are having a fabulous Labor Day!!
Kensi – that statement by your son made me laugh. Hold him to it! And it looks like you may be eating mac and cheese a lot now, right? Thanks for your review!
I have made this about 5 times since my little girl was born. It is so quick and delicious and perfect for lunch with company who’ve come to see the baby. My husband likes to stir in a little milk, a whole leek, and some ham to the leftovers while reheating then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and stick it under the broiler (grill if I have any fellow brits that read this) for an easy dinner the next night. YUM!
Annette – what a fantastic idea to broil this with breadcrumbs and your husband’s other additions. I love those ideas and I’m thrilled that it has been such a hit…
Absolutely perfect! We will totally be making this again! Thanks for all the no-fail recipes!
Thanks, Hannah!
Just threw this together as a last minute dinner for my kids. Of course afterwards I had to wonder if it could be made lower fat, if perhaps less cheese could have been added. So I headed over to Cooks Country to see how they did it. When I saw the changes you had made, like cutting out 2 CUPS of cheese, I was really impressed. You tweaked it perfectly without losing any of the creaminess or flavor. I just love how you operate!
Jessica – glad you loved this one!
As always you come through for me again. I was looking for a replacement for canned cheese soup and though I would see if you had one. I have a new cookbook, but some of the recipes called for condensed soups (yuck). I should be able to take this mac and cheese recipe and adapt it for the Salmon Pasta recipe in the cookbook.
This has become my go-to mac n’ cheese recipe. I like that it is easy, delicious, and creates very few dirty dishes.
I LOVE how creamy this is! The texture seriously is what sold it for me!
BULLSEYE!!!!
I made this yesterday (just the original – no peas/ham) and then finished it off in the oven with some bread crumbs on top. DELISH!!!
This was so yummy!!! Our family loves it and I love it because it is so easy to make. I wanted to tell you that instead of ham, I used turkey bacon and it added a great flavor to it. So yummy!!
I tried this recipe today on a whim when my daughter requested Macaroni and Cheese for lunch, but didn’t want the Kraft stuff… I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I went for it. It was a hit! Creamy and delicious, as promised. Not even slightly grainy as I’ve come to expect with so many homemade Mac and Cheese recipes. This one really delivers and I hope the leftovers heat up well for tomorrow!
Can regular milk be used in place of the evap milk?
Celia – I’ve never tried that substitution but you certainly could try it.