Skillet Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
This super creamy macaroni and cheese (made with real cheese!) is made start to finish in ONE skillet and done in less than 30 minutes!
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 macaroni and cheese 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 fits the creamy 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 less than 30 minutes, start to finish.
I often use the ham and pea variation (below the recipe) to make it more of a complete meal for my family, but it’s delicious either way.
The only word of warning is to eat it while it is warm – cold mac and cheese is pretty grody, if you ask me.
My oldest son, Jackson, has declared cooking his favorite hobby (love that boy and his buzzcut!) and made this nearly start to finish with a few helps with the hot stovetop.
He was so proud! Upon which I declared he will be making this mac and cheese at least weekly for dinner while I sit eating bonbons on the couch. We love this one!
What to Serve With This
- Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts or Crispy Oven Baked Chicken
- Steamed vegetable (or this Cheesy Cauliflower Bake if you want to continue the cheese theme)
- Fresh fruit
Skillet Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups water, plus extra if needed
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 12 ounces (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes
I have made this twice now, and there isn’t leftovers. My 17 year old says its the best “real” mac and cheese I’ve made.
The end result was stringy with a weird consistency and not very flavorful. I used sharp cheddar and an Italian blend of cheese. Very disappointing. You’d be better off making the white sauce separately so you can control the consistency.
For our Halloween dinner this week, I needed a homemade Mac and Cheese recipe to go inside our “Mac O’Lantern” bell peppers. I’m always wary of homemade Mac and Cheese recipes, since they usually don’t taste that good to me, but Mel’s is SO GOOD!!
(Maybe because I finally listened and shredded my own cheese instead of using pre-shredded, haha. It was so creamy!!)
I already am planning on getting more evaporated milk to have on hand in the pantry so we can make this for lunches, instead of the boxed kind!
What a great idea to include this in stuffed peppers. YUM!
FANTASTIC mac and cheese! I am not typically a mac and cheese person but this was delicious. I had some mozzarella and parmesan cheese that I needed to use up so I used that instead of the monterey jack. I still used the cheddar with the mozzarella and parmesan. I also didn’t have any hot sauce so I used some cayenne pepper and paprika instead. I added a little bit of Creole seasoning too. We paired the mac and cheese with Mel’s Meatloaf, which is amazing in-and-of-itself. They were a great combo. We will definitely be adding this recipe (and the meatloaf) to our dinner rotations!
Truthfully, I LOATHE any baked mac and cheese. I find the baking step totally unnecessary and always leads to dried out, gross mac.
now THIS? This skillet mac and cheese? YES. creamy, oozy, gooey, cheesy goodness. and quick. and easy. and with regular everyday “I have it in my pantry or fridge” ingredients.
Yes, it’s mac and cheese. There are healthier options. BUT… if you’re gonna do mac and cheese… with no preservatives or icky additions… this is the way to go!!! LOVE IT SO MUCH. and so does my kids. This recipe and your quick alfredo are on CONSTANT repeat in my house!
I didn’t want to turn on the oven for my usual mac & cheese and was too scared to try an instant pot version (tragic experience, not your recipe) so gave this a try.
It worked well, your recipes never fail me.
My pasta was done in 6 min, i used mild gouda and sharp cheddar, added a dash of smoked paprika and garlic powder and FORGOT the butter which no one seemed to notice.
I see this is from 2009, that little boy with the buzz cut would now be a fully grown man!
Love this recipe! I make half the recipe for myself and sometimes one other person. I like to add 1-2 ounces extra cheese, not quite as creamy but I prefer it richer and cheesier.
The creamy mac and cheese was delicious and easy to make. Thank you!
Delicious and easy.
I’ve seen comments about which type of cheddar to use but can’t find it specifically stated in the recipe. Do you suggest mild, medium or sharp cheddar?
Hi Jennifer, I use medium or sharp cheddar.
My kids love this. I tried making the pressure cooker version, which is really very much the same and this still wins hand s down. Thank you so much
I made this several times at written, then adapted it for the instant pot. It turns out great every time! I found my family and I prefer to use havarti (from Aldi) instead of monterey jack, and pair that with the sharp cheddar. It’s extra creamy that way. For the instant pot—Add 3 cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, macaroni, and salt to Instant Pot. Cook at high pressure 4 mins, then quick release pressure. Whisk the remaining evaporated milk, cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce then stir into the pot, stir until thickened. Add cheeses and butter. So easy and hands-off! Thank you for one of our go-to recipes!
How is 12 ounces 3 cups? Isn’t 3 cups 24 ounces?
The 12 ounces is the weight of the noodles not the volume so even though 1 cup has a volume of 8 ounces, the weight will differ based on the ingredient.
Thanks! So its 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese?
It calls for 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar and 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack.
Hi Mel-I want to double this recipe for a potluck at work. Would you make any adjustments to the amount of water and evaporated milk that the noodles boil in at the first step? Should the water and milk be doubled as well, or maybe not quite as much?
I would double all the ingredients – good luck!
I am a fourth grade girl, and I make this recipe a lot! I really love it, and my family does too! But instead of hot sauce, we usually use red pepper because we have little ones and they are not fans of spicy things. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Way to go, Laura! So proud of you!
It really is the best. And so easy!
Why the cornstarch?
The cornstarch makes the cheese thick and creamy 🙂
I made this last night and the texture wasn’t grainy but it wasn’t creamy either. It was a lot of stretchy cheese between noodles. Is that how it’s supposed to end up? People keep commenting on the creaminess and I’m not sure how to get that. I added more milk and butter but couldn’t really reduce the stringy factor. I used a Colby-jack mix and evap milk.
I’ve made this twice. The first time, I used sharp cheddar, added extra cheese and extra ground mustard. I erroneously thought since I use sharp cheddar in a casserole I should do the same here. Sharp cheddar is not as creamy and too sharp for stovetop mac n cheese. The second time, when I FOLLOWED the recipe, it was glorious!!
I need to take my own advice and follow a recipe as written the first time; especially after reading the thought process Mel used and how hard she worked on it.
Do you think this could be baked?
I haven’t tried it, but maybe? I worry it might dry out a little, though.