**Macaroni and cheese**, a dish of pasta and cheese sauce, is a classic comfort food enjoyed by people of all ages. This versatile dish can be made in a variety of ways, with different types of pasta, cheeses, and additional ingredients. In this article, we present three delicious one-pot mac and cheese recipes that are easy to make and packed with flavor.
Our first recipe is a classic stovetop mac and cheese made with elbow macaroni, cheddar cheese, and milk. This simple yet satisfying dish is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Our second recipe is a baked mac and cheese that is sure to impress your guests. This dish features a creamy cheese sauce made with a blend of cheddar, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, and is topped with a crispy breadcrumb crust. Finally, our third recipe is a slow-cooker mac and cheese that is perfect for busy families. This dish can be made ahead of time and cooked on low all day, so you can come home to a hot and cheesy meal without any hassle.
No matter which recipe you choose, you're sure to enjoy this classic dish. So gather your ingredients and let's get cooking!
BEST ONE POT CHEESE AND MACARONI
This recipe uses less milk and no thickener what-so-ever! Very cheesy, too! You can either serve it from the pot, or top with buttered crumbs and put in 350 oven to brown for half an hour, but we like ours fine without.
Provided by Jill Faucher-Ross
Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Macaroni and Cheese Recipes Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Time 30m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Pour water and salt into a medium pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the shell pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the water has cooked down a bit, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the milk, and continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Add the Cheddar, Parmesan, pepper, and mustard; stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is thick and creamy. The starch from the pasta thickens the sauce as the pasta cooks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 518.2 calories, Carbohydrate 30.7 g, Cholesterol 92.8 mg, Fat 30.8 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 30.1 g, SaturatedFat 19.1 g, Sodium 930.4 mg, Sugar 3.5 g
EASY ONE-POT MAC 'N' CHEESE RECIPE BY TASTY
Here's what you need: whole milk, elbow macaroni, butter, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, fresh parsley
Provided by Matthew Johnson
Categories Sides
Time 20m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a large pot on medium-high heat, gently heat the milk to a simmer.
- Add in the elbow macaroni. Cook until the pasta is tender.
- Once the noodles are cooked, turn off the heat. Add in the butter, cheddar, salt, and pepper. Fold these ingredients with the pasta until the cheese and butter melt into the milk to create a thick sauce.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve!
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 758 calories, Carbohydrate 72 grams, Fat 37 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 32 grams, Sugar 12 grams
ONE-POT MAC AND CHEESE
Who likes cleaning up after making mac and cheese? Not this girl. This one-pot mac and cheese is a family favorite, and my 3-year-old is thrilled to see it coming to the dinner table. We love to add sliced smoked sausage to this creamy mac recipe! -Ashley Lecker, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 40m
Yield 10 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a Dutch oven, combine milk, water and macaroni; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until macaroni is tender and almost all the cooking liquid has been absorbed, 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low; stir in cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 344 calories, Fat 14g fat (8g saturated fat), Cholesterol 42mg cholesterol, Sodium 450mg sodium, Carbohydrate 39g carbohydrate (6g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 16g protein.
ONE-POT MAC 'N' CHEESE
This one-pot wonder has humble beginnings: just milk and macaroni. As the pasta cooks, the starch released helps thicken the milk to make the perfect base for a sauce. The cheeses and seasonings are stirred in at the very end, and everything comes together magically.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 20m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Put the milk and macaroni in a medium saucepan. Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep the macaroni from clumping, then cook, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is tender and the milk has thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the Cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese, butter, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and stir until smooth, thick and creamy. Serve hot. (The dish will thicken as it cools; thin it out with a little hot water if desired.)
ONE-POT PHILLY CHEESE STEAK MAC AND CHEESE
We made sure the classic Philly cheese steak flavor really hit the mark in this hearty dinner. It's a one-pot wonder that you only have to travel to your pantry to make!
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Entree
Time 35m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In 5-quart Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir 2 to 5 minutes or until toasted. Transfer to small bowl, and wipe out pan.
- In same Dutch oven, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add beef, onions, bell peppers and grill seasoning; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until beef is cooked through and onions are tender. Pour mixture into large bowl; cover with foil to keep warm.
- Stir water and macaroni into Dutch oven; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until macaroni is cooked through. Do not drain.
- Stir beef mixture into macaroni mixture; cook and stir 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat; stir in cheese cubes until melted. Top with shredded cheese blend. Cover and let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Top with toasted bread crumbs.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 610, Carbohydrate 64 g, Cholesterol 105 mg, Fat 1, Fiber 3 g, Protein 35 g, SaturatedFat 13 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 1370 mg, Sugar 9 g, TransFat 1 g
ONE-POT CHEESEBURGER MACARONI
Nostalgic for the boxed cheeseburger macaroni dinner from your childhood? Then whip up this homemade version of Hamburger Helper that's just as satisfying as the classic. The recipe is super quick and budget-friendly, leaning on pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand. We use shredded Cheddar to make the dish extra cheesy and finish with chopped parsley for a fresh bite. Perhaps best of all: Everything cooks in one pot, even the pasta!
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chili powder, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and stir to combine. Add the beef and break it up into small pieces with a large spoon; cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and Dijon until combined. Pour in the chicken stock and 1 teaspoon salt, stir to combine and bring to a boil, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is al dente, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Cheddar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in the parsley. Garnish with more parsley, if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
ONE-POT CHILI MAC AND CHEESE
This delicious chili mac and cheese with ground beef, diced tomatoes, rich tomato sauce, chili beans and spices is cooked all in one pot--including the macaroni!
Provided by RAGÚ®
Categories Trusted Brands: Recipes and Tips Ragu®
Time 30m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and beef. Stirring frequently, cook until meat is browned and crumbly, about 3 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in chicken broth, Ragu® sauce, diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, beans, chili powder, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil and stir in pasta; cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is al dente, about 14 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese and parsley. Serve immediately, garnished with additional cheese and parsley, if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 462.9 calories, Carbohydrate 45.9 g, Cholesterol 66 mg, Fat 19.2 g, Fiber 7.1 g, Protein 28.5 g, SaturatedFat 7.4 g, Sodium 1232.5 mg, Sugar 7.8 g
ONE-POT BROCCOLI MAC AND CHEESE
In the time it takes to make boxed macaroni and cheese, you can have a homemade version that's creamy with lots of sharp Cheddar, studded with broccoli and doesn't require making a roux. Instead, the sauce is thickened by the pasta's starch: As the noodles cook in milk, the milk thickens to the consistency of cream and the pasta absorbs the seasonings. Here, that's garlic powder, but you could also use mustard powder, ground cayenne or grated nutmeg like in traditional mac and cheese. The broccoli pieces end up soft and sweet, but if you want more bite, add them halfway through cooking.
Provided by Ali Slagle
Categories dinner, easy, lunch, weekday, pastas, vegetables, main course, side dish
Time 25m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a large pot or skillet, combine the macaroni, broccoli, milk, salt and garlic powder. Add 3 cups of water, and stir to combine. (The pasta may not be fully submerged. That's OK!) Bring to an active simmer over medium-high. Reduce the heat to medium to gently simmer. Cook, stirring often to ensure even cooking and to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is tender, and the liquid resembles heavy cream and coats the noodles, 8 to 12 minutes. If the liquid evaporates so much that you don't see any between noodles, add 1/2 cup water. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Eat!
Tips:
- For a creamy mac and cheese, use a good quality cheese that melts well, such as cheddar, Gruyère, or fontina.
- To make the mac and cheese extra cheesy, add a cup of grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce.
- If you like your mac and cheese with a little kick, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or paprika to the sauce.
- For a vegetarian mac and cheese, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- To make a gluten-free mac and cheese, use gluten-free pasta.
- Serve mac and cheese with a side of garlic bread or a salad for a complete meal.
Conclusion:
One-pot mac and cheese is a quick and easy meal that is perfect for busy weeknights. It is also a great comfort food that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can have a delicious and satisfying meal that the whole family will love.
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