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5 Ingredient Stovetop Mac and Cheese {super easy and kid approved!}

Sep 26, 2014 · 25 Comments

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This 5 Ingredient Stovetop Mac and Cheese is a recipe I’ve made countless times, and is one I make anytime I need to make an easy, yet super comforting and delicious side dish but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, making it perfect for this weeks’ Five Ingredient Friday!

Stovetop-Mac-and-cheese-with text this image

So….remember how I shared the pictures of the amazing BBQ tailgate party and am doing a HUGE GIVEAWAY with Pig of the Month? Well, no sooner did I post the pictures that I received an email asking me what sides I served with it. I think it could have been a record for how fast I responded, because what side is mandatory when BBQ is served? MAC & CHEESE!!!

I feel like serving mac and cheese as a side was a good decision because clearly I’m not the only one that likes mac and cheese:

Stovetop-Mac-and-cheese-and bbq

The day after the tailgate party, I brought some leftovers to my friends house for dinner, she has a 2 (and a half) year old daughter, so dinner can’t be something that takes forever to make. We were in the kitchen reheating everything (the mac and cheese took all of 5 minutes) and gave some to her daughter who was patiently (insert eye roll for all of you wonderful moms out there) waiting for dinner. Her daughter had a little bowl, but then was more interested in the ‘bacon’ (it was really the ribs she was enjoying, but hey, it’s all delicious pork, right?).

The next day my friend texted me: “btw, my daughter just had 2 helpings of the mac and cheese for lunch, she loves it.” So there you have it..this super delicious mac and cheese is kid approved!

Easy-Stovetop-Mac-and-cheeseTo make the mac and cheese you start by boiling some noodles, easy, right? When the noodles are done and in a collender, you melt some butter and whisk it with flour, then add some milk in, whisk some more, add cheese in (I use white cheddar, you could most certainly use yellow cheddar, it would just be a different color), a dash of salt and pepper, and then pour the noodles back into the pot and coat them with the creamy sauce. Serve and watch everyone enjoy it!

5 Ingredient Stovetop Mac and Cheese {super easy and kid approved!}

4.60 from 5 votes
Print Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 -10

Ingredients

  • 1 lb elbow macaroni
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • 1 1/2-2 cups milk
  • 2 cups white cheddar shredded (I use Cracker Barrel Brand Vermont white cheddar, two blocks, shredded)

Instructions

  • In a large pot cook pasta according to directions, drain and leave sitting in a colander.
  • In the empty pot melt the butter over medium high heat (about 1 minute), when butter is almost all melted add in flour, salt and pepper and then whisk until it is a paste-like consistency, then slowly pour in the milk, still whisking and let it come to a slow boil (about 4-5 minutes).
  • As soon as the milk starts to boil, add in the cheese and stir a few times, if it is too thick then add in another 1/4-1/2 cup of milk, then add the pasta back into the pot and coat with the cheese sauce, let cool for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy!

 

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Appetizers/Sides, Blog Posts, Five Ingredient Fridays, Main Meals, Recipes, Vegetarian 5 ingredient mac and cheese, bechamel mac and cheese, easy stovetop mac and cheese, kid friendly mac and cheese, Stovetop mac and cheese, stovetop macaroni and cheese, white mac and cheese

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Comments

  1. Melanie says

    July 21, 2018 at 6:50 pm

    The white cheddar sounds yummy to me, will be having with our bbq tomorrow. Was thinking about making 2 pots since I have one who doesn’t like “white cheese” MAC. Just curious if anyone has tried changing up the cheese? Any suggestions would be great!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      July 24, 2018 at 7:59 am

      I have made this using yellow cheddar and it turns out just as amazing 🙂

      Reply
  2. Melanie says

    July 21, 2018 at 6:45 pm

    What other type of cheese would be good?

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      July 24, 2018 at 8:00 am

      Cheddar, or even an Italian or Mexican blend of cheese works great.

      Reply
  3. Hally says

    May 5, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    Why is it called 5 ingredients when there are 6 ingredients? Anyways, it doesn’t matter it was great. I was out of white cheddar & had to use marble cheese but it was still delicious.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 5, 2016 at 3:21 pm

      Hi Hally,
      Yay – I’m so glad you liked the recipe, it’s one of my faves 🙂 and thank you for your comment.
      Salt, pepper & water aren’t counted as ingredients – on my Five Ingredient Friday page it talks more about that: https://sweetphi.com/five-ingredient-fridays/
      So it’s called 5 ingredient mac n cheese because it has macaroni, butter, flour, milk, and cheese.
      Best,
      Phi

      Reply
  4. Places to visit in Gurgaon says

    January 8, 2015 at 12:56 am

    Nice post, things explained in details. Thank You.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      January 10, 2015 at 3:16 pm

      You’re very welcome, I always like showing steps so I’m glad you liked it!

      Reply
  5. Lynn Lovejoy from Order in the Kitchen says

    October 27, 2014 at 10:20 pm

    Gah! LOVE mac and cheese… this looks so easy and delicious!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      October 28, 2014 at 8:38 am

      Mac and cheese is definitely one of my go-to comfort foods, and this one is definitely delicious and super easy, thanks for commenting 🙂

      Reply
  6. Nichole Smith says

    October 10, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    The last time I made Mac and cheese, it was a “gourmet” recipe. It took 6 different types of cheese and a plethora of other ingredients. The dish cost me $70.00!! It was okay but this looks just as good and much more within my budget.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      October 11, 2014 at 10:24 am

      Haha, oh man, a $70 mac and cheese? That better have cooked and served itself lol! Thank you so much for commenting! This mac and cheese recipe so yummy and creamy (and a LOT more budget friendly 🙂 )

      Reply
  7. housewifeintraining says

    September 29, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    Now this is the type of mac and cheese I love! Creamy…gooey and no baked. Can’t wait to whip this up for a BBQ soon!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      September 29, 2014 at 1:33 pm

      Girl, you’re going to loooove this with some bbq, it’s the perfect complimentary side dish! Thanks for commenting 🙂

      Reply
  8. Erin @ The Speckled Palate says

    September 28, 2014 at 8:47 pm

    YUM. I’m a sucker for any kind of macaroni and cheese, and I love how easily this comes together. I’ve found some recipes for mac ‘n cheese take a LOT of time, and as great as they normally turn out, it’s always good to have a delicious, quick-and-easy mac ‘n cheese in your back pocket, too. Definitely pinning this. 🙂

    Also, I kind of love that you brought it to a barbecue because this dish really DOES scream side to me for that. Nice work!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      September 28, 2014 at 9:30 pm

      Thank you so much for your lovely comment Erin! I’m totally in the camp of having a quick-and-easy mac ‘n cheese recipe in my back pocket, and this one is my all time fave … especially with some BBQ, because smooth and creamy mac and cheese goes so well with the sweet, smokey, and tang of BB! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Julie @ A Warrior and A Nurse says

    September 28, 2014 at 9:01 am

    Our son, Hunter, absolutely loves his mac and cheese! At 5 ingredients, this seems like a quick and easy recipe to whip up. I can’t guarantee that he won’t make a mess with it–he usually does–but I could see him loving this. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      September 28, 2014 at 12:17 pm

      I bet your son would love this recipe 🙂 And you’re 100% correct, with only 5 ingredients it is super quick and easy to make. Thank you so much for commenting!

      Reply
  10. Erin | The Law Student's Wife says

    September 27, 2014 at 6:09 pm

    The ultimate comfort side with only five ingredients? Lady, you nailed this one!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      September 28, 2014 at 12:15 pm

      Thank you so much girl!! Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, isn’t it? I don’t think I could ever grow tired of it lol. Thanks for commenting 🙂

      Reply
  11. caileejoy says

    September 27, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    YUM!! What a great recipe! Looks so delicious! 🙂 LOVE your blog btw… it’s so beautiful!!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      September 28, 2014 at 12:14 pm

      Thank you SO much for that compliment, totally made my day!!

      Reply
  12. katieonthebanksofsquawcreek says

    September 26, 2014 at 7:28 am

    I LOVE home made mac and cheese. LOVE it! And yours looks great!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      September 26, 2014 at 9:27 pm

      I LOVE me some homemade mac and cheese too, and this one is super easy and delicious! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Catching up with the Kelnhofers-60 - Sweetphi says:
    October 3, 2020 at 5:07 am

    […] made 5 ingredient mac and cheese for the kids – it’s such an easy stove top recipe and the kids all went nuts over it. […]

    Reply

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