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

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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

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!

Yield: 8-10

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

5 Ingredient Stovetop Mac and Cheese {super easy and kid approved!}
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

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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    Note: This recipe has been made by a reader and is featured on my Reader Recreation page. If you ever make a SweetPhi blog recipe or tutorial that you’d like to share, just include the hashtag #Sweetphiblog on social media or send me an email to sweetphiblog@gmail.com, I love seeing your recreations!

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    Comments

    1. Melanie says

      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

    3. Hally says

      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

        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://www.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

    6. Nichole Smith says

      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

        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

    8. Erin @ The Speckled Palate says

      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

        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

      • Sweetphi says

        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

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