Creamy Weeknight Macaroni and Cheese
Updated February 28, 2024
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 pound elbows, shells, cavatappi, farfalle, fusilli or other short, tube-shaped pasta
Kosher salt
2 cups whole milk
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces sharp or white Cheddar, grated
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
97 grams carbs; 177 milligrams cholesterol; 1116 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams saturated fat; 62 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 4 grams fiber; 905 milligrams sodium; 42 grams protein; 12 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until just barely al dente; drain.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, bring milk up to a simmer in a large pot. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) Reduce heat to low, add cream cheese, and whisk until it’s completely blended and no lumps remain. Add Cheddar cheese and butter, whisking until everything is completely melted. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper.
- Step 3
Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened and is coating each piece of pasta nicely, 2 to 3 minutes; sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Season again with more salt and pepper before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
Wouldn't this be better with some dry mustard and paprika?
Heavily salt the pasta water (perhaps a quarter cup of salt), then use one cup half-and-half and a cup of the pasta water instead of two cups milk.
Hey, this is my Mac and Cheese recipe! As in, I'm sure someone else put the same things together at some point, but when I posted it on my blog several years ago, I could find nothing else like it. Well, at least more people will learn that, while old-fashioned cheese sauces are great, easy is okay too.
12 oz of cheese corresponds to 3 cups of in volume according to Wisconsincheese.com. We used half that and it was sufficiently cheesy in my opinion. Or unless the recipe called 12 oz in volume in which case it should have made that clear.
Followed the recipe to the T. It’s delicious, but a bit grainy. Any tips to fix this?
This is amazing, made even more so by the NYT Cooking community. I used a high protein, chickpea cavatelli, 1½ 2% milk + ½ cup ½&½. I had ¾ pack of lite cream cheese, so used that & added roasted broccoli florets. Added garlic & mustard powder and a topping of TJ French fried onions. Maybe I made a lighter version? Doubt it b/c it tasted incredibly. Finished by baking at 350º for 15 mins. Wife said it was a flavor bomb.