Creamy Weeknight Macaroni and Cheese

Name: Creamy Weeknight Macaroni and Cheese
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: american
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

By Alison Roman

Updated Feb. 29, 2024

Creamy Weeknight Macaroni and Cheese — Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Total Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4(2,805)
Comments: Read comments

Just as quick as the boxed variety, this creamy macaroni and cheese skirts the traditional butter and flour roux with assistance from cream cheese. While the cream cheese adds an important lusciousness, it doesn’t do the macaroni and cheese any favors when it comes to its flavor, so it’s important to use the sharpest, tangiest Cheddar you can get your hands on. For perfectly coated noodles, make sure to cook the pasta in the sauce for a minute or two.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1pound elbows, shells, cavatappi, farfalle, fusilli or other short, tube-shaped pasta
Kosher salt
2cups whole milk
8ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
12ounces sharp or white Cheddar, grated
3tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5

2,805 user ratings

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Comments

Suzan7 years ago

Wouldn't this be better with some dry mustard and paprika?

Ozark7 years ago

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.

George Hicks7 years ago

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.

Sav1 week ago

Added paprika, mustard & cayenne. Poured it in a dish, put panko bread crumbs on top & broiled it. Only had one pack (8 oz) of sharp cheddar so added Gruyère. Great recipe for a fast Mac!

Matt3 weeks ago

I love this recipe and have made it many times. For a twist recently, I tried making this a cheeseburger mac and cheese by browning 1 lb of ground beef and a chopped onion in the pot before adding the milk for the cheese mixture – and then adding 1/2 cup of ketchup to the cheese sauce after the cream cheese is added. Everyone loved it.

Will7 months ago

As a side dish, this made more like 12-15 servings. I think it would easily serve 6 as a main dish. I find that a pound of pasta serves 4 as a main dish if it's reasonably light and simple. This is rich and heavy.

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