Creamy Weeknight Macaroni and Cheese

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(2,828)
Comments
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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
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1116 calories; 62 grams fat; 36 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 97 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 42 grams protein; 905 milligrams sodium

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

  1. Step 1

    Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until just barely al dente; drain.

  2. 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.

  3. 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
2,828 user ratings
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Comments

Suzan

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

Ozark

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 Hicks

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.

Christa

In her article on mac & cheese, Alison Roman suggests the followung: The Mix-Ins Like a well-made margherita pizza, a classic, unadulterated macaroni and cheese is hard to beat. But if the continued enthusiasm for truffled lobster mac and cheese is any indication, for some people more is more. Vegetables Kale or Broccoli Rabe: Add 2 cups (steamed or blanched) chopped kale or broccoli rabe to the noodles and cheese while mixing together. Broccoli or Cauliflower: Add 2 cups (steamed, blanched or roasted) chopped broccoli or cauliflower to the noodles and cheese while mixing together. Mushrooms: Add 2 cups sautéed or roasted mushrooms (any kind works here) to the noodles and cheese while mixing together. Protein Bacon: Add ½ pound crisped, chopped bacon to the noodles and cheese while mixing together. Lobster: Add the chopped meat of one steamed 1½-pound lobster to the noodles and cheese while mixing together. More Cheese: Stir in an additional 1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheese (like Cheddar, fontina, Gruyère, Gouda or mozzarella), crumbled blue cheese (like Gorgonzola) or creamy cheese (like chevre or Camembert). Aromatics Roasted Garlic: Mix the cloves from 1 head of roasted garlic with the cheese sauce before adding to the noodles. Caramelized Onions or Shallots: Add 1 cup of caramelized onions or shallots to the noodles and cheese while combining noodles and sauce. Herbs: Add a few thyme sprigs to the warm milk or béchamel as you build the sauce, and allow it to steep 10 to 15 minutes before removing them and adding the cheese.

Sav

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!

Matt

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.

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