One-Pot Cheddar Tomato Mac
Updated February 18, 2026
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Ready In
- 40 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup panko bread crumbs
Salt
1 (4½-ounce) tube double-concentrated tomato paste or 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, finely grated or finely chopped
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of ground cayenne (optional)
1 pound short pasta (such as elbows or medium shells)
1 (8-ounce) block sharp, yellow Cheddar, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
66 grams carbs; 64 milligrams cholesterol; 563 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 468 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 5 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
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium. Add the panko and a pinch of salt and toast, stirring, until golden, 2 to 5 minutes. Scrape into a small bowl. (Don’t worry about getting every little speck out of the pot.)
- Step 2
To the same pot, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, tomato paste, garlic, paprika and cayenne, if using. Set over medium and stir until the butter is melted and the tomato paste is a shade darker and sticking to the pot, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Step 3
Add 6 cups water and 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt). Bring to a boil over high.
- Step 4
Add the pasta, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring and scraping often to keep the pasta from sticking, until the pasta is just tender and the liquid is stewy, 8 to 12 minutes. If the pasta ever looks dry, add ¼ cup water.
- Step 5
Turn off the heat. Add the Cheddar and stir just to distribute. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes. (This will help the sauce get thick and glossy.) Uncover and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste for salt and cayenne. Eat right away, topping bowls with the breadcrumbs.
Private Notes
Comments
If you have leftover tomato paste, you can put it in a ziplock, roll it out, and put it in the freezer. Then you can break off whatever you need.
This recipe received a ringing endorsement from my 7yo who said the recipe should be named “lights” because “it’s lit.” Made some meatballs separately and served it with a side salad… will be making “lights” again!
I cut the recipe in half to (generously) serve two and added about 1/2 a finely chopped chipotle and 3/4 t of the adobo in addition to 3 oz of tomato paste. We were very happy with the results - deeply tomato-flavored with some chipotle Smokey spice and cheesy to boot! Excellent side to grilled pork chops, but I can see it as a satisfying main with green veg or salad. Great comfort recipe!
Other than the cooking times being underestimated (to be fair, we had doubled the recipe), this was a huge hit in our home. (Might toss in some meatballs next time.) The only vaguely negative comment I received was that next time we make this, to please use something other than elbow macaroni that will hold onto the "amazing" sauce better. (I ordered a couple of boxes of rotini pasta for our next go-round.) Served this with Air Fryer Green Beans, which our whole family loves.
My three-year-old (the person I really made this for) loved it! Would recommend this to other parents trying to get their finicky toddlers to eat.
If you’re going into this expecting gooey cheesy mac, you’ll be disappointed. I LOVE mac and cheese; it is my number one comfort food and I have a lot of opinions about it. If I went into this blind without having read comments I might have been disappointed. But I went into it expecting “it’s like tomato soup and grilled cheese as a pasta” as someone else commented and I would say that’s pretty dead on. The bread crumbs are a MUST; they really bring it all together. Make sure you’re using a salty cheddar because despite cooking in its own salted pasta water, I had to adjust salt at the end. I also think your consistency is going to heavily depend on the type of pot you use and evaporation rate, but this does not become a stretchy gooey dish. It really does end up saucy and its own thing. We used cavatappi because structurally I find it has the biggest range of tolerance for overcooking compared to elbows or fusilli. This actually reheated surprisingly well as leftovers the next day; just added a little melty cheese on top to bring a little life back to it and more bread crumbs again when serving.