No recipe mac and cheese? The perfect ooey gooey creamy macaroni and cheese is easy when you’ve got my super simple formula!
My no-recipe recipe for macaroni and cheese will change your life
Mac and cheese is one of those foods that’s so essential to happiness and wellbeing that nobody should be dependent on a cookbook, recipe card, or blog post, for that matter, in order to enjoy it any time they please. So many of us wouldn’t dream of starting to cook without the crutch of a printed recipe. But it doesn’t have to be that way ~ just use this simple memorizable formula, it’ll make you feel so cheffy!
Table of contents
This mac and cheese recipe is not only memorizable, it’s foolproof
That also means that it’s a good one to teach to kids who are just starting to learn to cook. There’s no greater gift you can give than to teach them to feed themselves before they leave home, and this is one of those recipes they’ll use over and over again.
The ‘formula’ for this easy mac and cheese
It’s easy, just remember the number ‘2’!
- 2 cups dried pasta
- cook til al dente
- 2 tablespoons butter
- melt in a saucepan
- 2 tablespoons flour
- add to the butter and mix well
- 2 cups milk
- add to the pan and heat until just barely coming to a simmer, and thickened, stirring and/or whisking constantly
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese until melted, fold in the pasta, and eat!
I’m partial to Tillamook cheese (this isn’t sponsored, I’m just a fan) and I particularly love their line of rustic shredded cheese. The important thing with the cheese is to use one with good sharp flavor so it will come through in the creamy sauce. It can be white or yellow, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s sharp. When you’re shopping, look for aged cheese; the longer it has been aged, the sharper the flavor.
Variations on the basic macaroni and cheese recipe
- Cheddar isn’t the only sharp cheese around…try other hard aged cheeses like Gruyere, Manchego, Asiago, etc. Also try smoked cheese for a great layer of flavor.
- Add some tomato sauce or paste to the sauce
- Add cooked bacon, sausage, pancetta, chicken, leftover ham, or even crumbled hamburger.
- I love to fold in lightly steamed chopped veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, or frozen peas.
- Hot sauce is always good!
- Add truffle oil or use truffle salt.
- Top with toasted seasoned breadcrumbs.
- In a pinch you can use evaporated milk in place of fresh milk. The sauce will not need the flour to thicken it. You can also dilute the evaporated milk with water to get the consistency of fresh milk.
- If you don’t have flour, leave it out. The sauce will be thinner but still good. You can also use cornstarch in place of the flour, I’d use only 1 tablespoon.
How to reheat macaroni and cheese
- Mac and cheese is notoriously difficult to reheat, but I find this recipe does fine in the microwave.
- Just break apart the cold macaroni a little bit in your bowl so it can heat evenly through in the shortest time. Don’t over heat it, and check often. A medium sized serving should take under 2 minutes depending on your microwave.
More mac and cheese mania
- Cacio e Pepe Macaroni and Cheese
- Chili Mac and Cheese
- Pepper Jack Mac
- Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese
- Smoked Salmon Mac and Cheese
- Truffle Mac and Cheese
- 4 Alarm Macaroni and Cheese
- Instant Microwave Macaroni and Cheese
- Chili Mac and Cheese
No-Recipe Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to just al dente in plenty of boiling salted water, and drain. Note: I always cook the pasta a minute or two less than package instructions because I want to maintain a firm texture in the finished mac and cheese dish.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot large enough to hold the batch of mac and cheese. Add the flour and stir for just a minute or so. Don't let it brown.
- Slowly pour in the milk, while whisking or stirring constantly. I switch from my whisk to a silicone 'spoonula' to make sure I'm getting the mixture smooth and lump free. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it is thickened. This will be just about the point when it begins to come to a simmer. Don't let it come to a boil. Take the pan off the heat.
- Slowly sprinkle in the cheese while stirring, until it melts completely. Season with salt and plenty of fresh pepper to your taste. Fold in the macaroni and serve asap.
- As an alternative you can spoon the mac and cheese into a buttered baking dish and bake at 325F for 15 minutes.
Nutrition
This is exactly the way I have been making my Mac n cheese for decades! Glad to see you do, too! It works. Yummy!
Great minds think alike 😉
We added a small can of (drained) Hatch chiles to the sauce to replicate our favorite Trader Joe’s frozen mac n’ cheese. Turned out really, really good.
Brilliant, I need to do a Hatch chile mac and cheese here.
We loved this recipe exactly as written. I’ve been making Mac and cheese for more years than I care to admit. This was the best.
This was delicious. I added 1/8 tsp nutmeg like I generally do with cheese sauces. I also used rotini pasta vs elbows. We like how the sauce hugs every nook and cranny. I am not sure I will try any of the variations as we usually use mac & cheese as a side dish vs. an entree.
Thanks Sandy! What’s nice is you can change it up simply by using different cheeses, or milk options.
My basic go to. I add some cyanenne pepper and garlic to spice it up abit.