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Mac and cheese in a bowl.
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Simple Mac and Cheese Recipe Without Flour

A simple mac and cheese recipe for the times when you don't want to spend an eon in the kitchen getting dinner ready. No flour, easy stovetop instructions, one pot. Dinner's ready.
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword gluten-free dinner, mac and cheese
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 688kcal
Author Saima Zaidi

Equipment

  • 1 Grater
  • 1 large saucepan

Ingredients

  • 3 cups water
  • 8 oz elbow macaroni
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • ½ tsp sea salt adjust according to taste
  • ½ tsp black pepper ground
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Grate the cheese using a box grater. If using pre-shredded cheese, you can skip this step.
  • Pour the water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil on high heat. Add the macaroni and cook it until soft, but not mushy. The whole process should take a total of 10 minutes.
  • Tip in the butter, salt, pepper, paprika, heavy cream, and milk. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently.
  • Reduce the heat to low and add the grated cheddar. Stir to combine the cheese with the pasta, and remove from the heat as soon as the cheese has melted and combined with the pasta (1-2 minutes). Serve hot!

Notes

  1. Make sure most of the water has been absorbed by the pasta before adding the rest of the ingredients. Although there’s a lot of starch in there to thicken the sauce, you might have to cook it longer if there is too much water, and then the pasta will end up over-cooked.
  2. Don’t cook the pasta for too long after adding the cheese. For a creamy, gooey mac and cheese, give the cheese just enough time to melt into the pasta and take it off the heat. If you over-cook the cheese, especially on high heat, it might seize or clump up. Not pretty.
  3. It is best to grate a block of cheese and use it. Freshly grated cheese melts beautifully. However, if you are short on time, you can use pre-shredded cheese in a pinch.
  4. Use gluten-free macaroni for a gluten-free mac and cheese. 
  5. For variations, storage and reheating, see the body of the post. 

Nutrition

Calories: 688kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 715mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1579IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 546mg | Iron: 1mg