Easy 3 Ingredient Mac and Cheese
This 3 Ingredient Mac and Cheese is comfort food made simple. Utterly creamy, loaded with ooey gooey cheese, and made in one pot!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried elbow macaroni
- 24 ounces whole milk 3 cups
- 8 ounces finely shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine milk and pasta. Stir. Bring to a boil slowly over medium heat stirring occasionally. Do not walk away from the stove. Once milk comes to a boil, reduce to simmer until pasta is cooked al dente (cooked but firm to the bite).
- Sprinkle in cheese and stir until cheese is completely melted. Turn off burner and cover pot while you are cleaning up, about 5-6 minutes to allow sauce to thicken.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. (I actually add about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon fresh ground course black pepper).
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Use full fat milk in this recipe. If you choose to go with a low-fat (2% or skim milk) you will want to cook more slowly and add in a little corn starch.
Do NOT add salt until the end, adding it too soon will result in a grainy mac and cheese (caused by the milk curdling, which is fine to eat but not as pleasant). For an über rich mac and cheese you can use heavy cream or half and half.
Feel free to add spices as desired at the end. A sprinkle of parsley goes a long way for added freshness.
Add your favorite cheeses, I have used sharp cheddar, mild cheddar and extra sharp. I usually use about half sharp and half mild for my perfect flavor. Also note, the pre-shredded cheese you can buy at the store has a corn starch like coating on it that may cause your cheese sauce to be super thick. You can add an extra splash of milk to thin it out a little.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 544cal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 439mg | Sugar: 10g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 622mg | Iron: 1mg