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    Home » Family Style Dinners

    One Pot Mac and Cheese

    Published: Apr 9, 2019 » Modified: Jan 24, 2023 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 12 Comments

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    Ditch the blue box and it's endless ingredient list for this 20 minute, 9 ingredient REAL one pot mac and cheese. Your kids are going to love it and you don't have to worry about feeding them ingredients you can't pronounce!

    A white bowl filled with one pot macaroni and cheese
    Table of Contents show
    Instructions
    You'll Love This
    Pasta
    Tips
    Family Favorites
    One Pot Mac and Cheese

    Instructions

    You'll start by adding the uncooked noodles and cheese to a large pot.

    Collage of photos showing how to make one pot macaroni and cheese

    Then add butter, half and half and vegetable stock.

    Collage of photos showing how to make one pot macaroni and cheese

    Add garlic powder, onion powder and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Heat pot over medium high heat and bring to a simmer.

    Collage of photos showing how to make one pot macaroni and cheese

    Simmer over medium to medium low heat for 10 minutes or until noodles are cooked al dente and the sauce is thick and creamy.

    The combo of butter, half and half and veg stock is going to combine with the shredded cheddar to give you the creamiest, dreamiest mac and cheese you've ever tasted.

    A large pot of mac and cheese being stirred with a wooden spoon

    THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS. NO NEED TO BOIL THE NOODLES IN A SEPARATE POT!! This means one less dish for you to wash (actually two less if you use a strainer) - woohoo!

    Collage of photos showing a large pot of mac and cheese and a bowl of mac and cheese

    You'll Love This

    • Your kids are going to love it! I have yet to meet a child who has not instantly devoured this meal. And you're going to love it too! Mac and cheese is one of those classic meals that will always remind you of your childhood AND your toddler is guaranteed to love it too!
    • It cooks in one pot! Add all the ingredients to one pot, simmer away and dinner is done! I'm a HUGE fan of one pot pastas, but this one tops this list for easy prep and easy clean up!
    • It's got 9 REAL ingredients. The ingredient list is short and REAL. Real butter, half and half, cheese and noodles. No preservatives, no ingredients you can't pronounce and nothing to feel bad about feeding your child. This mac and cheese is as good as it gets!

    Pasta

    • shells
    • elbow macaroni
    • cavatappi
    • farfalle
    • campanelle
    • penne
    • rotelle
    • rotini

    Basically, any short cut of pasta is going to work well for this dish. Save your spaghetti and fettuccine noodles for another time though!

    Close up shot of one pot macaroni and cheese garnished with fresh parsley

    Tips

    • Depending on what brand of noodles you purchase, the cook time may vary slightly. I used these noodles and 10 minutes of simmering was perfect. If you find that your noodles are not quite done but your sauce is getting too thick, just add more half and half, veg stock or even milk.
    • Be sure to stir the mac and cheese every few minutes or so. This will ensure that the noodles don't get stuck to the bottom and that they cook evenly.
    • Feel free to use other kinds of cheese! Mac and cheese isn't just for kids and we make "adult versions" all the time. Try smoked gouda with crumbled bacon. Or freshly shredded Parmesan with steamed broccoli. Use this recipe as a blueprint and make it your own!
    Two white bowls filled with one pot macaroni and cheese

    Family Favorites

    • Lemon & Garlic One Pot Pasta
    • One Pot Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti
    • One Pot Sausage Rigatoni
    • Mediterranean One Pot Pasta
    • One Pot Smoked Gouda & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
    Print

    One Pot Mac and Cheese

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    ★★★★★

    4.8 from 5 reviews

    Ditch the blue box and it's endless ingredient list for this 20 minute, 9 ingredient REAL macaroni and cheese. Your kids are going to love it and you don't have to worry about feeding them ingredients you can't pronounce!

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
    • Category: Main Dish
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 16 oz. medium shells
    • 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, shredded
    • 16 oz. half and half
    • 32 oz. vegetable stock
    • 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

    Instructions

    1. Add all ingredients to a large pot. Stir to combine and turn the heat to medium high.
    2. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium or medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
    3. Stir the mac and cheese frequently so that the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
    4. You'll know it's done when the noodles are al dente and the sauce is thick and creamy.

    Notes

    Depending on what brand of noodles you purchase, the cook time may vary slightly. I used these noodles and 10 minutes of simmering was perfect. If you find that your noodles are not quite done but your sauce is getting too thick, just add more half and half, veg stock or even milk.

    Be sure to stir the mac and cheese every few minutes or so. This will ensure that the noodles don't get stuck to the bottom and that they cook evenly.

    Feel free to use other kinds of cheese! Mac and cheese isn't just for kids and we make "adult versions" all the time. Try smoked gouda with crumbled bacon. Or freshly shredded Parmesan with steamed broccoli. Use this recipe as a blueprint and make it your own!

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 324
    • Sugar: 4.4 g
    • Sodium: 641.9 mg
    • Fat: 12.4 g
    • Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
    • Trans Fat: 0.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 40.3 g
    • Fiber: 1.5 g
    • Protein: 12.4 g
    • Cholesterol: 33.9 mg

    Keywords: easy mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, stove top mac and cheese

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kimmy

      December 10, 2020 at 6:27 am

      This is so creamy and delicious. I love that it’s so easy to make and the whole family loves it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        December 10, 2020 at 9:19 am

        I am so glad to hear that, Kimmy! This is one of our family's favorites too! Thanks for leaving a review - I really appreciate it 🙂

        Reply
    2. Mary Stevenson

      April 12, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      Being Vegan what can you substitute for half and half?

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        April 12, 2020 at 7:52 pm

        I would try coconut milk! I've had good success with that in pasta dishes. Perhaps add a touch more of the spices to counteract the coconut flavor, but I think that would work. Or try a vegan heavy cream or half and half if you can find one!

        Reply
    3. Vixandra

      February 10, 2020 at 8:59 pm

      First try making this but it turned out ok. I have to use sodium-free chicken broth because of hubby's heart issues but otherwise followed the recipe. Will make again.

      ★★★★

      Reply
    4. Ashley

      August 02, 2019 at 9:34 pm

      Oh my goodness! Ridiculously easy and super tasty. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        August 03, 2019 at 4:14 pm

        Thank you so much Ashley! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it - this is one of our favorites!!

        Reply
    5. Sarah | Well and Full

      April 10, 2019 at 10:19 am

      I love that this is made in one pot!! I need to try this ASAP 🙂

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        April 10, 2019 at 10:22 am

        One pot dinners give me life during the week!! I look to cook and make messes on the weekend but during the week I need fast, simple and easy and this recipe checks all of those boxes! Thanks Sarah!!

        Reply
    6. Kylie Lato

      April 09, 2019 at 9:14 am

      Another quick and easy family favorite dinner from Midwest Foodie!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Luke

      April 09, 2019 at 9:11 am

      So easy and delicious!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        April 09, 2019 at 9:14 am

        You got that right!!!

        Reply

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

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    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

    More about me →

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