Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Name: Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 1 lb uncooked pasta (I used cavatappi*); 3 cups water; 2 cups milk; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 1 tsp garlic powder; 2 to 4 cups (8 to 16 ounces) freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese (see note below); 1 cup (1 ounce) finely-grated Parmesan cheese; freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

My favorite one-pot stovetop mac and cheese recipe can be ready to go in less than 30 minutes and always tastes perfectly creamy, cheesy and so comforting.

⏱ 20 min 🔨 Prep 5min 🔥 Cook 15min 📊 Easy 🍽 4 servings ⭐ 4.7 (249) 👁 6

Ingredients

4 servings

1 lb uncooked pasta (I used cavatappi*)
3 cups water
2 cups milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 to 4 cups (8 to 16 ounces) freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese (see note below)
1 cup (1 ounce) finely-grated Parmesan cheese
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Combine the pasta, water, milk, Dijon, sea salt and garlic powder in a large stockpot. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring the pasta once every few minutes, until the water reaches a boil. Adjust heat as needed to maintain a rolling boil. Continue cooking the pasta, stirring once or twice per minute, until the pasta is *just* barely al dente. (Cooking time will depend on the shape of pasta that you use, so please keep a close eye on it.) Remove pot from heat.
Check to see how much starchy pasta water remains in the pot. If it seems that there is more than 1/2 cup or so, dip a heatproof measuring cup in to remove and save the excess water, then set it to the side. (If by chance there is no starchy pasta water left, please add 1/2 cup hot water to the pot.)
Add the cheese to the pasta and gently stir until completely melted. If the pasta seems too dry, stir some of the reserved starchy pasta water back in as needed.
Taste and season with additional salt if needed.
Serve. Serve warm, garnished with a few twists of black pepper and enjoy!

💰 Cost Estimate

Total Ingredients
$72.00

Per Serving
$18.00/serving

🏠 Savings
~$144.00 vs buying!

📋 Price Breakdown (67% ingredients detected)

Ingredient	Amount	Subtotal
uncooked pasta	1 lb	$39.00
water	3 cups	-
milk	2 cups	$21.00
Dijon mustard	1 tsp	$4.00
fine sea salt	1 tsp	$1.00
garlic powder	1 tsp	$7.00
to 4 cups	2	-
	1 cup	-
freshly-ground black pepper	-	-