This homemade macaroni and cheese is so creamy and extra cheesy. Made on the stovetop, this single serving mac and cheese recipe is easy to make and can be ready in minutes. It’s the perfect size for one person!
If there’s one recipe every home cook should have in their arsenal of recipes, it should be a glorious homemade macaroni and cheese recipe; one that can be pulled out the instant a craving hits for cheesy, creamy pasta.
Macaroni and cheese is classic comfort food and since this easy mac and cheese recipe takes just minutes to make, it’s a recipe you can enjoy making over and over again.
Truly, it takes about the same amount of time to make this classic mac and cheese as it does to make the kind from a box – and this version is so much better homemade!
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Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
The Pasta
This homemade mac and cheese recipe begins with the pasta. I like to use elbow macaroni but use your favorite pasta shape. As long as it’s a pasta shape that’s good at holding onto the sauce, it’ll be a good choice.
Other favorite pasta types include fusilli, rotini, and shells.
You’ll want to cook 2-ounces of pasta until it’s al dente and has a little bite. After it’s cooked and drained, set it aside and make the cheese sauce.
The Cheese Sauce
To make the glorious cheese sauce for your mac and cheese you will need:
- butter
- all purpose flour
- milk
- shredded cheddar cheese
- salt
- dry mustard
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How To Make Macaroni and Cheese
Follow these easy steps for making the best macaroni and cheese:
Step 1
Begin By Making A Roux
Don’t let the word “roux” scare you. A roux is a fancy French term and shouldn’t intimidate you. The purpose of a roux is to thicken a sauce and in this recipe, it’s a simple mixture of equal parts melted butter and flour.
As the butter melts in a small saucepan, whisk in the flour to form a thick, smooth paste. Cook the roux for a minute or so.
Step 2
Whisk in the milk
Slowly pour the milk into the roux while whisking. As the milk heats, the clumps of flour will smooth out and the sauce will thicken.
Continue to cook the sauce for about 5 minutes.
Pro Tip: You can use any percentage of milk you like. Unsweetened almond milk also works well in this recipe.
Step 3
Add The Cheese
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese and dry mustard.
I happen to love the flavor that the dry mustard imparts. You don’t have to use it in your mac and cheese version however, I highly recommend it.
Step 4
Pour The Sauce Over The Pasta And Enjoy!
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As you can see, this is truly an easy stovetop mac and cheese recipe.
If you like a crisp, buttery topping for your macaroni and cheese, just transfer the mac and cheese into a small oven safe dish or ramekin and sprinkle a tablespoon of seasoned breadcrumbs over the top. Cut a tablespoon of butter into little pieces and place the pieces of butter over the top of the breadcrumbs and bake the macaroni and cheese in the oven (350 degrees F /177 degrees C) for a few minutes until the butter melts and the topping is golden.
What To Serve With Macaroni And Cheese
Although I could eat macaroni and cheese all by itself and be quite happy doing so, you might like to enjoy any of these dishes with yours…
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This macaroni and cheese is so creamy and delicious. It’s a single serving recipe but the ingredients can be doubled to yield two servings.
Other Single Serving Pasta Recipes
Baked Pasta With Roasted Vegetables
I used a 1 quart saucepan to make this mac and cheese, for best results use a pot of a similar size.
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (or other pasta shape)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk (use any percentage or almond milk)
- 1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a small 1-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture thickens and there are no lumps.
- Stir in the cheese, the dry mustard, and the salt and continue stirring until the cheese has melted.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the pasta.Best if enjoyed immediately.The macaroni and cheese will be very creamy and will thicken even more as it cools.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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I’m not clear on 2 ounce of pasta. How would you measure it. Am so excited about your cook book coming out. I have wasted so much food not knowing how to downsize ingredients. Thanks again for taking out the guess work
Mary,
Thank you so much, we are so excited to share what we’ve been working on so long for our readers.
As for the pasta amount, 2 ounces is approximately 1/2 cup of elbow macaroni.
Joanie
I doubled it for 2. Loved the easy to follow recipe. I used lemon pepper in place of mustard. I wish I had fresh basil and/or chives to sprinkle on top. Thanks alot.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the mac and cheese, Leslie. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Joanie
My daughter loved this Mac and cheese. We made it with gluten free pasta and flour and it came out perfect. Also, we used smoked paprika instead of the dry mustard. Quick question. If I wanted to make this family style… Would you know how could I change the measurements? Thanks again for the recipe.
Hi Sandy,
I’m so happy you and your daughter loved the mac and cheese! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I have only doubled the recipe with success but haven’t tested the recipe beyond that.
Joanie
I loved this recipe! But I wasn’t clear on the 2oz of pasta, is that before or after cooking? I cooked the whole box and added the amount of cooked pasta that looked good. In the future, it would be nice not to have to cook the whole box, could you clarify the amount of pasta for me?
Hi Christine,
The recipe calls for 2-ounces of uncooked pasta.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to write.
Joanie
Thanks for the clarification.
I made this today for lunch and it was delicious! The next time, I may try it with a blend of cheeses and use the crumb topping as suggested. It was as easy, and a lot tastier, than the boxed mix! Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Have a wonderful week.
Joanie
Excellent!! Thank you Joanie
I love a good stovetop Mac & Cheese! And you are so right, everyone needs one in their arsenal. Yours was delicious and I always like to put crumbs on top of mine and brown it in the oven. This made the perfect side dish with my pork chops.
I love this recipe – cooking for one is an occasional thing for me, but I like to treat myself when the occasion does arise and will always turn to recipes like this. Thankyou for sharing it.
Great idea to create a recipe for one for this classic dish – when cooking just for myself sometimes the comfort cravings hit and recipes like this are just what I’m looking for.
I don’t like to buy an item to use for one time. My storage is full of those items. Can regular mustard be subbed for dry mustard? I know reg mustard has viniger and might affect taste of food. This is a question for your Mac and cheese.
Hi Howard,
You can leave out the dry mustard if you don’t have it on hand. It’ll still be wonderful.
Enjoy your weekend!
Joanie