Mac & Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, and this recipe involves no roux or flour preparation! This one is super rich and takes just 30 minutes to make with just four ingredients: macaroni, cheese, milk and butter.
Jump to Recipe Print RecipeWhat’s better than homemade comfort food? Here it is – the simplest Macaroni and Cheese ever! Forget about the roux, forget about extra flour; this recipe only need FOUR things: macaroni noodles (I use a special kind that looks like little tubes), milk, butter, American cheese!
I prefer American cheese because it melts smoothly. Just add some butter and milk to the sauce and you’ll have an easy side dish ready in as little as half an hour. I’ve also used Velveeta or shredded mild cheddar.
My grandkids ARE CRAZY ABOUT this recipe. It’s made with very simple ingredients for little eaters.
MACARONI AND CHEESE INGREDIENTS
For making this macaroni and cheese recipe you just need four staples from your pantry!
- Pasta — I usually go with macaroni or elbow noodles but any pasta goes: penne, bowtie or fun shapes!
- American cheese
- Milk
- Butter
That’s IT! This quick macaroni and cheese can be served on a regular weeknight as a side dish or modified with bacon bits, broccoli florets, pulled pork or chicken for a complete meal
HOW TO MAKE MAC AND CHEESE WITHOUT A ROUX
1. When you cook your pasta for a first time, follow the directions and let it be just al dente.
2. Then drain the pasta but don’t blot it, starch is good!
3. Now put them back in the pot that is still warm with some butter, milk, cheese and a little black pepper on top of that.
4. Lastly warm up macaroni and cheese on low heat until totally melted and combined by stirring occasionally. You can always add more milk to make your mixture thinner or more cheese to make it thick!
5. The only way to get simpler than this mac and cheese recipe is by going out and buying those blue boxes from the store.
6. No flour, mustard or anything else which makes me squirm like “EWWW who puts THAT in their Mac and cheese?!”
6. No flour, mustard or anything else which makes me squirm like “EWWW who puts THAT in their Mac and cheese?!”
WHAT KIND OF CHEESE FOR MAC AND CHEESE WITHOUT FLOUR?
American cheese has the smoothest melting properties among all other cheeses while it also has a mild flavor with creamy texture which makes it most suitable for children.
Yes I know not everybody thinks American Cheese is real Cheese indeed some of these same people will not blink an eye when putting in what looks like plastic blocks of other processed cheeses into their Macaroni & Cheese or queso dip!
you could use Velveeta in case of an emergency for this macaroni and cheese recipe!
Sometimes when I come across cheddar shreds that have been left behind in the fridge, I usually add some but not a lot.
It is important to melt Cheddar over low heat. If heated too much, the cheese will break, turning gritty if melted too fast. That’s why most macaroni and cheese recipes start with a flour roux.
In case you prefer using cheddar cheese, always go for mild ones.
BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE
This simple no roux, no flour macaroni and cheese recipe can also be baked with a crunchy top!
To bake this simply place it into a casserole dish that has been greased and sprinkle with crushed crackers on top.
My cracker topping is made by combining saltine crackers together. To prepare a cracker crumb topping mix 1 cup of cracker crumbs with 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
When more topping is desired just make more crumb topping.
Bake at 350°F until golden brown crumbs .Serve immediately after baking .
This is where you want your cheddar cheese instead of crumbs! Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese then bake until the cheese has completely melted.
Perfect Macaroni and Cheese
Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings5
minutes20
minutes393
kcalMac & Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, and this recipe involves no roux or flour preparation! This one is super rich and takes just 30 minutes to make with just four ingredients: macaroni, cheese, milk and butter.
Ingredients
16 ounces dried pasta
4 tablespoons butter
16 ounces American cheese
1 ¼ cups milk
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
- Cook the pasta as per package instructions.
- Drain it, but don’t rinse.
- Put cooked pasta in a pan with butter, milk, cheese and pepper.
- It should be cooked on low heat while being stirred occasionally until all of the cheese melts, around 5 minutes.
Notes
- To Bake: Place macaroni and cheese in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees F until warmed through. Top this recipe with a crushed crumb topping or mild cheddar cheese.
Nutrition Facts
8 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories393
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
21.8g
34%
- Saturated Fat 12.3g 62%
- Cholesterol 100mg 34%
- Sodium 754mg 32%
- Total Carbohydrate
33g
11%
- Sugars 1.7g
- Protein 15.7g 32%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.