Easy Homemade Stove Top Mac N' Cheese

By: Mama J from A Little Bit Crunchy, A Little Bit Rock and Roll

I am a huge fan of baked macaroni and cheese recipes but sometimes you want your comfort food a little faster. This satisfying and rich Easy Homemade Stove Top Mac N' Cheese is easy enough to make any time and will have you ditching the blue box stuff.

Notes

For the cheese, I like to use a combination of a hard, flavorful cheese like sharp cheddar along with a softer cheese like Monterrey jack. If you like your macaroni and cheese spicy, try a combination of cheddar and pepper jack (eliminating the ground mustard and nutmeg.) Other cheese options are Swiss, Gouda, Parmesan, Asiago, and mozzarella. I grate my own cheese because I find pre-shredded cheese does not melt as well.

Additional toppings: toasted bread crumbs, cracked pepper, parsley, chopped tomatoes or salsa.

Ingredients

2 cups elbow macaroni
2 cups low fat milk (additional milk may be needed to thin the sauce)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard (optional)
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
pinch of salt
1 cup freshly grated cheese (see notes)

Instructions

Rinse the noodles under cold water and allow to drain. Add them into a medium sized sauce pan along with the milk, butter, salt, ground mustard and nutmeg.
Over medium heat, stir the noodles and milk mixture constantly. If you do not, the noodles will stick. Once the mixture begins to bubble, turn down the heat to low and slowly allow the milk to absorb into the noodles.
Continue stirring for about 15 minutes, until the milk is absorbed and the noodles are al dente. If the noodles still seem firm, add a little bit more milk and continue cooking.
When the milk is evaporated, turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Cover and allow it to sit for 5 more minutes. Serve immediately.