Making macaroni and cheese from scratch is almost as easy as the boxed stuff. In fact, I had a reader tell me that she and her husband decided to race against each other – one making homemade mac and cheese and the other making it out of a box – and it took them the same amount of time!
And as an added bonus the homemade version tastes SO MUCH better (at least in my opinion). To be honest, I can’t even hardly eat the boxed stuff anymore because the taste of the powdered cheese just doesn’t cut it for me like it did in the old days.
I’ve shared a mac and cheese recipe on the blog before, but recently discovered a different way to make it (below).
One night I was actually making Fettuccine Alfredo as a side dish, but I didn’t have any fettuccine on hand so I used macaroni noodles instead. My younger daughter said “Oh mommy, thank you for making macaroni and cheese.” (one of her favorites), and I said “Well, this isn’t exactly ‘macaroni’ babe.”
But that gave me an idea. Instead of starting with a roux (butter and flour) to make macaroni maybe I could alter my Alfredo recipe and use less cream and lots more cheese for a new, creamy version of macaroni and cheese. And voila! Here you have it below…
Creamy (Whole-Wheat) Mac and Cheese
Making mac and cheese from scratch is almost as easy as the boxed stuff
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat macaroni, cooked according to package directions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus an extra tablespoon, divided
- 1 ¼ cups cheese, freshly grated (mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack or even better – a combination of different cheeses is highly recommended including a little Parmesan cheese if you have it)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pepper, to taste (this dish is great with pepper on top)
Instructions
- In the pot you used to boil the noodles, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the 1/3 cup of cream until well combined.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the noodles, cheese, salt and pepper and cook while stirring until the the cheese melts. Stir in the last tablespoon of cream at the end. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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Up until now, the kids have either preferred the stuff out of the blue box. They love this stuff! Very creamy and delicious!
I have been making this for a couple of years now, and my kids (and their parents) absolutely love it!! I use some White American from the deli, some Parmesan, and some cheddar. It’s always amazing.
Was not good. Made me sick to my stomach
And a little bit of prepared mustard. That is how we made it growing up – sharp cheese, mustard, and a bit of minced onion added to the hot pasta.
This dish is amazing! I used extra sharp cheddar and Colby Jack.
This sounds easy and wonderful! Curious – have you ever frozen your cream and then tried to use it for this type of recipe?
No, we have not.
What is nutritional values of this dish?
We do not provide those details. This post will help you see why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/healthy-eating-defined .
Did you add the cheeses off the heat or on a very low heat? This method works great for me.0
Add the cheese on low heat.
Can you clarify in the recipe that the 1.5 cups refers to dry macaroni? I had to read the comments to find that. The description in the recipe says cooked.
Hi there. It is 1.5 cups dry, then cooked according to directions.
Is this 1.5 cups cooked pasta? Or 1.5 cups before it’s cooked?
Before.