Ultra Creamy One Pot Mac and Cheese

close up shot of mac and cheese on serving spoon scooping out of pot

4.80 from 10 votes

This Mac and Cheese is smooth, creamy, cheesy and delicious. Better still, it's all made in one pot! PLEASE CHECK OUT THE NOTES BEFORE STARTING.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Large Pot & Wooden Spoon
Jug (for stock)
Cheese Grater

Ingredients

1lb / 500g Dried Macaroni
2 1/2 - 3 cups / 600 - 720ml Milk, at room temp, or as needed (I use semi-skimmed)
2 cups / 480ml Chicken Stock (not piping hot)
1 cup / 240ml Heavy/Double Cream, at room temp
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
1/4 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, White Pepper
4oz / 125g Cream Cheese, leave at room temp
2 1/2 cups / 250g Medium Cheddar (see notes)
1 cup / 100g Gruyere, grated
1/2 cup / 50g Mozzarella, shredded

Instructions

Add the macaroni to a large deep pot then pour in 2 1/2 cups / 600ml milk and all of the stock and cream. Stir in the mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and white pepper.
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook until the macaroni is al dente, stirring somewhat frequently. If the liquid dries out before the pasta cooks just add in a splash more milk to help it cook to al dente.
Turn the heat to low then stir in cream cheese until it melts. Str in the cheddar and gruyere then stir in the mozzarella. If the cheese is struggling to melt or the sauce is too thick, just thin it out with milk a splash at a time.
Check for seasoning and adjust if needed then serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Chicken Stock - I find this adds a nice depth of flavour. It's very subtle. However, you can sub water if you'd prefer.

b) Cheese - I'm team sharp cheddar all the way, but here I actually prefer a medium strength. I find it gives a much creamier flavour. The gruyere adds a nice nutty flavour, so do add that if you can (sub more cheddar if not). Mozzarella gives a nice cheese pull. Cream cheese obviously helps with the creaminess too.

c) Consistency - The liquid will definitely be enough to cook the pasta and melt the cheese. Depending on how thick your macaroni is, it might soak up a little more, leaving the cheese sauce quite thick. You can easily adjust this by adding in more milk (preferably warmed in the microwave) a splash at a time. I'd be very surprised if you find it too saucy (especially because it soaks up the sauce as it rests), but if you do, just pop the pot back on low heat. Don't over do it though as simmering the cheese sauce too much can make it go grainy.

d) Macaroni - Different brands have different cook times, meaning the pasta will absorb different amount of liquid. Again just use the milk to adjust the sauce as needed to ensure the pasta cooks through and the sauce isn't too thick.

e) How to avoid the sauce going grainy - here's 3 tips to ensuring the sauce doesn't turn out grainy:

Room temp - if the milk and cream are fridge cold, sometimes they can hurdle if they hit hot stock. Keeping them at room temp will help prevent this. You could also gently warm them in the microwave to bring them to room temp.
Heat - don't boil the pasta aggressively over high heat otherwise the milk and split. Also, once you stir in the cheese make sure the heat is on low or completely off.
Cheese - grate your own cheese. the pre-shredded packet stuff can sometimes turn the sauce grainy.

f) Calories - based on the whole recipe divided by 6. These will be fairly big portions (mainly because it's very rich).

Nutrition