Easy Stovetop Mac And Cheese

Cheese Sauce

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Slowly stir in 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, & 1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard. Whisk constantly for 1-2 minutes until mixture becomes a golden color.

Slowly pour in 5 cups of milk. Whisking to prevent lumping. Bring it to a boil. The base needs to come to a boil in order to thicken up.

Turn heat down to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until it becomes thick and creamy.

Turn off the heat. Add 4-5 cups good quality shredded cheddar (my son’s love it extra cheesy and I use 5 cups but 4 cups is delicious too). Stir until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.I highly recommend shredding your own cheddar cheese when making mac and cheese. The pre-shredded store bought cheese has a coating on it so it doesn’t melt as creamy; it will still taste fine though.

Then pour that incredible cheesy sauce over your pasta!

Tip: I save about a cup of the cheese sauce if I know we aren’t going to be eating the entire pot for dinner and there will be leftovers. When we reheat the mac and cheese the next day I add some of the extra sauce.

Toasted Breadcrumbs

One of the best things about oven baked mac and cheese is that crunchy topping…right?? Just because we are making it stovetop doesn’t mean we have to miss out! To make a quick crispy topping, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add 3/4 cups seasoned bread crumbs. Stir until the crumbs turn golden brown and look toasted. Keep your eye on it because it can go from toasted to burnt very quickly.

You can either just sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto the tops of the individual servings or pour the entire pot of macaroni and cheese into a large casserole and spoon the breadcrumbs over it and serve family style.

Make a batch of my Blondies for dessert! (You've already had all that gooey deliciousness...what's a few more calories??)

Enjoy!

Jennifer