This easy stovetop mac & cheese recipe is my family’s favourite macaroni and cheese. You’ll love that it can go it in the oven at the end for a crispy top baked version.
This Family Favourite Macaroni and Cheese recipe is creamy, cheesy and simple to make.
Years ago I wrote about the homemade macaroni and cheese recipe that has been a family favourite since long before I was born. It was dubbed Macaroni Nonie by my eldest brother Geoffrey. My entire family still refers to it as Macaroni Nonie and my kids have always considered my mom’s version the best of the best.
In my memory, mom always made Macaroni Nonie in a ribbed stoneware casserole dish that is the colour of molasses. She had a nesting set of three matching dishes that were a gift from her sister when I was a baby.
This past summer my mom gave those dishes to me, and all sorts of family food memories came flooding back. The best of course is of Macaroni Nonie, but I can’t shake the memory of a cheese soufflé that I dreaded all through high school. Both were baked in the same dish and looked similar in the oven so I could only hope for the best when I spied the dish in use.
If you’re rushed for time, skip the baking step.
This family favourite Macaroni and Cheese recipe is creamy, cheesy and simple to make. The stove top cheese sauce takes just a few minutes to make and you can mix in different kinds of cheese. I rarely use macaroni for this recipe (penne is my favourite). Any type of hollow pasta is great for this recipe since it catches the cheese sauce inside.
If we’re rushed for time we skip the baking step. It becomes an easy stovetop mac and cheese that’s quick and delicious. If you have time to tuck it in the oven you’ll get to enjoy the crispy topping — one of my favourite parts.
Family Favourite Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Course: VegetarianDifficulty: Easy4 – 6
servings25
minutes25
minutesIf you’re rushed for time skip the baking step. It becomes an easy stovetop mac and cheese that’s quick and delicious.
Ingredients
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
1 heaping tsp. of Dijon mustard or mustard powder
½ tsp. onion powder
2 1/2 cups milk (1% or 2%)
2 cups shredded cheese (extra old cheddar and a bit of grated parmesan)
Freshly ground pepper
¾ of a pound of pasta, your favourite shape
½ tsp. paprika
8-10 soda crackers, crushed by hand
A few dabs of butter
Directions
- Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and continue to stir for 1-2 minutes
- Stir in mustard and onion powder. Using a whisk, add about ¼ cup of the milk, stirring well.
- Still using the whisk, add the rest of the milk.
- Keep stirring until it comes to a gentle boil and starts to thicken (about five minutes).
- Let it thicken a bit more and then stir in the cheese.
- Continue to stir until the cheese has almost melted.
- Remove from heat.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Toss with cheese sauce and scrape into a casserole dish. Sprinkle with paprika, crushed crackers and a few dabs of butter.
- Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
