by Diana Rattray
If you don’t have time to make a thickened cheese sauce, this simple macaroni and cheese is a great solution. With only 4 ingredients, you get all the great cheesy flavor in a few minutes of prep time.
Use cheddar cheese or a blend of cheeses, such as American and cheddar, or cheddar jack. Or add some cream cheese or Boursin for extra creaminess.
This penne pasta casserole is another meat-free dish, or you might like Instant Pot macaroni and cheese.
PrintSimple Macaroni and Cheese
This recipe is the perfect solution if you crave macaroni and cheese but don’t have time to make a cheese sauce. Combine the cooked macaroni with the cheese, cream, butter, and seasonings, and bake!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Pasta, Cheese
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked, about 8 ounces)
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups half-and-half (or light cream)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (8 ounces – cheddar or a blend )
- 4 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and the macaroni. Lower the heat to maintain the boil and cook for the amount of time recommended on the package.
- Transfer half of the macaroni to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and about half of the pepper. Top with half of the cheese and half of the butter pieces.
- Top the cheese layer with the remaining cooked macaroni, salt and pepper, the remaining cheese, and the remaining butter.
- Pour the half-and-half or light cream evenly over the casserole.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes.
