My macaroni and cheese recipe testing quest continued this weekend with a recipe provided to me by Marissa of Mama Sparkles, courtesy of her sister.
She provided me the recipe weeks ago and I regret waiting this long to try it. It’s definitely the creamiest macaroni and cheese recipe I’ve made yet and I really enjoyed it. There were a few more steps compared to some of the other recipes I tried, but worth it.
FH absolutely loved this one. Out of the four attempts, this one is his favorite. I think it’s my second favorite, just behind this one. But it’s a close call.
I followed the recipe Mama Sparkles gave me except that I didn’t do the final step of placing the macaroni and cheese in the oven because I wanted to keep it completely as a stove top recipe. This only lasted one meal. Next time I’m going to double the recipe. Thanks Marissa for providing me with this recipe!
You might like my baked macaroni and cheese, too!
Super Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups macaroni or baby shells
- 2 1/2 cups 2% milk
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 cups grated light cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, position rack on top shelf in oven and preheat broiler to high. In a medium-size bowl, whisk milk with Dijon, salt and cayenne. Melt butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Mixture will be dry and very lumpy. Gradually add milk mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly between additions to beat out any lumps. Stir often until mixture comes to a boil, 3 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and gradually stir in 1-1/2 cups cheese. Continue stirring until melted.
- When macaroni is cooked, drain well. Do not rinse. Stir into cheese sauce. Mixture will be very creamy and saucy.
- It’s great as is or turn into an 8-inch baking dish. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Broil on top rack of preheated oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I tried this recipe and it came out floury and not creamy at all 🙁 I used spicy brown mustard instead of Dijon and cooked the milk mixture down longer than suggested. I also added a little more cheese to it and used skim milk. Could any of these be the problem?
It could be some of the changes you made, like cooking the milk mixture down further. Also did you completely dissolve the flour? I didnt have problems with the recipe coming out floury. But changing the ratio of ingredients, or cooking the milk down too much could probably account for the issues you experienced.
I have some leftover cheese from a party, I’m going to make this now!
I hope you liked it!
I did a really similar recipe not too long ago – I used Irish cheddar and gorgonzola for my cheeses – it was really good, one of Martha Stewart’s recipes.
Ooh nice. I like the idea of adding other types of cheeses. Though I rarely have different ones in my house.
Macaroni cheese is my absolute favourite thing, and this looks amazing! I’ve never tried putting mustard in it before, but I bet it’s the special ingredient that makes it taste amazing 🙂
Most of the stove top recipes I’ve come across require mustard or mustard powder. I never used to used mustard powder but after coming across so many recipes requiring it, I went ahead and bought a small container. I think it really helps with the taste of the cheese sauce so it’s not so one dimensional. Making it much more of a grown up macaroni and cheese taste.
Oh no, there’s mustard in the recipe. (one of the banes of my existence next to horseradish and wasabi) :ppp Do you think it would make a big difference if I omitted it?
I guess you can omit it but I think it really helps the mac and cheese sauce adding another level of taste. I’m not a huge fan of mustard but I didn’t think you actually taste mustard in the macaroni. Most of the recipes I’ve come across use mustard or mustard powder. I actually used mustard powder because i didn’t have any mustard. I recommend you trying mustard powder. It really adds something to the sauce.