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two white bowls of macaroni and cheese with black pepper on concrete background
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Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Sauce

Delicious creamy, smooth and cheesy homemade macaroni and cheese on the stove top.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to melt cheese for mac and cheese, mac and cheese sauce.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 259kcal
Author: Erin
Cost: $4

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces dry elbow shells, or cellentani pasta
  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese or white cheddar shredded off block
  • 2 oz American cheese or cream cheese
  • ½ cup starchy pasta water reserved, optional
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salted. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  • Right before draining, ladle out ½ cup of that starchy water for later. Drain, pasta in a colander, and leave set aside for now.
  • In the same pan, on low heat, add the butter, American cheese or cream cheese, milk and shredded cheddar. Stir until melted and smooth. Keep heat on lowest setting to melt the cheese.
  • Turn off the heat. Toss until silky and coated, and salt (if necessary) and pepper to taste and serve right away.
  • Only if necessary and sauce seems too thick, ladle in a bit of the pasta water and stir to loosen up.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 1mg