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Southern Macaroni and cheese is one of my most favorite comfort foods. Homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch in less than 20 minutes. An easy southern macaroni and cheese stovetop recipe.
I’m not talking that yucky boxed stuff. Oh no, no, no….that simply will not do!
I prefer to make my macaroni and cheese from scratch, on the stovetop. You won’t believe how incredibly easy it is to make!
Why make Mac and cheese from scratch?
Honestly, making homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch tastes SO much better than any box mix on the market. Not to mention, it is so much better for you.
There is so much gunk that goes into boxed macaroni and cheese, just read the list of ingredients. Mac and cheese is supposed to be simple. All you need are a few ingredients like cheese, milk, and pasta noodles. That’s it! There is no reason for it to be complicated.
The best part is that one can make good, homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch in just about the same amount of time needed to prepare a store-bought boxed brand.
So today I’m finally dishing my secret to quick & easy southern style macaroni and cheese that can be made on the stove in less than 20 minutes.
Does it matter what type of cheese I use when cooking southern macaroni and cheese?
Here in the south, we always use sharp cheddar cheese. If you don’t like sharp cheddar cheese you can of course substitute it for a milder cheddar or other type of cheese that you prefer.
However, the classic southern style macaroni and cheese will always use some amount of sharp cheddar cheese. But don’t let that stop your creativity. Mix a variety of cheeses together and see what you come up with.
Block Cheese is Better when making homemade macaroni and cheese
I know buying pre-shredded cheese saves a little bit of time when cooking but the solid block of cheese is better for making macaroni and cheese.
Pre-shredded cheese is coated with something to prevent it from sticking together. This coating, however, makes the cheese sauce in homemade macaroni and cheese less smooth.
If pre-shredded is all you got, it can be used but shredding cheese from a block is preferred.
What is the easiest way to shred your own cheese?
When it comes to shredding cheese there is a variety of different ways you can do it. You could grate cheese by hand using a cheese grater or rotary cheese grater that has a hand crank.
There are also electronic shredders available that I think are worth the investment if you plan to grate a lot of your own cheese, like I do.
A food processor is a great small kitchen appliance to have for all stay at home chefs. I have the KitchenAid Food Processor attachment that I use on my stand mixer. It works quite well at shredding blocks of cheese for recipes like my homemade macaroni and cheese casserole.
Southern Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups elbow macaroni noodles uncooked
- 8 oz Colby Jack cheese shredded
- 8 oz Sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook 4 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni noodles according to package directions. Drain with a colander. Set aside.
- In the pot that you cooked the elbow macaroni noodles, melt 4 tbsp of butter on medium heat.
- Add the flour to melted butter and stir until combined with the butter. Cook for 1-2 minutes then add milk and salt.
- Continue cooking the milk and butter flour mixture on low-medium heat*, stirring regularly until it begins to thicken and bubble slightly.
- Stir continuously as it thickens and add in the cheese. Continue stirring until all of the cheese is melted.
- Add the cooked macaroni noodles to the cheese sauce and stir to coat all of the noodles.
- Serve as a side dish or a main dish (Mac & Cheese Night is a favorite in our house). Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook this recipe between low and medium heat (setting 3 on stovetop)*: cook your milk, butter, and flour mixture on a setting between low and medium on your stovetop. If you cook it on low it will take a long time for the milk mixture to reach the right temperature to thicken and on the opposite end if you cook on medium heat the milk will reach temperature too quickly and could create a gritty texture. The sweet spot to cook this recipe is between low and medium, on my stovetop it is a 3.
- This recipe makes a BIG pot of macaroni and cheese. If you do not want to make a lot of macaroni and cheese or just need enough for a side dish and not a main dish then you can half the recipe.
- Check out my favorite kitchen gadgets on Amazon.
Want more delicious southern recipes?
Check out these other family favorite recipes.
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I made it and loved it. Don’t like the blue box but it was fast. The Bob Evan’s brand is better than blue box but is even fast. This recipe is awesome.
I bought the cheese triangles to grated it in my food processor and that was THE best way.
Thanks for the recipe!
I made this tonight and it was so good and so much easier to make then my baked Mac and cheese recipe. My husband doesn’t eat Mac and cheese so I shared with my brother and neighbors and they all loved it. Thank You so much for sharing I will make this recipe for now on.
Made it, kids approved.
This was so delicious and easy to make. A big hit with the family
This look delicious and love that you can make it on the stove top! I make my grandmas recipe but am always up to a new version!
Oh my goodness! How creamy are these mac and cheese! My family will love it!
Love this style of mac n cheese, especially with a touch of some sweet BBQ sauce!
The word “stovetop” caught my attention! It looks cheesy, creamy, and delicious.
Wow! This looks absolutely delicious and tasty! I would really like to try this awesome recipe!
I love mac n cheese. I’ve never tried to make homemade though. I’ll have to try making this for me and my son.
This recipe looks absolutely delicious, and the creamy texture makes it enticing and tempting!
We are huge fans of cheesy noodles in my house. I can’t wait to try this, it looks so amazing!
I had tried this recipe before. But this time some of the indrigents are looking different. I will try it too.
Mac and cheese is one of my favorite comfort meals! I love finding a good homemade recipe!
Colby Jack is a great addition to mac and cheese. This looks delicious, and I’m sure my kids would love it too.
My son loves making mac and cheese. I will print this recipe for him.
Yum, this looks incredible! I have been looking for a delicious mac and cheese recipe.
Thanks for sharing! This looks amazing! I’m all for a good mac n cheese recipe! There’s just something about the homemade version that can’t be beat.
My family loves mac and cheese, looking forward to trying this recipe.
A pound of uncooked elbow macaroni pasta is a little over 3 cups. In this recipe I would reduce the ingredients just a little bit since you are making less pasta.
My cheese sauce is gritty, but I did exactly what you said. I used block cheese, so it didn’t have any of that powder that processed cheese has. I’m not sure where I went wrong.
Slicing up a block of cheese will definitely make better Mac and cheese versus using the pre-shredded cheese.
A few tips:
1. don’t cook it on very high heat. Instead, you should be making your cheese sauce between low and medium heat. If it is on low (the first setting on your stovetop) it will take forever to thicken but if it is on medium it will heat the milk too quickly and cause it to curdle. I’ve found the sweet spot is right in the middle between low and medium, on my stovetop it is a 3.
2. Whisk while the milk is heating up and thickening. Whisking while it is starting to thicken will help prevent any lumps and allow for a smoother cheese sauce.
I hope these tips help.
How many people does this serve
About 6-8 or more depending on serving size.
Is the 4 cup measurement for macaroni before or after cooking – I mean, do I cook 4 cups, or do I cook 2 cups to get the 4 cups cooked.
The recipe does call for 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni noodles. The first step in the recipe is to cook the 4 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni noodles according to the package directions, drain in a colander and set aside while you prepare the cheese sauce.