Stovetop Mac and Cheese
A quick and easy, no-fuss mac and cheese made in less than 30 min. Comfort food never tasted so good!
About 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant, and I’ve been incredibly blessed to not be included in this percentage. As you could imagine, dairy is a huge part of our diet, loaded with calcium, potassium, protein, and vitamin A among many other important nutrients that keep the body in optimum health. And when purchasing dairy products, I only buy products with the REAL® Seal, which lets me know that I am buying products with the wholesome goodness of the U.S.-produced cow’s milk.
So in an effort to incorporate real dairy products into my diet, that’s how this mac and cheese was born. But this isn’t your ordinary mac and cheese. It’s a mac and cheese that will blow. your. mind. And it comes together in 30 minutes. Yeah, it’s that easy. Topped with a super crunchy bread crumb topping tossed with fresh herbs, you’ll have a light, cheesy mac and cheese with a spicy, Creole kick. I honestly can’t get over that batch of Emeril’s Creole seasoning and I’ve been adding it to everything. And you know what – it works! Creole spiciness in mac and cheese is the absolute best, and such a fun spin on the traditional version!
Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ½ cup Panko*
- ½ teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1 ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 8 ounces fusilli pasta
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add Panko and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, about 3 minutes; stir in thyme and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cheeses and cornstarch; set aside.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until well combined. Stir in cheese mixture, evaporated milk and Emeril’s Essence until cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, topped with toasted Panko.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by REAL® Seal. All opinions expressed are my own.
Everyone seems to have a bunch of different recipes for mac and cheese, but I thought this was especially delicious. Super creamy and cheesy and outstanding flavor! Even better, it was fairly quick to whip up for a weeknight side.
You don’t have to add anything to the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks, right?
Yummy.
This was so delicious. We all loved it. Thanks a lot.
What is the nutritional info for this mac and cheese? Thanks!
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I want to make this ahead of time for an upcoming camping trip.
Have you tried reheating it?
I actually have not – sorry!
Why do you add cornstarch to the cheese?
It makes the cheese bind better, for a creamier, smoother texture 🙂
If you buy block cheese and grate it or cube it yourself to melt in, then you don’t need to add cornstarch. Pre-packaged shredded cheese has an anti-caking powder on it so it stays nicely shredded; therefore, you need cornstarch to offset that 🙂
Can you use regular milk instead of evaporated milk?
Yes.
Can I use flour instead of cornstarch?
Yes, absolutely.
Looks delicious! Do you happen to know how many calories this is?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, it is best that you use free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information.
Can this be made in a Crock Pot?
Lindsey, it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide. Hope that helps!
Girrrl… your food pics… I keep coming back here when I’m hungry lol.
Keep it up 🙂
This looks great! But I’m confused about the cooking? It says cook time is 20 minutes? Is that just mainly the boiling? Or does it cook on stovetop for 20 minutes?
Chelsea, the 20 minute time frame is a rough estimate. Specific cook time is indicated in the recipe.
This is amazing! Just made it for dinner tonight, and everyone loved it! Another recipe of yours that is wonderful!!!
This was awesome! Love that it’s ready in 15 minutes and I have the ingredients in my house already!!
Made this today. I followed it exactly except added some caramelized onions. Wonderful recipe. Thank you!
SUPER quick and EASY!! SO delicious! It was a huge hit with the kiddo’s! I needed it to serve 6, so I doubled the pasta, and 1.5 almost everything else. I think next time, I won’t double the cheese & just stick with the 4 serving amount for that part. Be sure to save some pasta water to thin out the sauce if it’s too thick!
Just made this!!! OH MY GOODNESS!! This is the best Mac and cheese Of my life!!! Make it, pin it, tell a friend. This will change your world!!!
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Hi, this Mac and Cheese looks amazing! I live in Australia and i have no idea where i cand find Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning. Is there a substitute i can use?
You can actually make Emeril’s Essence with pantry spices. Here’s the recipe: https://damndelicious.net/2013/09/17/potato-corn-chowder/.
Made this today and it was soooo yummy. Thanks for sharing.
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This recipe looks delicious! What do you think would be a better addition? Cooked diced bacon or some jalapeno sausage? I like the texture of bacon but think it might taste different in a spicy sauce. Jalapeno sausage seems like a good taste choice but I want it to be crisp.
Oh I don’t know – they both sound amazing! I honestly don’t think you could go wrong with either of them.
Oh yummy! This looks absolutely delicious. I love a good mac and cheese.
is the evaporated milk a key ingredient, or do you think i could substitute with something else? what could i use? i don’t like to use something canned if i can help it. thanks!
Olivia, you can substitute milk for the evaporated milk, although the taste/texture may change just a tiny bit.
I made this Mac and cheese with a few changes of my own but it turned out great absolutely the best home made Mac and cheese I’ve ever had. My kids also loved it.
We loved this stovetop mac and cheese! It was probably the creamiest I’ve ever had, and so simple to make! Cornstarch! Who knew?! Thanks for the delicious recipe. It was a hit and now my go to stovetop version. 😉 – Justine
I served this minus the breadcrumbs (my kiddos don’t like the breadcrumbs (yet;0) aside some honey butter chicken and it was fabulous and so easy to prepare. Will use again! Thank you !
Hi Chung-Ah!
This looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I’m trying to save it to my Ziplist, but every time I click Save recipe, it brings up a dead pop-up. Is it just my browser or is there a problem with the link? Please help! I neeeeeeed this Mac and Cheese!
It might be your browser. It’s working fine on my end. I hope that helps!
Recipe was great and super creamy! One suggestion for those reading – don’t use pre-shredded cheese as it has anti-clumping additives which you can taste quite a bit in the end…
I want my mind blown. Pinned for later!
I’m asking your mac and cheese to marry me. We must spend our lives together.
Creamy mac and cheese on the stovetop and in 30 minutes? Count me in!
OH yum!! This mac & cheese looks fantastic 🙂 I can’t wait to give it a taste!
This Asian is happy not to be lactose intolerant (I didn’t realize the number was so high)! This mac & cheese looks great and love how easy it is.
YUUUUUM!!! I usually use milk instead of evaporated milk, but I’ve seen recipes with it and have been curious. I need to try using it next time!
It would be SO hard to be lactose intolerance, I’d probably just eat it any way and deal with the consequences! Especially for something this tasty!
I’m sure I would just deal with the consequences afterwards too!
Um yes! This looks incredibly delicious! And all those panko breadcrumbs on top – want it for breakfast.
I now will go to bed dreaming of this! Yum!
Oh, heck yes!! I add Emeril’s seasoning to my mac & cheese too. A LOT of Emeril’s seasoning. I love it when it’s pretty spicy, but still nice and cheese. I love this stovetop version, Chung-Ah!
Love this recipe. Thank yo.
One of my kids favorite ways to make this.. heavy cream and shredded cheddar with pasta. Couldn’t be any easier. The breadcrumbs are a nice touch!
I love to make this a little more grown up meal by adding crab 🙂
That sounds amazing! I definitely need to try this again with crab, or even lobster!
I am drooling! Stove top mac and cheese sounds perfect, especially with the touch of spice.
I need this mac & cheese in my life, love the panko topping!
The panko is the best! The crispiness really goes hand-in-hand with the ooey gooey cheesiness!
So… I need this!!! Pwease 🙂
Come on over, friend! There’s a bowl here with your name on it 🙂
I really under stand the problem of lactose in Asian families. I do not have one, but my sister, mother and grandmother are all lactose sensitive. I could not live without cheese and milk but maybe because I got my dads genes.
So great and love the addition of creole
One of my favorite meals of all time! I LOVE THIS! 30 minutes with a spicy kick… delicious!!
90%?! WOW! This is only Asian Americans? Or Asians in general? I’m shocked! I love my dairy!! 🙂
I couldn’t believe the percentage either! And the 90% refers to Asian Americans. I can’t even imagine what the percentage would be in Asia!
Seriously WICKED Mac & Cheese, Chung-Ah! Love that kick-in-the-pants heat. Thanks for sharing, girl. Pinning!
The kick-in-the-pants heat is definitely the star in this mac and cheese!
I do believe I could eat buckets full of this Mac and cheese! I love the thyme.
Mac and cheese was meant to be eaten in buckets! 🙂
I’ve been craving mac and cheese, but my microwave broke! This is a great recipe, thanks for posting it up!
I am slightly lactose intolerant but it doesn’t stop me from eating mac and cheese. Love this!
YUM! Nothing beats good old stove top mac and cheese!
We had mac and cheese last night but it was NOT as cheesy creamy awesome as this! Need to try your recipe!!
90%? Really? That makes me wonder about the percentage of Asians in Asia itself! We’re not very good at getting ourselves diagnosed with allergies and intolerance (I can make a joke here about so many things but I’ll leave it there). I’m loving every single skillet Mac & Cheese recipe I’m seeing these days.
Single skillet dinners are the best – I love the easy clean-up because at the end of the day, I HATE doing dishes!
You are thinking about this concept backwards. Lactose intollerance is the natural state for all humans who are grown adults. We loose the ability to produce lactase-the enzyme that breaks down the bonds in lactose- after we reach an age where we would naturally stop breastfeeding. People who can consume and still breakdown lactose reflect the evolutionary jump that is present in their dna. The have evolved with the ability to continue lactase production into adulthood by no switching off the genes that produe lactase.
This is not an allergy or intollerance as we think of it now days. Some DNA lines just haven’t evolved.
My best friend Asian American and lactose intolerant but she still eats it and pays for it later LOL I am so blessed not to be because mac and cheese is the bizzz!! This one looks so delish and easy-perfect 🙂
Thank you! And to be honest, I just don’t think I could live in a world without mac and cheese!