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/.