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.
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!