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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by REAL® Seal. All opinions expressed are my own.
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!