Let’s say that—in, oh, about 15 minutes—you could be staring at a big pot full of mac & cheese, with all the ease of cracking open a box and shaking out the foil packet. But instead of noodles in a slurry of cheese-ish dressing, these would be hugged by a truly gooey, molten cheddar sauce that tastes like real, sharp, salty cheese. Cheese cheese.
Let’s just say you could do that. Would you ever buy a box of shelf-stable mac again? (Some of you would, probably for the same reason that I sometimes need a glass of Ovaltine before bed—I get it.)
Melissa Clark’s stovetop recipe, from her latest book Dinner: Changing the Game, tastes lovingly homemade and fresh—even though it doesn’t take any longer than the box, and still uses only one pot and three-ish core ingredients.
Here's how: Once you’ve boiled and drained your pasta, in the still-hot pot, you reduce a tiny amount of cream down to an even tinier amount, then whisk in a comparatively massive pile of shredded cheese. Then dump your pasta back in. See?
When our Food52 Cookbook Club on Facebook got ahold of this recipe in August, the month they were cooking through Dinner, they lost their minds a little. “Wanted something quick and easy that involved a bare minimum of actual thinking,” member Elizabeth Ann said. “This totally delivered.”
A little tip: Make it in a hefty pot so that, when you haul it to the table, it will keep itself warm—you'll want seconds close at hand.
| 1 | dash Kosher salt, as needed |
| 8 | ounces regular or whole-wheat elbow macaroni |
| 1/3 | cup heavy cream |
| 1 1/4 | cups grated cheddar cheese (5 ounces) |
| 1 | dash Freshly grated nutmeg to taste |
| 1 | pinch Freshly ground black pepper to taste |
| 1 | dash Kosher salt, as needed |
| 8 | ounces regular or whole-wheat elbow macaroni |
| 1/3 | cup heavy cream |
| 1 1/4 | cups grated cheddar cheese (5 ounces) |
| 1 | dash Freshly grated nutmeg to taste |
| 1 | pinch Freshly ground black pepper to taste |
Photos by Rocky Luten
Got a genius recipe to share—from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at [email protected]. Thank you to Food52 early employee and earlier adopter Michael Hoffman and the Food52 Cookbook Club for this one.
From our new podcast network, The Genius Recipe Tapes is lifelong Genius hunter Kristen Miglore’s 10-year-strong column in audio form, featuring all the uncut gems from the weekly column and video series. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss out.
Listen & Subscribe
Written by: Kristen Miglore
Popular on Food52
22 Comments
Carnation evaporated milk contains sodium citrate, and seems to work pretty well as a substitute.
I've been making my own quick mac and cheese essentially the same way for decades but often (to replicate my mother's yummy baked variety) open a can of diced tomatoes and spoon over my steaming bowl before digging in.
Join The Conversation