Lazy Girl Mac n’ Cheese
If you are like me, there is always cheese in the fridge and there is always pasta in the pantry. So, anytime I don’t have a box of Annie’s lying around and I’m craving mac n’ cheese, I throw myself together what I call Lazy Girl Mac n’ Cheese. A couple reasons why I call it this 1. The recipe only requires one pot 2. You skip a step by not making a rue and just mixing everything together 3. It can really work with whatever you have around.
So, two ways to eat this mac n’ cheese. You can make the stovetop version or the baked version in just one more step.
Serves 2-4 (depending on if this is a meal or side dish for you)
Ingredients
1/2 lb pasta
1 T butter
1 c milk or heavy cream
2 1/2 - 3 c shredded cheese
1 T flour
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 t smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Watch my Instagram reel for a how-to.
Bowl your pasta al dente, strain and return the pasta back to the pot on medium heat.
Add the butter and stir until melted. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir until you get what looks like, well mac n’cheese haha.
Serve as-is or cook in the oven at 350F for 25-30 minutes.
Notes
Gluten-free: This recipe can be made gluten-free by using GF pasta, using only 3/4 c of milk and omitting the flour. I’ve done this before.
Dairy-free: This recipe can be made dairy free if you use a DF milk and cheese.
Pasta: Use whatever you have in the pantry. Sometimes I end up using several different shapes from those few boxes that need to be finished off.
Milk: Use your milk or cream of choice. For the best results, use heavy cream or half & half if you have it. I personally don’t usually have those options in my fridge so I usually use oat milk because that what I have usually.
Cheese: Use whatever you got on hand. For best results mix a sharp cheese like cheddar and parmesan with a creamier cheese like mozzarella. I mean you can really go wrong with cheese.
Nutmeg: Trust me, it’s the secret ingredient to mac n’ cheese. It will make it taste fancy.
Smoked Paprika: Trust me, it’s the other secret ingredient to mac n’ cheese. It will make it taste fancy. The bit of smoke flavor reminds me of the mac n’ cheese you get at a bbq joint.