White Cheddar Mac and Cheese is perfectly creamy, kid-approved comfort food with a cozy, savory kick! Ready as a side or meal in 15 minutes.
Classic Macaroni and Cheese and Skillet Creamy Mac and Cheese are the perfect creamy dishes that most of us grew up loving, and this amazing homemade mac and cheese is sure to still hit the spot. It’s the perfect Pasta to enjoy for lunch or serve as a side dish at dinner time.
Why You’ll Love This Pasta?
- Easily prepped and ready for the family to enjoy in 25 minutes.
- A delicious comfort food that can be a side dish or a meal, either way the family will love it.
Sabrina’s White Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe
It’s hard to think of a better cheesy comfort food than mac and cheese recipes. If you’re thinking of artificial-tasting mac and cheese from the box, then this dish will be a total game-changer. It only takes a few extra minutes to make, and it’s about a hundred times more delicious. The rich cheese sauce is made with actual cheddar and jack cheese so that there’s creamy, melty cheese in every single bite. You won’t be able to get enough!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound small pasta shells
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese , shredded
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Cook the pasta 1 minute shy of the instructions on the box, drain and set aside (do not rinse).
- In a large pot on medium heat add the butter and flour.
- Stir well until flour and butter are well incorporated.
- Cook flour for 30 seconds, stir in pepper, salt, paprika, and ground mustard.
- In a very slow stream, whisk in the milk until creamy and well-combined.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened.
- Add in the cheddar cheese and jack cheese, stirring until creamy.
- Stir in the pasta until well coated.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tip
For the creamiest mac and cheese, shred your cheese yourself! Freshly shredded white cheddar and jack cheese melt more smoothly into the sauce, giving you that velvety texture without the graininess you can sometimes get from pre-shredded cheese. For the best results, add the cheese over low heat, stirring until each addition is completely melted before adding more. This helps create a creamy cheese sauce that coats every bite of pasta!
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About this Recipe
Shells and White Cheddar Mac & Cheese is sure to become a new favorite weeknight side dish. Plus, if you have any leftovers, you can always store the dish in the fridge. I love heating servings later in the week for an amazing lunch with no hassle!
Pairing Suggestions
This cheesy recipe is perfect to go along with simple Chicken Dinners, or you can bring it out as a fun side at your next BBQ, along with other classics like Coleslaw and Potato Salad.
How to Store
- Serve: Mac and cheese always tastes best fresh. Though it can sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it goes bad.
- Store: Cover the dish or transfer the cheesy pasta to an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat the dish in the microwave, on the stovetop, or even in the oven. Add a little bit of milk over the top when you reheat it and mix some of the moisture back in.
- Freeze: Unfortunately, the cheese sauce and noodles won’t reheat well after being frozen. It’s better just to keep them in the fridge.
Variations
- Noodles: You can make this same recipe with different pasta shapes and varieties. Try using elbow macaroni, fusilli, or rotini. You could also use whole-grain or gluten-free pasta to make the recipe work better with any dietary needs.
- Chicken: If you want to make this into a more filling main dish, you can mix in some cooked chicken along with the noodles. Serving the cheesy pasta with chicken is especially great if you have any leftover Grilled or Rotisserie Chicken stored in your fridge. You can just slice it up and mix it in the sharp cheddar sauce.
- Flavor Additions: You can also experiment with the flavor of your stovetop macaroni and cheese by adding different seasonings and sauces. A teaspoon of garlic powder, a teaspoon of onion powder, a little Cajun seasoning, or ground chipotle pepper would all taste great with this dish. You could also try mixing some Dijon mustard into the smooth sauce, or adding some hot sauce to give the dish extra heat.
- Types of Cheese: Feel free to experiment with different kinds of shredded cheese in this recipe. Mozzarella cheese, provolone, Pepper Jack, Gouda, or Swiss would all taste great.
- Extra Creamy: To make an even richer cheese sauce base, you can use heavy cream. Depending on how creamy you want the sauce, either replace the milk with heavy cream or use half milk and half cream.
- Toppings: There are plenty of classic toppings to try with your mac and cheese. For a classic bread crumb topping, sprinkle panko breadcrumbs over the top, or toast your own bread and crumble it into breadcrumbs. For more toppings, you could try green onions, red pepper flakes, bacon bits, or blue cheese crumbles.
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These photos were in a previous version of this post:
Don’t forget to take the pot off the heat before you add the cheese or it’s going to be gritty
Thanks for posting this. I’ll be sharing it!