Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Updated December 28, 2025
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Styling: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not low-fat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of ground cayenne
Pinch of ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
27 grams carbs; 75 milligrams cholesterol; 426 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 25 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 487 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
- Step 2
In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Reserve ¼ cup grated Cheddar for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated Cheddar, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
- Step 3
Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
This is now my go-to Mac & Cheese, with only one alteration to the recipe as published. Omit the added salt. It was way too salty with it. Here is a helpful hint: if you combine all ingredients in your baking dish in the morning, and let it sit in the fridge during the day, it will cook in half the time.
Today was the second time I made this dish. The first time, it came out dry. My kids loved it, but I was left disappointed because it was not creamy as expected. This second time, I par cooked the pasta and cooled it before adding it to the liquid. I didn't bake it for another 30 min. II baked it for 15 minutes. This time it turned out creamy. I believe that cooking the pasta just a little before combining cut the thirst of the pasta & minimized the amount of liquid it absorbed.
The more aged the cheese, the drier it will be. You need to use a moister (i.e. younger) cheddar for a creamier result.
Really unsure how this got 5 stars for so many people- I followed this recipe perfectly, used high quality ingredients, weighed everything, read all the comments before hand too.. the texture came out clumpy and just extremely curdled. The pasta itself was also overdone and mush. I would not recommend this dish to anyone and I am honestly shocked this has so many 5 star reviews.
This recipe made me seriously question my cooking skills. I followed the recipe exactly, no substitutions or shenanigans, and it turned out a separated watery mess. How is everyone’s turning out dry?! What I would give for a little dryness! Unfortunately if I just left it in longer, the noodles would have turned into overcooked mush. This one was a fail for me!
Highly rated - no pre-cooking pasta! Best with richer milk/cream, careful with weighing pasta. Don't want it to be dry. Don't use super old cheddar - it won't be creamy enough. I substitute some gruyere in sometimes.