Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Updated Dec. 28, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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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
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
- ½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
426 calories; 25 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 487 milligrams sodium
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.
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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.
What in the world happened. I did everything according to the recipe. But the cheese didn’t emulsify into a sauce. There were clumps of cheese and a lot of excess liquid. The flavor was pretty good but the chemistry was off. I don’t know what happened! This was a fail for me.
Tried it today following directions exactly. It is delicious and so RICH this is definitely more of a side-dish mac than an entree mac. I only am disappointed that my storebought orange cheddar shreds held their shape and did not melt into the sauce. next time I would try the more finely grated options at the store.
Flavor is good, texture is terrible. Not at all creamy the cheese ends up clumpy and grainy. I used full fat milk and sharp white cheddar. Some suggested par boiling the pasta in the comments, which I did for about 3 minutes, and the pasta was overcooked at the end. Don’t recommend par boiling the pasta.