Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

cooking.nytimes.com

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

There are two schools of thought about macaroni and cheese: Some like it crusty and extra-cheesy (here’s our recipe), while others prefer it smooth and creamy. But most people are delighted by any homemade macaroni and cheese. It is light years ahead of the boxed versions. This creamy version has one powerful advantage for the cook: There’s no need to preboil the pasta. It cooks in the oven, absorbing the liquid from the dairy products.

Prep

Cook

Total

Serves

6 to 8 servings

Instructions

  1. 01

    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.

  2. 02

    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.

  3. 03

    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.

Nutrition

per serving

Calories
425.5
Protein
21.8grams
Carbs
27.1grams
Fat
25.5grams
Fiber
1gram
Sugar
4.9grams
Sat. fat
14.2grams
Sodium
487.2milligrams
Cholesterol
74.6milligrams

Free · No ads

Save this recipe to your own library.

iCook.ing is a free recipe library. Create an account in 10 seconds to save this recipe, plan your week, and head to the store with one shopping list.

  • Save from anywhere

    Paste a link from a recipe blog, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or Pinterest — we pull the ingredients, steps, and photo.

  • Plan your week

    Drag recipes onto a weekly plan, scale for the number of people you're feeding, and never wonder what's for dinner.

  • One shopping list

    Your plan rolls up into a single, de-duplicated shopping list — sorted by aisle so the store run is faster.

  • Cook, don't scroll

    Big, screen-stays-awake cook mode with built-in timers. No ads. No life story above the recipe.