Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese
on Apr 20, 2018, Updated Apr 24, 2024
The best, creamiest stove top sharp cheddar mac and cheese recipe.
It’s no secret where my son gets his love of cheese.
I am a serious cheese lover!
This Creamy Sharp Cheddar Mac & Cheese is one of the (many) reasons why.
Growing up, we ate mac and cheese a lot, like many families do.
While I won’t deny my love for boxed mac & cheese (Helloo Annie’s I love you!), there just no comparison to the flavor of making it from scratch.
I’m a bit of a cheese snob, so I love finding rich flavorful cheeses that really bring a big flavor!
In this recipe, I bought a block of New York Sharp Cheddar and grated it fresh.
I bought mine from fresh market.
Freshly grated cheese > packaged grated cheese any day!
I know I say this a lot, but please take that extra few minutes to grate your cheese fresh.
You won’t regret it!
Crosby was not very happy when I was trying to make dinner, so I was bribing him with pieces of sharp cheddar cheese as I was trying to cook.
He LOVED it.
He is definitely my child!
If I can make this dinner at 6 p.m. (the witching hour of babies) when my husband isn’t home, you know it’s an easy one!
This recipe can be ready in just 20 minutes.
I love adding in a bag of frozen peas for added veggies too at the end but that’s totally optional.
Crosby gobbled this up for dinner and really loved that sharp cheddar.
Adult and kid friendly, this recipe is perfect for a quick dinner!
I also make this each year for Thanksgiving dinner and it’s a hit!
If you love mac and cheese, be sure to check out this greek yogurt mac and cheese recipe too.
Are you making this recipe? I want to see! Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!
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Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!
Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe
Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups dry elbow macaroni noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup 2% milk
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions, drain, and set aside
- In the same pot you cooked the noodles in, melt butter (make sure heat is on low)
- Add flour and whisk quickly to combine with flour, making sure not to burn (remove from heat if necessary)
- Add heavy cream and milk and whisk mixture on medium heat until it starts to thicken
- Once mixture starts to thicken, add cheese and salt and stir until cheese melts
- Add noodles in and stir well, remove from heat
- Serve with optional freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Super quick and simple! And, most delicious! I added plenty of black and white pepper and a smidge of garlic powder.
First-off the recipe was perfectly simple as is; however I added a marinated poached chicken which I shredded and added a smokey thia chili sauce to add on top of the Mac and Cheese and garnished with fresh scallions.
One question can you use normal cheddar for this recipe? And if I do is there anything else I should add?
Yes you can!
It was good BUT… FLOUR should never be used to thicken another starch!! Use an egg to thicken (and more protein) and instead of cream, try sour cream and cottage cheese (MORE cheese). You will never go back to flour and cream.
Definitely needed more milk it was so thick I had to thin it down
This recipe is intended to be be thick and creamy. I’m glad you made it work for you!
The taste and texture of this recipe were great. I found that I needed quite a bit more salt than was called for but that was no problem of course. Delicious!!
Yes, depending on whether you salt your pasta water it could definitely need more salt. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Flour! And cream That’s the truck to smoorh cheddar sauce! Thanks