Jump to RecipeThis easy, one dish and no boil recipe for baked macaroni and cheese is about a simple as it gets! Using only milk, some dry spices, raw pasta and cheese to create creamy, super crunchy and totally yummy weeknight mac and cheese!
Did I just call you lazy? Nooooo- of course not!
I called ME lazy!
And really-it’s not even that I am lazy. The way I see it, there’s a time for working hard, and there’s a time for working smart! And tonight is a time for working smart! After cooking holiday meal after meal, and what felt like a never-ending pile of dishes, I just need a practically hands-off dinner that damn near cooks itself!
While I normally would make macaroni and cheese by combining cooked pasta with a homemade béchamel sauce combined with a shredded assortment of complimenting cheeses. This streamed-lined approach has it assembled and ready to bake in less than 10 minutes!
How to Make Lazy Mom Mac and Cheese
I’ll walk you through it..
First combine milk, mascarpone cheese, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk until mascarpone is incorporated and is no longer lumpy. If you don’t have mascarpone, you could also use cream cheese. Whipped will be easier to whisk to dissolve.
Then shred the cheese varieties and add to the mixing bowl with milk and spices. I used a combination of Manchego, Parmesan, and Gruyere cheese. But you could use what you have on hand, like Cheddar, or Gouda or Asiago, Monterey Jack. Be sure to reserve some shredded cheese for topping.
Now add uncooked pasta to a mixing bowl and stir to incorporate. Transferred to a buttered baking dish. I used a wide and shallow baking sheet to maximize the CRUNCHY topping space. But if you wanted more creamy and less crunchy mac and cheese, choose a baking dish with a little more depth.
Top the baking dish with the remaining shredded cheese and a pinch of paprika over top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered.
Remove aluminum foil and bake uncovered for another 30 minutes. When the easy baked mac and cheese is ready the top will be golden brown, the milk will be reduced and bubbling, and the pasta cooked.
And it should look a little something like this!
Is this irresistible or what!?
It’s hard to believe that a macaroni and cheese recipe can be this easy and quick to make- with virtually no cleanup and dishes dirtied!
If only EVERYTHING could be this EASY!
Lazy Mom Mac and Cheese- Easiest Ever!
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp butter
- 2½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup marscapone cheese
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- pinch paprika
- 1 cup Gyuere shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan Shredded
- 1 cup Manchego shredded
- 1 cup elbow pasta raw, uncooked
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and position rack to middle. Generously butter bottom and sides of baking dish. I used shallow wide dish so I would have a larger "crunchy top".
- In mixing bowl combine milk, marscapone, dry mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk until marscapone incorporates and is no longer lumpy.
- Add ½ cup of Manchego, ½ cup of Parmesan, and ¾ cup of Guyere cheese to mixing bowl. Reserve the remaining cheese for topping.
- Add uncooked pasta to mixing bowl and stir to incorporate.
- Pour into prepared baking sheet. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered.
- Remove baking dish from oven. Bump oven temp up to 400, remove aluminum foil, stir pasta to incorporate, then add remaining shredded cheese over the top. The pasta will be pretty done, but you will want to brown the top. Return pan to oven and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven when top is brown, pasta is cooked and bubbling.
Notes
Nutrition
