Microwave Mac and Cheese

At a glance

What stands out: Although from-scratch microwave mac and cheese isn’t quite as straightforward as Kraft Straightforward Mac, you’ll love it because your from-scratch mac and cheese is healthier and tastier (and it’s still straightforward!). It’s made with real cheese, too!

How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large measuring cup or bowl
Servings: 1

Straightforward Mac

It’s a little embarrassing how much Straightforward Mac we ate when we were in college. And when we say a little embarrassing, we mean a LOT embarrassing. What can we say? Mac and cheese is comfort food: fast, filling, and tasty.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Straightforward Mac, it’s the familiar Kraft mac and cheese, packaged in individual portions that can be prepared in a mug in the microwave, ready in just a few minutes. The only ingredient you have to add is water.

DIY Microwave Mac & Cheese

Only 5 simple ingredients! All you need to make your own “Straightforward Mac” is uncooked macaroni, milk, flour, and cheese (2 kinds), plus water. After all, mac and cheese is a relatively simple dish, nothing exotic here. This is REAL mac and cheese made with real cheese, not a cheese powder that contains 31 ingredients, most of which have nothing to do with cheese.

Tried and true. You can depend on this recipe to turn out. We spent a fair amount of time tinkering with the recipe to get it just right. A few of our tries were, shall we say, unsuccessful. Who would have guessed how many ways mac and cheese could bomb?The good news is that we did the hard work and you get to reap the benefits.

Not exactly the same as Straightforward Mac. We think you’re gonna love this Straightforward Mac at-home even though it doesn’t look exactly like the blue box version. We also concede that our microwavable mac and cheese isn’t quite as straightforward as merely adding water to a package. You’ll need to shred a little cheese and measure out a few ingredients. It’s worth it though!

Amelia (10 years old) Said:

“Tasty. It is good and we like it a lot.”

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What goes in

• Macaroni: Just regular elbow macaroni is all you need. If you swap in a different pasta shape, make sure it has the same cooking time as macaroni.
• Cheddar Cheese: We love extra sharp cheddar cheese for the most flavor. Buy a block of cheese and grate your own (see the timesaving tip below).
• American Cheese Singles: Although it wasn’t our first choice, we tried to make the mac and cheese without using processed cheese and unfortunately, the end result wasn’t nearly as smooth and creamy. American cheese has a low melting point, making it a standby choice for this microwave recipe. One pre-wrapped slice is all you need.
• Whole Milk: The higher fat content of whole milk ensures the creamiest results. There is no butter in this recipe.
• All-Purpose Flour: You only need a pinch of flour (½ teaspoon). Flour helps thicken the cheese sauce.
• Water: Because the macaroni is uncooked, it absorbs all of the liquid as it hydrates in the cup. This is a no drain recipe.

Timesaving Tip

Grate the whole block of cheddar cheese and freeze the grated cheese in ¼ cup increments for future bowls of mac and cheese.

Grate and Slice Set

We love this grate and slice set by OXO. It’s like a mini mandolin. It comes with 4 blades: coarse grating, medium grating, straight slicing and julienne slicing. Plus it grates right into a container for straightforward measuring. No more messy grating.

Buy on Amazon

How it comes together

Choose a LARGE measuring cup (4 cups). We’ll start off with a helpful tip. Use a measuring cup, mug, or bowl that is way bigger you think you need. We found that a 4 cup liquid measuring cup worked evenly. If you use a smaller container, the mixture will overflow and make a mess in your microwave. Trust us, we know.

Cook the macaroni in the microwave. Begin by cooking the macaroni. Measure out a half cup of water in the measuring cup. Add ⅓ cup macaroni (use a dry measuring cup to measure it). Give it a stir.

Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, 2 more minutes, stir, 2 more minutes. That’s 6 minutes total. The water should be mostly absorbed and the pasta should be tender.

Prep the cheese. While the macaroni is cooking, prep the cheese. Toss the shredded cheddar cheese with the flour and tear the American cheese into a few smaller pieces.

Add the milk. When the pasta is cooked, stir in the milk. Cook for 1 minute.

Melt in the cheese. Immediately stir in the cheese, both kinds. Cover the cup, bowl, or mug with a plate or paper towel. Let it set for a minute.

Stir and serve. Stir well. The cheese should be completely melted. So there you go! We bet you can’t wait to dig in! Enjoy your creamy rich mac and cheese.

Serve the mac and cheese with air fryer hot dogs or straightforward turkey wraps.

• Yield: 1
• Prep: 2 minutes
• Cook: 8 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup uncooked elbow macaroni (see note #1)
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (do NOT use pre-shredded, see note #2)
• ½ teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 slice American cheese (wrapped “singles”)
• ¼ cup whole milk (see note #4)

Method

1. In a 4 cup microwave safe measuring cup, or comparably sized bowl, combine macaroni and water. Don't be tempted to use a smaller measuring cup or bowl. The mixture will boil over and make a mess in your microwave.
2. Microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir.
3. Microwave for 2 more minutes, stir again.
4. Microwave for 2 more minutes or until the water is absorbed and the pasta is cooked.
5. Meanwhile, toss shredded cheese with flour. Tear sliced cheese into a few pieces.
6. Stir milk into cooked macaroni and microwave for 1 minute.
7. Stir in cheese; cover bowl and let set 1 minute. Stir again and serve immediately.

Notes

Pasta: If you choose a different type or shape of pasta, be sure it has the same cooking time as macaroni, 7 to 8 minutes.

Cheese: It’s important to shred your own cheese for this recipe. Buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself, rather than buying a package of pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-clumping additive that keeps it from melting smoothly.

Timesaver tip: Shred an 8 ounce block of cheese, measure ¼ cupfuls into snack-sized bags, and freeze it in a quart-sized freezer bag or container. It’ll be ready to use! Pre-wrapped sliced American cheese will keep for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.

Milk: Since there isn’t any butter in this recipe, it’s best to use whole milk to get the creamiest mac and cheese.

Recipe card updated 11/30/2022.