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Robin Ward

Easy Lost and Found Mac and Cheese

This easy stovetop mac and cheese is creamy, glossy, and made without a roux, butter, or the oven. Cream cheese, Parmesan, and hot pasta water make the sauce, with an optional little “lost and found” cheese scrap for extra flavor.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta
  • 8 ounces short dried pasta, such as gnocchiette, shells, elbows, shellbows, or a mix of what you have
  • Kosher salt, for the pasta water
Cheese Sauce
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, about a generous half block
  • ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, not the shelf-stable shaker-can kind
  • 1 cup reserved hot pasta water, as needed
  • Black pepper, to taste
Optional “Lost and Found” Cheese Scraps
  • ½ tablespoon Gorgonzola, a mild Italian blue cheese
  • or 1 tablespoon goat cheese
  • or 2 tablespoons grated Gruyere

Equipment

  • 1 3-quart Dutch oven or medium saucepan

Method
 

  1. Cook the pasta. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a 3-quart Dutch oven or medium saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, then add the pasta and cook until fully tender. Scoop out 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
  2. Start the sauce. Return the drained pasta to the pot. Add the cream cheese, Parmesan, any optional cheese scraps, and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water.
  3. Stir until creamy. Set the pot over medium heat. Stir as the cheeses melt and the sauce starts to come together.
  4. Cook until glossy. Keep cooking, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta, about 3 to 5 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add more pasta water, a splash at a time, until it looks smooth, creamy, and glossy.
  5. Season and serve. Add black pepper, if you like. Let the mac and cheese cool for a few minutes before serving so the sauce can settle and cling to the pasta.

Notes

Do ahead: This reheats well. Add a splash of water when warming it on the stovetop or in the microwave to bring the sauce back to life.
Cheese scrap note: Gorgonzola, goat cheese, and Gruyère were simply the cheese scraps I had to choose from. The recipe is still creamy and delicious with only cream cheese and Parmesan, so don’t buy extra cheese just to make scraps. But if a little nub is already lurking in the fridge or freezer, this is its moment.
Forgot to save pasta water? Stir a small pinch of kosher salt, up to 1/8 teaspoon, into 1 cup hot filtered water or hot kettle water. Add it to the pasta and cheese mixture a splash at a time until the sauce turns creamy.
Freshly grated cheese note: Freshly grated Parmesan melts best here. Pre-shredded or shelf-stable grated cheese may not melt smoothly into the pasta water and cream cheese, which can make the sauce clumpy instead of creamy.