Simple Mac and Cheese without Flour

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Simple mac and cheese without flour is a fast and ultra-creamy recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese lovers.

The good news: this simple mac and cheese recipe without flour is incredibly delicious, everything you could wish for in a typical macaroni and cheese recipe: creamy, cheesy, the ultimate comfort food, one of my kids’ favorite dishes. Then it’s made without flour, thus skipping a sometimes tedious cooking step: making the roux or white sauce. And, that also means less time spent cooking.

The bad news: it’s so good you will overeat. You will think you will just have a normal-sized portion (after all the dish is so filling you don’t need much to be full), but you will probably not manage to control yourself… just one more spoonful… and one more… just a little bit more… and so on…

I made a huge pot the other day and thought there would be leftovers for my husband’s lunch box… there was nothing left, just some cheese sticking at the bottom of the pot.

And if you like a quick and delicious pasta dish, you could also try the Fast American Chop Suey Recipe, the Creme Fraiche Salmon Pasta or the Creamy Tuna Carbonara.

What do you need?

The recipe calls for cheap and simple ingredients.

Pasta:

• Elbow macaroni is the typical kind. However, rest assured the dish will taste just as excellent with your pasta of choice. It’s preferable, however, to use a short kind of pasta.
• Whole wheat pasta might not be typical, but it tastes great as well.

Cheese: A lot of it!

• Cheddar: about 2 cups shredded. I like using sharp Cheddar cheese; it has the best flavor.
• Vital tip: buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself on the box grater or in the food processor. Don’t use already pre-shredded; the additives it contains will prevent it from melting nicely, so the dish will not have that desired creamy texture.
  • Can I replace Cheddar? My favorite sort for this mac and cheese recipe is Cheddar, but another kind of cheese is fine as well. Try different types of cheese like Gouda, Gruyere, Jarlsberg Swiss cheese, Colby, or a combination.
  • What I would not use is mozzarella alone; I find it too plain if standing alone. But mozzarella combined with Parmesan cheese or another stronger-tasting sort will be great. And mozzarella is excellent for stretching, so if you like that, add some to the combo.
  • I often make this recipe using cheese leftovers I find in the fridge. I shred them all in the food processor, and that’s it; just make sure you have more or less 2 cups of it.

• American cheese: it makes the dish creamier than you could possibly imagine. Many people don’t like to use it, and I have to admit I rarely buy it myself, but I find it is a must in this recipe.

• Half and half: you can use only heavy cream if you like. The whole milk might seem like a feeble attempt to lower the calorie count, but it works fine, so I keep using it. Anything counts, I suppose.

• Other ingredients: a little butter, mustard, salt, black pepper, paprika powder, garlic powder. For a bit of heat, you can add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to taste.

How to make mac and cheese without flour?

• Cook pasta al dente in a large pot of salted water. Drain well.
• Shred Cheddar. Tear the American cheese slices. Set aside.
• Mix half and half, butter, salt, pepper, mustard, paprika, garlic powder in a saucepan. Warm for about 2 minutes on medium heat, but don’t let it boil.
• Add cheese to the sauce.
• Stir gently on low heat until smooth. Don’t let the mixture become too hot or come to a boil.
• Add drained pasta and stir to coat.
• Adjust the taste with a bit of salt and pepper if necessary.

Can I make baked mac and cheese without flour?

Definitely! The stovetop macaroni recipe can also be baked in the oven. Just follow a few additional simple steps.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Butter a baking dish.
• Cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than indicated on the package, as it will continue cooking in the oven.
• Make the creamy sauce and mix everything together.
• Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared casserole dish.
• Sprinkle everything with breadcrumbs; I prefer to use Panko breadcrumbs for this recipe; they are larger and crisp better. They can be found in the Asian section of the supermarkets.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the casserole is golden and bubbly. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Expert Tips

• Use any short pasta you like. Elbow macaroni, farfalle, penne, rotini, rigatoni etc.
• Try a combination of good-melting, stronger-tasting cheese sorts; this is a good recipe to clean out your fridge.
• Don’t use pre-shredded cheese; the anti-caking agents will prevent it from melting properly, and the sauce will be grainy.
• Don’t overheat the sauce, or it might separate.
• Stir constantly until the sauce is smooth.

Recipe FAQ

More pasta recipes: 

• Quick Leftover Spaghetti Recipe
• Mascarpone Pasta
• Easy Chicken Pomodoro Recipe
• Creamy Tahini Pasta