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A creamy pot of three-ingredient macaroni and cheese in a yellow Dutch oven, garnished with chives. A wooden spoon rests nearby with a bit of cheesy pasta on it.
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4.86 / 7 votes

3 Ingredient Macaroni and Cheese

Mac and cheese doesn't get any easier than this 3 ingredient macaroni and cheese. The 3 ingredients? Elbow macaroni, heavy cream, and Cheddar cheese. And it takes just 20 minutes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 858

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound elbow macaroni, fusilli or other short pasta
  • Salt to taste (optional)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese, (use whatever kind you like and have on hand)
  • Chives, thinly sliced (optional)
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Stir in the macaroni and cook, stirring frequently at the beginning, until al dente, about 1 minute shy of what the package directions suggest.
  • Dump the macaroni into a colander placed in the sink to drain.
  • While the macaroni drains, place the pot back on the stovetop over low heat. Add the cream and then the cheese. Stir, increasing the heat slightly as you need to in order to speed things along, until the cheese melts into a sauce, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add the pasta to the sauce and stir enthusiastically until the sauce thickens and clings to each noodle, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 858kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 503mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g