Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese

I gave this 3 stars because it took some tweaking to get the flavor and richness we like in our mac and cheese. I swapped out the milk and used half and half, used regular Velveeta instead of light (I don't use low fat dairy for anything), used 1+ cup of sharp Cheddar instead of 3/4 cup of extra sharp Cheddar and added 1/4 cup of grated fresh Parmesan. Also I added 4 slices of diced thick cut bacon, fried til just crisp. I coated the bottom and sides of the baking dish with 1 tsp of bacon fat instead of using cooking spray, more down homey flavor that way. Also I doubled the bread crumbs and to them I added 2 Tbs grated Parmesan and 1 Tb of melted butter. It turned out reminiscent of the mac and cheese my grandmother used to make.

This is a good solid no bake Mac and Cheese recipe. This certainly will not replace the traditional oven baked Mac and Cheese, but for a quick week night Mac and Cheese recipe this works well. I used Panko Bread Crumbs vs Fresh Bread Crumbs and it gave the recipe a wonderful crunch. Don't skip out on the bread crumbs, they help bring the recipe together. Be careful with the ground red pepper, it will add heat. I think I put a bit too much :-) Other than that, good solid recipe.

Wow. Quickest and easiest mac n cheese recipe I've made yet. And nice and creamy - I hate a dry mac n cheese. This is a super flexible recipe to use up whatever cheese you have in the fridge. I used about a 1/2 cup black diamond spreadable cheese plus 1 cup grated cheese (guyere + Monterey jack). And based on complaints that some people found it bland, I steeped a crushed garlic clove in the hot milk and added some Dijon mustard. I do agree that there is a LOT of sauce. You may like it that way - so maybe give it a try the first time but you could definitely use 12 - 16 oz of pasta and there would still be enough sauce I think.

Nice weeknight mac and cheese recipe. I didn't use any light cheese....so probably my version was as good to the waist line!

Very tasty and definitely helps satisfy a craving for creamy, cheesy pasta. A few tweaks: *To up nutrition and fiber, I used white whole wheat flour (1 TBS more than recipe called for to get sauce thick) and 51-percent whole wheat elbows; will use whole wheat breadcrumbs next time, and reduce the amount of crumbs by a third to a half. *I'd reduce the black and red peppers by a third to a half; too assertive for me. Glad I tried this and will definitely make it again/use it as a healthy, tasty sub when I want mac 'n cheese.

This tasted somewhat bland to us, but we like things spicy and crazy. Added some andouille sausage and pickled jalapenos to the leftovers, which helped a little... I did appreciate how quickly it came together!

This was fast and easy to make, didn't taste the red pepper, too much sauce. I will make again, perhaps as a side dish. It was fine, not great.

I have made this recipe twice and I love it! It's a quick dinner, for busy nights. The first try, I thought there was too much sauce and not enough noodles. So the second time around, I reduced the milk to 1 1/2 cups and increased the noodles to 10 ounces, and both times I omitted the bread crumbs & oven time. I have made it as is,added grilled vegetables as well as adele roasted garlic and gruyere cheese chicken sausage, yummy! Very versatile recipe.

Really liked, but I used stove top stuffing instead of bread crumbs.

This was a good, solid mac and cheese recipe. I liked how creamy the cheese was and that it stayed that way, even when served as leftovers. You can read my full review at Taking On Magazines: http://bit.ly/17AvbCU

I used 3 cups of pasta (expecting 1 3/4 cups to be 8 oz.) and still had lots and lots of sauce. Tasty.

Easy to make and very tasty. Like the bite that the red pepper adds.