Did someone say cheese or is it macaroni and cheese you are saying, yeah cheese and plenty of it? Lol, so I have been converted to a cheese addict since my daughter started nursery. She wouldn't eat any meal from school if it doesn't have cheese in it. She has managed to eat curry and vegetable successfully since this post. lol
So I stepped up my game too, and now make her food more fun other than what she would usually get from school. Macaroni and cheese is comfort food, it is creamy with plenty of yummy cheese, more importantly, it is very easy to whip up. In order for this mac and cheese to tick all the boxes for me, I added some smoked ham and pepper
I love me some mac and cheese and it can either be made on the stove top or baked. I always prefer the stovetop meal to the baked one but hey, if any recipe calls for cheese you can bet my daughter and I would be the first to say yes, please. Come on and let’s cook...
Ingredients
400g pasta of any shape
300 – 400g of grated cheddar cheese
Salt
Seasoning (optional, I am Nigerian and we add boullion to almost everything)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
Ham (optional)
500ml milk
Crushed chilli flakes
1tbs veg oil
2tbs flour
How to make stove top mac and cheese
Wash the peppers, de-seed and cut into tiny cubes, set aside till you are ready to use
Cut the ham into small pieces and set aside till you are ready to use
Place the pasta in a pan, cover with enough water, add salt and bring to boil till al dente, drain and set aside
Prep the peppers
Place a pan to medium heat, add the diced peppers and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Follow by the bouillon if using, crushed chillies and chopped ham and fry for another 4 minutes till pepper is soft and still crunchy.
To make mac and cheese
Add the milk to a pan and bring to boil on low heat for about 5 minutes, mix the flour with water to form a paste, then add the flour paste to the milk and whisk till its lump free and creamy texture is achieved
Add the cheese to the milk mixture and continue to whisk till its lump free and very creamy and cheesy. Keep an eye at this point as the mixture can thicken up quickly. once you are happy with the consistency of the cheese mixture, reduce the heat or take it off the heat completely before the next step
Follow by the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix to combine and all pasta covered with the sauce. Go on to add the stir fry and mix with the pasta till evenly coated. Serve warm immediately. There you have it, yummy, cheesy, comforting and super easy
If you loved this stove top mac and cheese recipe then you might also love this Cheese and tomato pizza.
Stove Top Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 400 g pasta of any shape
- 3 cup cheddar cheese grated
- Salt optional
- bouillon cube just a little for taste, optional
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped Ham optional
- 500 ml milk
- 1 tsp Crushed chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp veg oil
- 2 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Wash the peppers, deseed and dice into tiny cubes, set aside till you are ready to use
- Cut the ham into small pieces and set aside
- Place the pasta in a pan, cover with enough water, add salt and bring to boil till al dente, drain and set aside
- Place a pan to medium heat, add vegetable oil and heat for 1 minute. add the diced peppers and stir fry for about 2 minutes, add bouillon (if using), crushed chillies, chopped ham and cook for another 4 minutes till pepper is soft and still crunchy.
- To make mac and cheese
- Add the milk to a pan and bring to boil on low heat for about 5 minutes, mix the flour with water to form a paste, then add the flour paste to the milk and whisk till its lump free and creamy texture is achieved
- Add the cheese to the milk mixture and continue to whisk till its lump free and very creamy and cheesy. Keep an eye at this point as the mixture can thicken up quickly. once you are happy with the consistency of the cheese sauce, reduce the heat or take it off the heat completely before the next step
- Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix to combine and all pasta covered with the sauce, add the stir fry and mix with the pasta till evenly coated. Serve warm immediately.
Super yum you'd say... Don't forget to tag me your food photo on Instagram or leave a comment if you recreate this easy stovetop macaroni and cheese recipe.
Ajoke xx
I just tried this (with a modification here and there) and I am blown away! It’s so easy, yummy and creamy, my partner and I love it. Thank you.
Yay! Happy to hear you enjoyed it and thanks for the feedback
Hi Ajoke. Thanks for this recipe. I hope to try it soon. I would like to know, can the ham be substituted for chicken or beef?
Hi Esther, thanks for stopping by. Yes, you can substitute the ham for chicken or beef. I hope to hear back from you when you try the recipe