A quick recipe for mac and cheese for one. Easy, cheesy, and oh so good.
Is it lunchtime? Is it dinner time? Are you starving? Do you need a mac and cheese fix? Yes? Well, I’ve got just the thing for you: mac and cheese for one.
This homemade macaroni and cheese is just as quick as the kind that comes out of a box, is one thousand times more delicious, and won’t leave you with a mass of gross congealed leftovers. (Seriously, have you ever tried to reheat leftover boxed mac and cheese? It’s not pretty and neither is food waste!)
I grew up in a boxed mac and cheese household, and just like when I learned how to make homemade mashed potatoes, when I discovered how easy homemade macaroni and cheese was to make, I had no idea why we hadn’t just been making it from scratch all along.
It takes exactly the same amount of time, and if you keep a basic stocked kitchen, cheese and any sort of pasta in your house, YOU HAVE THE INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS.
Ingredient Notes
- Macaroni or pasta of choice: You can use traditional macaroni pasta if you have it or whatever pasta shapes you have on hand. Conchiglie, farfalle, and even larger tube pastas like penne or rigatoni will all work fine. Just pay attention to how you measure your pasta. This recipe calls for 2.5 ounces of pasta, which is 1/2 cup of macaroni, but different pasta shapes have different volume measurements, so if you don’t have a scale to measure your pasta, use a pasta weight to volume table like this one to make sure you’re using the correct amount.
- Salted butter: I call for salted butter here, but if using unsalted, simply add a generous pinch of salt and then adjust salt to taste when making the sauce.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: Any cheddar cheese will work fine, but I prefer sharp cheddar because of the stronger flavor it gives the sauce. You can also try mixing in other melty cheeses like Pecorino Romano (my favorite!!), gouda, or gruyere.
- Milk: You can use any percentage milk you have on hand. The higher fat the milk, the richer and creamier your sauce will be.
How to Make Single-serve Macaroni and Cheese
- In a small pot, boil some pasta, and while that cooks, in a separate pot, stir together a little butter and flour. Whisk in milk until the sauce thickens and then add cheese.
- Add salt and pepper to taste along with a bit of cayenne and nutmeg if you’d like and then pour the sauce over the drained pasta and done!
In under 20 minutes, you’ll have rich cheesy mac and cheese for one, portion-controlled and so good you could cry. And if you are feeling extra hungry or want to make it for two or more, the recipe sizes up with just a slightly longer cooking time (see doubling notes).
Variations
Want to up your mac and cheese game? Try these upgrades:
- Hot dog & ketchup: 1/2 cooked hot dog + ketchup. You know what to do with them. (I do not approve of or endorse this upgrade, but everyone I know insists it’s delicious. 😉 )
- Sausage mac & cheese: 1/2 cup sliced smoked sausage browned in a skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer sausage slices to a paper towel-lined plate, and blot gently before stirring into your prepared macaroni and cheese.
- Short rib mac & cheese: Use the meat from 1 or 2 leftover braised short ribs and stir them into your mac and cheese.
- Deluxe mac & cheese: Generously butter both sides of a slice of white bread and use a serrated knife to slice it into 1-inch cubes. Pour your cooked mac and cheese into an oven-safe dish and sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over the top, followed by the bread pieces. Bake at 375°F for 5 to 10 minutes until bread is toasty.
FAQ
Can I double this recipe?
Absolutely. The recipe doubles with no preparation changes except the sauce will take slightly longer to thicken when you add the milk. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I make mac and cheese ahead of time?
Like any macaroni and cheese, this recipe is best when eaten right after it’s cooked. You *can* refrigerate and reheat it, but the sauce won’t be as smooth and creamy.
More Single-serve Recipes
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
Quick Mac and Cheese for One
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces (½ cup) uncooked macaroni or pasta of choice*
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk any percentage
- ½ cup (2oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese *
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of cayenne optional
- Pinch of nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to boil over high heat.
- While your water heats, shred cheese, measure out the rest of your ingredients.
- Cook macaroni according to the instructions on the box.
- While your pasta cooks, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until a thick paste forms and turns golden, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, whisking out any lumps as they form. Cook, whisking constantly until mixture thickens and begins to bubble around the edges, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese until completely melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, remembering that the pasta will cut the level of spice once added. If you like nutmeg and cayenne (I do!), start with a sprinkle, taste, and work your way up. A little of both goes a long way!
- Once pasta is cooked, drain and stir in cheese sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Lucia says
I love how you told us things about doubling the recipe, that is exactly what I did
Tracy says
Thanks, Lucia! Glad the note was helpful!
Cathrine Ott says
I really like this recipe but I think a bit more noodles could be added it’s a little soupy and more noodles would definitely help! But other than that it’s really good!
Alyssa says
Literally eating this as I write, so easy and so yummy. Loving the Romano mixed in too.
Tracy says
Yeeessss! Love this with Romano! So glad you enjoyed it, Alyssa!!
Cheryl says
Made this with smoked gruyere instead of cheddar. Yum!
Tracy says
Oooo. I love that combo!!!
Nikki says
This was AMAZING! I simply doubled the recipe for 2, though my husband said he wished I would have at least quadrupled it! I only had mild white cheddar and mild regular (yellow) cheddar so I shredded some of each. I was concerned that it would turn out sort of gritty as some M&C home made recipes do with certain cheeses, but I followed the recipe to a tee and as mentioned in the narrative of the blog, it was SO GOOD YOU COULD CRY. I cook A LOT, and have made loads of casserole sized M&C recipes, and this one was by far the best. Why doesn’t everyone know to make M&C this way? Awesome job Tracy! So glad I found this recipe.
Lizzy says
I made this for myself and it was so good!
Only thing I did was double it so it would be a meal for myself and added a little garlic powder for some extra flavor, otherwise loved this recipe! 🙂
Tracy says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Lizzy!!
Shannon says
I can’t cook, but this recipe was so easy! My picky 3-year-old son really liked it. Will definitely be making this again!
Tracy says
So glad to hear, Shannon! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Emily says
I found this recipe because I was alone at home with my baby, I had nothing in the house to eat and I reallyyy didn’t want to go out in the cold. I luckily had all of the ingredients for it. It took maybe a total of 15 minutes to whip up and it was DELICIOUS! I will be doubling the recipe this week for when my husband is home from work. Thanks for the recipe! YUM!
Tracy says
This makes me so happy to hear, Emily! So glad you enjoyed it!
Glenda Anne Lee says
? Is one Tablespoon correct? Seems rather high…. I it for the pasta or???
Tracy says
Not quite sure what ingredient you’re talking about. There’s one tablespoon of butter and of flour in this recipe. The measurements are correct, and they’re for the cheese sauce. Hope that helps!
Debra says
I believe I will try this tonight it’s only me and my husband so it’s hard to find recipe dishes for 2 I will double it for both of us to have for dinner tonight thank you so much
Tracy says
Hope you both enjoy it, Debra!
Rachel says
I just made this, and it’s delicious! I’m completely new to making non-boxed Mac and cheese, so it came out a bit soupy (I might not have stirred the milk and flour and butter long enough) but that’s on me! Still amazing!
Tracy says
Thanks, Rachel! So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Twenty one pilots ||-// says
This turned out really great! Thanks
Tracy says
So happy to hear!
Shameen Moves says
HI,…..
HOW MANY OUNCES IS THE RAMKIN?
Tracy says
Hi, it’s 12 ounces.
Abigail Cunningham says
Some of THE best dang mac n cheese I have ever made. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! Easy to make and just so delicious. Honestly made my Tuesday!
Tracy says
Your comment made my Wednesday. So glad you enjoyed it, Abigail!! 🙂
OhGoodAFarce says
I’ve made this twice so far. First time was just kinda meh (I used sharp cheddar which turned out REALLY sharp, also I don’t think I whisked the flour/butter/milk mixture for long enough) :p ), but I made it again tonight with medium cheddar and a little more milk (about 2/3 cup maybe?), also I didn’t bother to measure the cheese so I probably added more of that as well (“is that a half cup? … eh, a little more”), but it turned out SO freaking good the second time. I was basically shoveling it into my food hole lol
Tracy says
So happy to hear this!!
Sara R says
I messed up :0 my cheese sauce was too thick and i couldnt even taste the cheese 🙁
Tracy says
Oh no! If you give it another try (and you didn’t do this the first time), maybe try using a sharper cheese, like sharp Cheddar. The sharper the cheese, the more you’ll taste it in the sauce.
Stevie says
If you put mustard in it brings out the flavour in the cheeses that you’ve put in, I love this recipe but add mustard to bring out the flavour of all my cheeses that I throw in and never had any complaints ❤️