Homemade One Pot Pasta Alfredo for Kids and their Grownups

Using a single pot to make this easy pasta alfredo is a “winner winner pasta dinner.”

Like so many of you, I’ve tried out lots of homemade one pot mac and cheese recipes on the stove top. But here’s the rub: they’re actually too rich for everyday eating.

I realize that sounds absurd–or like some kind of culinary oxymoron. Macaroni and cheese that is too cheesy?

Is that even possible?

I can’t explain it. I’m only reporting what my kids relayed to me. And, let’s face it: they’re the experts on this subject.

“Mom,” said Cece gravely when I served her the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, “This is too cheesy.”

One Pot Macaroni and cheese Techniques

I have learned a several useful tricks from playing around with all of the one pot homemade mac and cheese recipes floating around:

1. You can boil pasta is much less liquid than is traditional for boiling pasta, so long as you stir it attentively, which is to say very frequently, but not necessarily continuously.
2. Canned evaporated milk is excellent for one pot mac and cheese because it does not curdle, like many sites report. But you can also use half and half, which is available pastured and avoids and additives. {And canned condensed milk and half and half both contain 40 calories per 2 tablespoons.}
3. The ratio of equal parts pasta and milk product by weight (for example, 12 ounces pasta and 12 ounces–1 1/2 cups–half and half as in my recipe) recommended in this Serious Eats recipe is one to live by. But an equal part (12 ounces) of cheese was where our problems started with this recipe and others like it.
4. Because the sauce doesn’t contain flour, one pot macaroni and cheese recipes like this can be easily made gluten free. Just substitute your favorite brand of gluten-free flour. Same goes for substituting whole wheat pasta or veggie pasta.
5. It really does take less than 15 minutes and a single pot to make a homemade version of macaroni and cheese that is better tasting than anything that comes from a box.

A question of cheese: Choosing Parmesan

The only issue to resolve was the quantity–and it turned out, the type–of cheese. I started by reducing the cheddar I always reached for. But one day, I was out of orange cheese and used grated Parmesan, which is both girls favorite cheese hands down.

“This is the best mac and cheese,” Molly proclaimed. Cece agreed. It was creamy, smooth and rich without being a cheese bomb.

So that’s how stove top mac and cheese became our go-to one pot pasta alfredo.

But the girls still call it mac and cheese.

A two-in-one dinner

The final test was to make this one pot dinner two ways: Plain for the kids but veggie laden for us.

I love a cheesy pasta with any kind of green vegetable, especially the snap of peas. So, I devised a way to steam some snap peas in advance to mix in afterwards for the adults’ version.

Still in the same pot.

For NR-17 add-ons, I’ll also serve this pasta with:

• freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes or sriracha {depending on the mood}
• over a bed of fresh arugula or baby kale {because, more veg in every bite}

Everyone gets what they want and there’s only one pot to wash. Which I love almost as much as this easy version of pasta alfredo.

The post Homemade One Pot Pasta Alfredo for Kids and their Grownups appeared first on Lynne Curry.