Creamy Shells and Cheese

5 from 6 votes

Macaroni and cheese is an all-time classic! This creamy shells and cheese is packed with everything you love about macaroni and cheese, with the perfect pasta shape to hold all the cheesy goodness! The best part? This is a stovetop shells and cheese - No ovens needed!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked macaroni and cheese, Creamy mac and cheese, Creamy shells and cheese, Shells and cheese

Servings: Servings

Calories: 554kcal

Author: Sunena Anand

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Sharp cheddar cheese grated
½ cup White cheddar cheese grated
1 cup Whole milk
1 cup Half and half cream
½ teaspoon Garlic powder
½ teaspoon Onion powder
½ teaspoon Mustard powder
2 tablespoon All purpose flour
2 tablespoon Butter
1 lb Medium shells pasta

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, salt liberally.
In a pot of salted, boiling water, boil the shells until al dente, or until they are cooked through with a slight bite to them. Drain the cooked pasta, and set aside. You do not need to keep any pasta water before draining.
1 lb Medium shells pasta
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle in the all purpose flour. Combine together, and let it cook through for 1-2 minutes, or until the flour is a medium-blonde colour.
2 tablespoon Butter, 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
Add the whole milk and half and half cream to the pot in a slow stream while whisking vigorously, and let it come to a simmer. Continue to stir consistently. As it heats, the sauce will thicken. Once the milk has come to a thicker sauce consistency, add your spices.
1 cup Whole milk, 1 cup Half and half cream, ½ teaspoon Garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Onion powder, ½ teaspoon Mustard powder
Reduce the heat to low. In small portions, add the cheese to the sauce. Add a small handful amount, stir to combine, and repeat until all the cheese is mixed in. Once the cheese has melted, add the pasta, and combine well.
1 ½ cups Sharp cheddar cheese, ½ cup White cheddar cheese

Notes

Use freshly grated cheese: Pre-shredded cheese is a fantastic time saver, however shells and cheese is not the recipe to use it for. Most pre-shredded cheeses are coated in anti-caking agents, which also makes your sauce a little gritty. You will always get better results with freshly shredded cheese.
Use full fat cheese: Another common reason why cheese sauces turn out gritty is because of lower fat cheeses. Low fat or fat free cheese does not melt the same way as their higher-fat counterparts, and tend to become clumpy and grainy.
Reduce your heat: When you are ready to add the cheese to your bechamel (white) sauce, reduce your heat to low. Lower heat will allow the cheese to melt more evenly, giving you a nice and silky smooth cheese sauce.

Nutrition