parmesan – you could also use another Italian hard cheese here such as grana padano (my favourite!).garlic powder – this is optional, but it does add flavour, so I’d definitely recommend using at least a little.

However, it doesn’t matter whether you use a name-brand cream cheese such as philadelphia or a store’s own brand. cream cheese – do not use low fat here or the sauce will become watery as low-fat cream cheese contains more water.macaroni pasta – you could use another small pasta shape such as fusilli or bowties, but I definitely prefer macaroni here.The ingredients list for macaroni cheese is generally very short, though this one is definitely shorter than most: What ingredients do I need to make this recipe? It’s brilliant! This also means that it’s a brilliant recipe for children or inexperienced cooks to try. My favourite thing about this cream cheese macaroni, though, isn’t that there’s minimal washing up – it’s that it’s practically impossible to mess up! I’ve made this recipe at least 30 times already, and not once has the sauce turned grainy or has there been a lack of flavour. To be honest, if you have a pan that can be used both on the stovetop and then in the oven then you could just use that for everything! This means that you only need to properly wash up the dish you bake the pasta in.

I also prefer to minimise washing up, which I do in this recipe by boiling the macaroni in one pan (it’s only had pasta water in it’ll only need a quick rinse, right?) and then using the tray I bake the mac and cheese in to mix together the cream cheese (and rest of the sauce ingredients) with the pasta, which I then top with mozzarella, cheddar or a crispy breadcrumb topping. So, I was looking for a way to make macaroni cheese without always having to make a roux (or use a jarred cheese sauce – they always lack flavour!). Plus, you can customise the flavours to your heart’s content. This cream cheese macaroni pasta bake is the simplest, creamiest mac and cheese ever – and it’s ridiculously easy! There’s no need for a roux that could split, and you can choose whether to top the bake with breadcrumbs or melty cheese.

Cheese roux for baked mac and cheese