Instant Mug Mac & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese, whether out of the blue box we all know so well or made from scratch is a classic comfort food dish. Now it can be made in the microwave, in a mug. Perfect for a desired single serving or to quench a last minute Mac & Cheese craving, Instant Mug Mac & Cheese will quickly become a household favorite.

Step 1: Ingredients

Gather the following:

• 1/3 Cup of Noodles (I used elbow noodles for the classic Mac & Cheese look)
• 1/2 Cup of Water
• 1/2 Cup of Shredded Cheese
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Butter
• 1/4 Cup of Milk
• 1 Large Mug
• Spoon or Fork (for stirring and eating)

For this Instructable you will also need:

• Microwave (mine is 1000 W)
• Hot Pad

Step 2: Cook Your Pasta

Pour your 1/3 cup pasta of choice into your mug. Cover with the 1/2 cup of water. Place in the microwave and heat for one minute on high. Remove the mug from the microwave and stir. Heat again for another minute on high then stir. Repeat this process two more times, so that in the end you will have heated/cooked your pasta for a total of four minutes and stirred four times. When you're done, there may still be a tiny bit of water at the bottom of your noodles. You can microwave your mug for another 30-60 seconds or you can leave it. I chose to leave it rather than potentially dry out the noodles.

Stirring in these intervals allows for the water to boil and steam without overflowing down the sides of your mug. If you are still worried about water overflowing, place a plate below your mug to catch the water or place your noodles and water in a larger mug or even a bowl.

NOTE: Your mug may be VERY hot. Please handle it carefully and use a hot pad to handle the mug when applicable.

Step 3: Add Your Dairy

Once your noodles have cooked, you can add your cheese, butter and milk to your mug. Give your noodles a quick stir with all of the dairy products to evenly incorporate them. This will allow for a uniform melting and mixing of your mac and cheese.

Place your mug in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and give your mac and cheese a final stir to make sure that every noodle is coated in cheesy creamy goodness.

Step 4: Enjoy

You're done. Be careful as your mug is most likely still very hot.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Brandon_Parenteau]

My water boiled over 3 times

[vsolymossy]

I tried it today. Super simple and very good.

[jeanniel1]

Wow, mac n cheese in 5 minutes! Better than boxed! I guess the amount of time for cooking the pasta will vary with the type (eg. bowties - would they take as long as elbows?). Great simple recipe

[AustynSN]

Tried this. Very disappointed. Cheese just clumped together and didn't mix in with rest of sauce. May try again with a different cheese, (I used colby) but overall, bad results.

[kelleymarie]

I'm sorry to hear that AustynSN! I imagine it does depend a great deal on the cheese--both type and shredded/cubed/chunks. Maybe throw it back in your microwave for an additional 30 seconds? Mine definitely took a bit of mixing too before it was throughly incorporated.

[AustynSN]

I actually ended up microwaving it for another 5 minutes, stirring it every 45-60 seconds. The cheese just coagulated into a big clump in a pool of milk.

[jeanniel1]

Oh, you OVER-microwaved it - and some cheeses don't melt nicely to mix with the wet stuff. Most do, however. Additional heating won't melt cheese, and will coagulate the milk proteins into a solid lump. Might try using a lower power when doing the same cheese, and grating it will def help. Bon Appetit!

[Verga]

Came out "okay", I probably should have drained off the was, it was a little soupy. I did cook it for the extra 30 seconds. I will try this again and maybe a bit of Cajun spice to kick it up a notch.

[KelleyC1]

My grandma taught me how to make great mac and cheese. Hers always got rave reviews, and she never brought home leftovers of it from her church activities. To begin, of course your cheese lumped, AustynSN. You can't use plain cheddar in this dish. I didn't understand why it turned out this way until I heard Alton Brown explain it has something to do with the oils and proteins in this cheese. My grandma always used cheese slices made with real milk, or at least Velveeta. Boil your noodles; drain off all but just a little of the water, like about a tablespoon. Turn eye to medium, and replace pot containing cooked noodles. Add milk then cheese slices a little at a time, stirring gently between each addition until it gets cheesy enough. Maybe you can adapt that method to this recipe. I know I'm going to try.

As for mac and cheese in a box, neither she nor I ever understood the attraction. Her method is just as easy as making mac and cheese from a box and we think it tastes better. I know both methods take the same amount of time.

[iFirefly]

Oh great - now my Instructables are distracting me from adherence to my strict diet!

[craftyv]

I have never seen Mac @ Cheese in a box here in Australia, (It may exist but I've never seen it) I do of course cook a variety of pasta dishes. This recipe is great, so easy . Thank's.

[Wazzupdoc]

Will try this right now!!

[stevenvachon]

Will try this tomorrow. Thanks!

[nanaverm]

Good instructions, and saves lots of $ compared with the prepackaged varieties!

[Chunky Mulroney]

This is genius! So simple but it's amazing, I added salt and garlic powder to my water...

[Knextremely stupid]

Can I order this in bulk?

[amberrayh]

Yum, this sounds really good! Thank you for sharing!