This Caprese One Pot Mac and Cheese from The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook comes together in under 20 minutes, start to finish. Video included!
This Caprese One Pot Mac and Cheese is everyone’s current favorite recipe from The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook — and I totally get why.
I am so glad that one pot macaroni and cheese is a thing.
And what a glorious thing it is.
If you’ve never made it before, it goes like this: pasta gets cooked in milk until thick and creamy before the cheese gets stirred in.
There’s no draining, no dirtying several dishes, and the starch helps make a luscious sauce without the need for a roux.
So easy, right? You need only 10 minutes, and it’s delicious every time.
Now that summer’s in full swing, I like making this caprese version — which features freshly grated mozzarella cheese, ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil.
Even if your garden isn’t overflowing with tomatoes and basil right now, don’t worry. Once you have the basics of making this one pot mac and cheese, the variations are endless! I’ll go over that below.
How to Make One Pot Mac and Cheese
Step 1: Choose Your Pasta
This one pot mac and cheese will only work with a short pasta. Although this specific recipe uses and is tested with elbow noodles, other short pastas like mini shells, ditalini, or corbata would work. The important part is that all of the pasta is submerged in the liquid when cooking.
You can use regular pasta or whole wheat pasta for this recipe.
Step 2: Choose Your Cheese and Additions
You can play with the variations of this one pot macaroni and cheese.
But when it comes to the cheese, it’s critical to use freshly grated cheeses. Freshly grated cheese is a must for making macaroni and cheese. Pre-packaged shredded cheeses contain anti-clumping additions, like cellulose, which will not melt the cheese properly and cause a lumpy sauce.
For different variations of this one pot macaroni and cheese, try:
- White Cheddar Cheese + Diced Chicken + Chopped Bacon
- Pepper Jack Cheese + Jalapeños + Cornbread Crumble Topping
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese + Cooked Ground Beef + Diced Tomatoes
- Three Cheese (Gruyere + Cheddar + Parmesan)
Step 3: Cook Your One Pot Macaroni and Cheese
All that stands in the way of this one pot mac and cheese and your dinner table is 10 minutes of cooking!
Follow the notes and tips in the recipe for the perfect one pot mac and cheese, and take a peek at our video below.
One Pot Caprese Macaroni and Cheese Video
The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook | Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven | Whole Grain Elbow Pasta | Boxed Cheese Grater
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Caprese One Pot Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Caprese One Pot Mac and Cheese from The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook comes together in under 20 minutes, start to finish.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry elbow pasta
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup seeded and diced ripe fresh tomato
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet or a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pasta, milk, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently to avoid the pasta from sticking.
- Let the pasta simmer until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. The pasta will absorb most (but not all) of the liquid and the sauce will be thick and creamy.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the freshly grated mozzarella, a little at a time, until incorporated. Stir in the Parmesan, butter, basil, and tomato. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
Use freshly grated mozzarella! Freshly grated cheese is a must for making macaroni and cheese. Pre-packaged shredded cheeses contain anti-clumping additions, like cellulose, which will not melt the cheese properly and cause a lumpy sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 659
- Sugar: 9.9g
- Sodium: 830mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 13.7g
- Carbohydrates: 86.9g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 27.7g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
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I did something horribly wrong .. , ….,, something about me using pasta from a kraft box, draining some of the sauce, and not using parmesan made the mozarella sooo thick that it was more cheese than anything else :'(( learn from my mistakes yall
amazing, love pasta so much,. really cool recipe will try it this weekend, thanks for sharing
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Looks absolutely delicious! Must try to make one of these days.
this looks so delicious! I’m definitely trying it tomorrow!
Mac and cheese are most people’s favorite and so is mine too. Would love to try out soon.It looks yummy.
1 I’ve always tried to taste different variations from the same dish and this one is not a exception I would like to do this recipe soon
Mac and cheese it my all time favourite dish and this version looks super easy to do. I can’t wait to try this
Ooo this is proper comfort food at its best. My other half loves any thing cheesy so this is his kind of thing for sure x
I love that it’s creamy and thick. I also appreciate that there is no draining for this particular recipe.
This looks perfect. So creamy and delicious. Plus, it’s so easy to make. I bet my boys will love this too. I can’t wait to make it.
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I so gotta try this one day! A different way to make mac and cheese!
Yes – it is a glorious thing! I love that this recipe looks both easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Aaaaahhhh…it looks like I will have to miss out this pasta. It would be so lovely without the non-dairy milk.
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My 10 year old is obsessed with all things caprese and mac and cheese! She would absolutely love this dish!
wow. that is definitely not the mac and cheese of my childhood. gorgeous !!! i just pinned it and can’t wait to try it sometime soon
I looooove mac and cheese. Although I’m reading this at 8am, you’ve got my taste buds craving mac and cheese. It sounds smazing!
I love your Caprese One Pot Mac and Cheese recipe! I hope I can make it on weekends! So yummy!
★★★★★
This looks so easy to do, I love cheese and any excuse to use it is a plus 🙂 just need to work on not cooking too much pasta
★★★★★
I love homemade mac n cheese. This recipe looks incredible! Thanks!
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Because of this post which I left opened since yesterday, I bought a macaroni. This one looks so delicious and easy to follow. 🙂
★★★★★
This recipe looks so delicious to try and easy to make. The flamboyant food photos made me peckish.
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Good tip on using freshly grated cheese. I think that makes a difference too.
Oh my goodness, this looks so good! All of those amazing flavors meld so well!
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Caprese One Pot Mac and Cheese looks so yummy! I hope I can make it soon. It looks like a very easy recipe.
A tasty looking mac and cheese with a pinch of unique ingredient. I love how you can make different kinds of make n cheese depending on what you what to add and it’s easy to make too. yum! <3
★★★★★
Once upon a time I would have LOVED this. But I don’t really eat cheese anymore. Still, it looks SUPER tasty!
★★★★★
Oh my goodness, this looks so delicious! This is a perfect fish to make for summer parties!
Oh, that looks pretty darn yummy. I’m a big fan of 1 pot things and this is one of those that I would make!
You have no idea how happy I am to have stumbled upon this recipe. This is literally my daughters two favorite dishes, combined into one.
OK, somehow I know this will be a hit at my next office potluck. Can’t wait to try it and show it off
TO DIE FOR. I love quirky takes on old favourites and this one sounds divine. Very adult Mac and cheese. My one girl doesn’t like it when I make new Mac and cheese variations like this. The other one though LOVES it. So whatever. I enjoy experimenting with real cheese Mac and cheese recipes.
★★★★★
My kids have just got back into Mac cheese, Love your one pot version.
★★★★★
That’s a unique twist to my favorite dish, I just had some mac n cheese and eat it often. I’d love to start mixing it up and trying new ways to make it starting with this recipe.
★★★★★