This three cheese mac and cheese is a no roux mac and cheese made with bone broth, half and half, seasoning, and cheese.. A lot of macaroni and cheese recipes claim that they are easy, but they aren’t actually easy. Well, this one is! You don’t even need to cook the pasta ahead of time, you just toss it in dry and the starch from the pasta helps thicken your sauce. And the best part about this recipe is that it is a no roux mac and cheese, and yes, you are still able to achieve the creamiest cheese sauce.

stove top three cheese macaroni and cheese made without a roux.

Three Cheese Mac and Cheese

This three cheese mac and cheese recipe is incredible and goes great with my Pork Belly Burnt Ends. Honestly, I wouldn’t waste my time publishing a recipe for a meal that many people make from a box if I didn’t believe you would love it too. We are all so busy during the week and we all just want something easy, tasty, and satisfying to make for us or our family. I use bone broth in this recipe because it is high in protein, tastes just like chicken broth, and adds a nutritional boost to this macaroni and cheese. I guess you can call this a high protein mac and cheese, which wasn’t even my intention.

macaroni and cheese made with bone broth and three cheeses

My goal was to create a stove top macaroni and cheese recipe that is easy to make, made all in one pot, and that does not use a roux. I have a kid and trust me, we eat a lot of macaroni and cheese in this house. My daughter can be very picky about mac and cheese and she devoured this.

I like to use three cheeses in this macaroni and cheese because I think the combination of cheese gives it a great texture and flavor. Before you choose your cheese, I want you to take a couple of things into consideration. You want to make sure you choose cheeses that melt easily. If you choose harder cheeses, your cheese sauce can come out lumpy or grainy. Using a mixture of sharp cheese and mild cheese creates the best flavor. I like to combine mild cheddar cheese, gruyere cheese, and monterrey jack cheese.

three cheese macaroni and cheese made with bone broth

Bone Broth Mac and Cheese

I have been seeing the addition of bone broth in recipes for years. Bone broth is high in protein and collagen and has been used for centuries to help cure colds. In this recipe, the pasta cooks in bone broth and half and half. You don’t need to drain the pasta so you do not lose any of the nutrients of bone broth.

If you do not have bone broth, you can substitute chicken broth in this recipe, but it will of course not include as much protein once prepared. And if you would like to make this recipe vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth.

No Roux Mac and Cheese

In the past I have only made stove top macaroni and cheese from a box or with a roux. There are some great brands out there like Goodles making delicious boxed macaroni and cheese, but I still like to have the option to make it all from scratch.

When you make macaroni and cheese with a roux, it means that you use flour and butter as a thickener. Some people find that making a roux is too difficult or stressful and would rather skip that step. If you don’t like the idea of making a roux for your macaroni and cheese, this no roux mac and cheese is for you.

Since I do not pre cook the pasta in this recipe, this bone broth mac and cheese gets its thickness from the pasta starch leftover in the liquid plus cheese. The half and half in this recipe prevents the sauce from separating, so make sure not to use a low fat milk. Low fat milk can curdle when it is are simmering which would create an off putting cheese sauce. I plan on trying this recipe with whole milk sometime soon to see if that would work, but sometimes when I cook with whole milk, high heat can make it curdle so for now I am sticking to the half and half.

How to Make 3 Cheese Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

2 cups bone broth
2 cups half and half (lower fat milk is more likely to curdle in high heat)
2 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp better than bouillon roasted chicken flavor (or actual chicken bouillon)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
12 oz dry macaroni
1 cup shredded gruyere (or a gruyere/swiss blend)
1 cup mild yellow cheddar cheese hand shredded
1 cup monterrey jack cheese hand shredded (you can also use pepper jack if you like spicy food)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large saucepan or large pot with a cover, stir together the broth, half and half, butter, better than bouillon, salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Bring it to a low boil.
Turn the heat to medium low. Add the pasta and then cover and cook for around 12 minutes. You want the pasta to be soft but al dente when you remove it from the heat.
Remove the pasta from the heat and stir. Add in the cheese, one type at a time, and stir slowly. Cheese should melt into the liquid fast and create a creamy cheese sauce. If your sauce is too thick, add in a little more broth. Taste your macaroni and cheese and add a little bit of salt or black pepper to taste. If you like spice, add in a few dashes of hot sauce