easy 3 ingredient one pot mac and cheese

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get ready for busy back-to-school season with this easy 3 ingredient one pot mac and cheese

My kids went back to school this week. It’s only been two days, and it already feels like we were never on summer vacation. I miss the sleeping in, but it feels good to be back on a normal schedule. Carpool, homework, football practice, countless papers to sign. And then there are the lunches to pack.

Honestly, not my most favorite of activities, especially with a fussy eater. But after years of trial and error in the lunch packing business, I think I found a system that works.

Stella made a list of all the things she would like in her lunch, and we choose one or two things from each area each day. A drink, a sweet treat like these brown butter chocolate chip cookies ^[3], 2 or 3 fruits and veggies, and the main event. Some days she’ll take a sandwich, preferably grilled ^[4], a quesadilla with cheese and veggies, but her favorite is this easy 3 ingredient one pot mac and cheese.

Made with only three ingredients and done in less than 20 minutes, I can make a big pot for dinner, and then save the leftovers for a few weekday lunches. It is the perfect back-to-school meal. Most importantly it is fussy eater approved.

Print Recipe ^[5]

Yield: 8 servings

easy 3 ingredient one pot mac and cheese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 3 cups of elbow macaroni (or other small shaped pasta)
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

 

Directions:

• in a large saucepan ( I use my dutch oven)bring the milk and pasta to a boil over medium heat – stir frequently to prevent the pasta from clumping
• continue to stir while boiling until the pasta is tender and the milk has thickened -about 4 minutes
• remove from the heat, and stir in the shredded cheese

adapted from the food network ^[6]

I love to add cayenne pepper to my mac and cheese, but for the kids I leave it out. This mac and cheese is also delicious when you stir in roasted veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. Of course Stella prefers hers with just cheese. Lots and lots of Horizon cheese ^[7].

for more back-to-school inspiration keep up with Horizon on Facebook ^[8], Twitter ^[9], Instagram, ^[10] and Pinterest ^[11]

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.