Easy Microwave Macaroni Cheese. My Quick Mac Cheese!

One microwave meal for one that I make a lot of in the winter months is an Easy Mac Cheese.  This unceremonious dish is a quick and easy microwave macaroni cheese, without making the cheese sauce.  Although I can make a great cheese sauce in the microwave, that turns out perfect and lump free every time, I don’t always have milk in the house so it’s a non-starter.

I will soon be getting some dried milk in again, but as I’ve moved a few times in the last two years, my cupboards are sometimes lacking in what used to be my standard store cupboard ingredients!

I like to use the small macaroni when I make macaroni cheese – even better are the fast cook varieties, where the pack says they cook in just 3 minutes.  However, you can cook any type of macaroni in the microwave – it’s just a question of how long it takes.

You’ll need: a microwave safe jug/dish to cook in, a small splash of oil (optional), some dried macaroni, some cheese (I use grated cheddar), your favourite sauce (I use brown sauce).  

1. Firstly, boil a kettle of water, you’ll need boiling water for this.  Of course, you could just start with cold water in the microwave, but that means the cooking takes a little longer – but if you’ve no kettle, then use the microwave for everything!
2. Measure out how much macaroni you want to cook – you can do this by eye, or measure out half a mug or so. You can rinse the macaroni if you wish, but it’s not essential.  I usually don’t.
3. Place the macaroni in a microwave-safe dish, as large/deep as you can.  I tend to use a glass Pyrex measuring jug for a lot of microwave cooking and so will usually cook macaroni in that.
4. Add a splash of oil.  Any oil, what’ve you got?  It’s not essential, I just like to add a small splash of oil as I’m convinced it helps to keep the macaroni separate as it cooks, instead of clumping together.
5. Add boiling water to your macaroni and place your dish in the microwave.
6. Set the microwave to two minutes on high and watch through the window to ensure it’s not bubbling over.  After 2 minutes is up, stir the macaroni, then return it to the microwave for another 2 minutes.  Repeat this until it’s done.  How long it takes will depend on how much macaroni you’re cooking, the size/shape of your cooking dish and the power of your microwave.  You can tell when it’s done by tasting a bit each time. It needs to be as soft as you like it.
7. Once your macaroni is cooked, drain the water away from the dish.
8. Grate cheddar cheese and add it to the macaroni – as much or as little as you like. Give it a stir around then pop the dish into the microwave for 1 minute so the cheese melts.

Now, that’s a simple and easy macaroni cheese!

Of course, you can adjust it a little if you wish, by adding in 1-2 spoons of milk when you add the cheese, which will loosen up the cheese ‘sauce’ a little, or by adding a heaped tablespoon of soft cream cheese (like Philadelphia).

To Serve: 

I think macaroni cheese tastes better when served in a bowl, rather than a plate.

I like to serve macaroni cheese with a tin of tomatoes, the whole tin usually! I’ll also usually add some brown sauce to the macaroni cheese.

I always say “there are no points for presentation” – one of the joys of single living and cooking for one is that there’s nobody around to tell you that you can’t do this!  It’s a one pot dinner.

This quick macaroni cheese makes it an achievable quick dinner for one, without too much fuss.