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Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

Extra Gooey Mac and Cheese Recipe

Published: Jan 16, 2021 · Modified: Mar 10, 2023 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

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This super simple Mac and Cheese Recipe is great for those evenings when you are too tired to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but don’t really feel like spending money eating out! You can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes!

bowl of mac and cheese that is very gooey.
Super Gooey Mac and Cheese!
Contents hide
1 🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
2 🧀 Ingredients
3 🍽️ Instructions
4 👩‍🍳 Expert Tips
5 Recipe FAQs
6 Ooey Gooey Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese is one of my favorite dishes to make. It’s a tasty and inexpensive comfort food. Like most of us, I like my mac and cheese to be sticky, super cheesy and to have little gooey cheese strands each time I pick up the fork.

If you’re looking for a healthy recipe, this isn’t it. It’s neither low calorie or all natural. It is, however, amazing. So, if you’re not against using a cream-of-(insert here) soup every now and then, you should definitely give it a try.

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🍽️ Why This Recipe Works

10 Minutes Prep | Fast prep makes cooking even easier. I love making food that I can literally toss together and cook in minutes. There is a little bit of hands on work, but it’s easy stuff.

Inexpensive | Buy all the ingredients and spend very little money on them. That’s always a win!

Makes a lot | One batch will give you around eight servings. This is perfect to take to a gathering or potluck too.

🧀 Ingredients

Medium Shells – Any old pasta will work, but I like the way these shells form small “scoops” to hold a bit more of the gooey goodness!

Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup – This is one of my all-purpose, go-to soups. The funny thing is I don’t think I have ever actually used it as a soup! It is always as an ingredient in a recipe. This is one to keep in your pantry.

Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Nothing goes better with cheese soup than more cheese!

Tip: I prefer to buy the blocks of cheese over the bags of pre-shredded. Many times, the companies will add preservatives to the shredded cheese. It is just as easy to use your Cuisinart to shred it yourself and avoid the additives.

🍽️ Instructions

Step One: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook until done.

Step Two: Heat up another pan, melt butter, then add the condensed soup and whisk until warmed through (about one minute).

Step Three: Add shredded cheese and whisk until sticky and thoroughly combined. You’ll know it’s done once it looks like a cheese sauce with no visible bits of shredded cheese. Taste the sauce and decide whether it needs salt and pepper. This is optional because the cream of cheddar cheese soup has salt in it.

Step Four: Drain the pasta and transfer it to large mixing bowl. Pour cheese sauce over top and stir until fully combined. Serve immediately.

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

  • Never overcook the pasta or it will become sticky and mushy. That is not too appealing!
  • Add in your favorite ingredients. Hamburger, ground turkey, tuna, peas, or broccoli would all be some tasty options.
  • Adding a little bit of salt to the water is a must. It makes all the difference in the final results.

Recipe FAQs

What kind of cheese is best to use?

We have the best luck when we use a combination of sharp cheddar and condensed cheddar soup. It’s the perfection combination.

What is a good seasoning to use?

Really, we stick to the basics when making this homemade mac and cheese recipe. A little salt and pepper is all you need. If you want to add in other seasonings, try cayenne pepper for some heat, chili powder, or even garlic powder.

Is it Ok to make ahead of time?

Yep! You can go ahead and prepare this as directed and let it cool down. Once cool keep it in an airtight food container for up to four days.

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Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Ooey Gooey Mac and Cheese

The claim to fame here is gooey and creamy mac and cheese. This is delish and sometimes that is what you need. Comfort food at its best! 
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 44kcal
Author: Ginny

Ingredients

  • 1 16 oz Pasta Shells medium
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 can Condensed Cheddar Soup
  • 1 8oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot to boil and add salt. Add pasta and follow box instructions. 
  • Heat up another pan, melt butter, then add the cheddar soup and whisk until warmed through. This should take about one minute. Add shredded cheese and whisky until sticky and thoroughly combined. You'll know it's done once it looks like a cream sauce with no visible bits of cheddar cheese. Taste the cheese sauce and decide how much salt and pepper it needs. This is optional because the cream of cheddar cheese soup itself is quite salty. 
  • Drain pasta, transfer to large mixing bowl. Pour cheese sauce over top and stir until fully combined. Serve immediately. 

Notes

Reheat: This can be reheated by adding a tad bit of milk or half and half to cream it back up by heating it up on the stove or microwave. 
Caution: Never overcook the pasta or it will end up too mushy. 
Variation: Feel free to add in any meat of your choice, peas, broccoli or other veggies to make it a full meal.
Best Cheeses: We have the best luck when we use a combination of sharp cheddar and condensed cheddar soup. It’s the perfection combination and melts well too. 
Storage: You can go ahead and prepare the mac and cheese as directed and let it cool down. Once cool keep it in an airtight food container for up to 4 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 213mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Calcium: 12mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savorandsavvy or tag #savorandsavvy!
Ginny
Ginny

Hi!

Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.

savorandsavvy.com/about-me/
Extra Gooey Mac and Cheese Recipe
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About Ginny

Hi!

Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bindi U says

    December 11, 2023 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    The title is right! it’s extra ooey gooey

    Reply
  2. Jean says

    May 04, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    What size box of shells? I live in Calgary, Ab and pasta comes in many sizes. I’m going to try to turn this into gluten free. It sounds really good!

    Reply
    • Jazmin Rode says

      May 09, 2016 at 1:13 pm

      Pretty sure it was a 16 oz box of shells. 🙂

      Reply
  3. katy says

    June 30, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    I have erased all other mac&cheese recipes. Its the most ridiculously good mac&cheese ever. My 6 year old said its better than any of the boxes, and that’s high praise from a 6yr old. Thank you for making the dinnertime queen!

    Reply
  4. Leslie says

    May 09, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    My boyfriend loves mac & cheese. I think we will have this tonight with our honey mustard chicken.

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    May 09, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    This is the mixture I use on my cheesy potatoes. Just use a little Lawry’s for seasoning add one onion. Yum Yum

    Reply
  6. Tori G says

    May 09, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    oh my goodness….mac and cheese is my weakness!! This looks yummy!

    Reply
    • MD says

      September 11, 2022 at 1:50 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe! I like to add a little bit of dry mustard for flavor. This is my go-to mac and cheese recipe!

      Reply
      • Ginny says

        September 26, 2022 at 10:36 am

        Dry mustard is a great addition to Mac and cheese!

        Reply
5 from 2 votes

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Family Photo Hi! I'm Ginny and for over 30 years, I've been creating simple and easy recipes without sacrificing on taste for our family on the go. I can't wait to show you how to do the same for your family. Read More...

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