Name: One Bowl Mac & Cheese Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 1 cup dry short pasta (shells, penne, fusilli, bowties, etc.); 1/2 Tbsp butter; 1/2 Tbsp flour; 1/4 cup milk; 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1/4 cup shredded cheese

Happy National Mac & Cheese Day! You should celebrate today by, well, making mac & cheese. But let’s be real—if you’re cooking for just yourself, you’re probably not going to whip up an entire buffalo chicken mac in a skillet. What you really need is a simple one-bowl mac & cheese that you can easily cook—and devour—in one go. So let me show you how you can do just that.

This recipe is basically a simplified version of my normal homemade mac and cheese but paired down to make just enough for one bowl. The base of it comes from a roux (butter, flour, and milk), then some shredded cheese of your choosing, Greek yogurt, and of course, pasta.

Use any cheese you like

Yep, that’s right. You can use any type of cheese for your one bowl mac & cheese, so get creative! Or simply use up whatever cheese you currently have in the fridge, because we don’t stan food waste on this blog.

However, I have to make one note about shredded cheese that’s super important: Shred the cheese yourself. Did you know bagged shredded cheese has a caking agent that prevents the cheese from sticking together? While it sounds convenient, that cheese will create issues for all of your recipes. The cheese won’t stick together because of it, causing the cheese to separate, and utterly destroying your recipes. Here’s an article I recently wrote on this matter.

For my one bowl mac & cheese, I like to use extra sharp cheddar (yellow or white both work fine), or if I’m feeling it, a shredded pepper jack cheese. I’ve thought about attempting a blue-cheese mac at some point. If I do end up trying it, I’ll update you over on Instagram.

ingredients to make one bowl mac and cheese

scooping mac and cheese from a pot into a bowl

For a protein boost, use chickpea pasta

I admit, I’ve had quite the obsession with chickpea pasta lately, especially Banza. No no, this post isn’t sponsored, just me giving a shout out to a brand I love to use. Between the 2 oz. of Banza shells (equivilanent of 1 cup) and the 1/4 cup of Greek Yogurt, this meal has over 28 grams of protein in it. Meaning you’re going to feel super full after enjoying this one bowl.

Now this is clearly a pasta I like, but this recipe can be done with any type of pasta. While short pasta is best (penne, fusilli, ziti, etc.), you could probably attempt this with long pasta as well (spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair). And of course, you can use pasta made of any type of base you like. Chickpeas, cassava flour, gluten-free…you name it, this one bowl mac & cheese recipe will work.

bowl of mac and cheese made with banza shells

More easy recipes for one

If you’re living by yourself, it can be hard to find recipes that really work for just you. So here are a few of my favorite single-serving recipes that you can start making. And if you’re in a household for two, simply double the recipe!

And of course, margaritas. You need a little cocktail to go with that mac!

Alright here’s the full recipe for one bowl mac & cheese. I hope you celebrate this national holiday in style! And if you’re looking for more recipes, I have a free cookbook for you right here.

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