The One Pasta You Should Never Have To Drain, According To Alton Brown

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Pretty much all types of pasta, whether fresh or boxed, need to be boiled before they're consumed. And while you might reserve a cup or two of pasta water to thin out your sauce, pasta is usually drained of its cooking liquid. However, according to Alton Brown, the one pasta you should never have to drain is macaroni and cheese. In a video posted to YouTube, Brown shares a recipe for stovetop mac and cheese that's truly a one-pot meal.

Instead of boiling the macaroni in a deep pot filled with water, Brown insists on pouring over just enough water to barely cover the pasta before bringing the pot to a boil. This small amount of water will not only cook the water but also serves as a binding agent for the creamy, cheesy sauce you pour over next. Boiling the pasta in the water for five to eight minutes will help a portion of the water evaporate while also drawing the pasta's starches out. That concentrated starchy water is the perfect binder and thinner for the cream sauce he mixes in a glass measuring cup as the pasta is boiling. The sauce is a blend of evaporated milk, spices, and eggs for an extra-rich and silky smooth foundation to melt the different types of cheese he subsequently stirs into the pot.

In addition to using a scant amount of cooking liquid for macaroni, Alton Brown shared another tip for cooking pasta in the clip, which is to use cold water. According to Brown, you should ignore the convention of throwing pasta into a pot of boiling water and opt to bring the water and pasta to boil together. Not only will this reduce cooking times but it'll also result in a perfectly al dente pasta texture.

Brown's recipe for stovetop macaroni and cheese sneaks in leafy greens by stirring in fresh baby spinach to wilt for a minute before adding the cream sauce. The spinach brings a pop of color and much-needed nutrients to the mix. If you don't like spinach, you could add broccoli or cauliflower, which are hearty and famously delicious pairings for cheese sauce. This will tack on some cooking time, but the smaller you cut these veggies, the faster they'll cook; you could place a lid over the veggies to help steam them without evaporating all the starchy water.

Adding raw eggs to hot pasta is a popular technique in classic recipes like pasta carbonara. However, you want a custard, not curdled, sauce consistency, so it's important to stir the sauce into the pasta and water at a very low simmer. Sharp cheddar cheese is one of the best cheeses for macaroni, which Brown complements with a tangy, creamy feta. We like this Mt. Vikos sheep and goat milk feta.