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Easiest No-Boil Brie Mac and Cheese. Make this on nights when you need a recipe loved by all that takes almost no effort to make! You can’t mess this mac and cheese up! Dry pasta shells baked together with milk, 4 types of cheese, and a buttery Ritz cracker topping. No pre-boiling pasta or messing around with cheese sauce, simply bake and enjoy – so simple and so yummy. Everyone adores this special mac and cheese!
Did you know that mac and cheese is one of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes aside from all the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing? Apparently, mac and cheese is right up there in the top 4 with green bean casserole just below or above depending on the state.
Who knew? Surely not me. I didn’t grow up with mac and cheese served at Thanksgiving, but geez, my brothers and I were really missing out. We would have loved a plate of mac and cheese over whatever it was we were eating (usually something “fancy” that we did not enjoy, like glazed carrots).
Anyway, when my cousin Abby mentioned to me that mac and cheese is one of her favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. That’s when I knew this year would be a good year to share this recipe.
It’s actually a rift off of a recipe I made back in 2013. It’s my creamy brie mac and cheese that I actually still make, even nine-ish years later!
I love that mac and cheese, but I had the idea to make it simpler. No boiling, no cheese sauce, nothing fancy. It’s what we NEED on Thanksgiving.
This turned out just so wonderfully delicious. It’s special, not like a classic mac and cheese, but better in its own way. Creamy, extra cheesy, and so yummy with cubes of brie cheese!
The details
Locate the perfect baking dish. I like to use something with lower sides so the top of the mac and cheese can become just a little crisp.
Then mix everything together. And I really mean pretty much everything. The dry pasta, cheeses, milk, sour cream, and seasonings. For the pasta use a smaller shape like elbow macaroni or shells. They’ll cook the best.
Cover the dish with foil, then bake. What happens is the milk bakes into the pasta while the cheeses melt. It works so well, you will be shocked, but pleased.
While the pasta is baking, mix the Ritz cracker up with a little butter and seasonings. Don’t skip the crackers, I think they make this mac and cheese really good!
Top the mac and cheese off with the remaining cheeses and sprinkle over the Ritz. Bake until everything is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
It’s going to smell delicious! The crackers really are the key though, I love them.
You can prepare this ahead of time, then just bake it off before you would like to serve. It’s the perfect easy Thanksgiving side or dinner!
If you’re looking to impress with a side dish, make this. As I’ve said, it’s loved by everyone. You can’t go wrong!
Looking for other Thanksgiving sides? Here are a few ideas:
Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
Shredded Brussels Sprout and Prosciutto Salad
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Sage Butter
Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks
Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Citrus Avocado Salad with Orange Tahini Vinaigrette
Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Chickpeas
Lastly, if you make this Easiest No-Boil Brie Mac and Cheese. be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easiest No-Boil Brie Mac and Cheese
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 436 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry shells or elbow macaroni
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Havarti cheese
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 ounces brie, rind removed, and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz Crackers
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.2. To the baking dish, add the dry pasta, half of each shredded cheese, the milk, sour cream, ground mustard, cayenne, and 1/3 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Push the cubes of brie into the pasta. Tightly cover the baking dish with the foil. Bake for 25 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the Ritz with the butter, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. 4. Uncover the pasta and sprinkle over the remaining shredded cheese. Top evenly with the Ritz. Bake another 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven. Dig in and enjoy!
could i use boursin or cream
cheese in place of the brie? i don’t love brie. thx!
Hey Stephanie,
Totally, either of those would be great for you to use! I hope you love this dish! xT
Made this tonight and it was a big hit for everyone! The flavor is amazing! I added shredded chicken too it before baking and it was a perfect meal! One question though, mine wasn’t very creamy, would you suggest adding more milk? Thanks!
Hey Kelly,
Thanks so much for making this dish, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Sure, you could add more milk or some heavy cream. I hope this helps! xx
Easy to prepare. The taste is there but the shell noodles did not get soft. I did not forget the water in the directions so no liquid was omitted. Any suggestions if I make again? Love all your other recipes I’ve made!
Hey Laurie,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear about your noodles, what size did you use? Was there anything else you may have adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xx
Made it for the family tonight and everyone loved it! We have a few family members that are “brie averse” so we “left the brie out” (wink, wink, we did NOT!). Everyone thought it was delicious, even without the brie, lol. They couldn’t even taste it.
Hey Liz,
Lol hilarious, that’s something I would do to please my brothers! So glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it:) xx
I’m going to be making this tonight, I can’t find your videos you posted on instagram yesterday, showing us how you make it. Is there anywhere you posted them besides on the stories? Or are those videos gone now?
Hi Kelsi,
You can find the video on the feed now:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hi Tieghan! I’m excited to try your Brie Mac n cheese for thanksgiving! Quick question, if I want to sub the Brie for another cheese what would you suggest?
Could I just use more of the other cheeses? My sister can’t do Brie but the recipe looks so great with the other cheeses and how easy it is to make, so I wanted to try it.
Hey there,
Sure, more of the other cheeses is great to use in place of the brie! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Great flavors and SUPER easy to throw together!! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Kate,
I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed!❄️ xx
No problems with pasta not getting cooked completely?? That would be my only concern because that would be a major fail on Turkey day!
Hi Kristin,
You should be able to follow the recipe as written, I wouldn’t have shared it if that was a concern:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I have a close friend whose husband is on hospice care. She’s struggled with what to feed him and his nurse said to try high-calorie “comfort foods”. I suggested this recipe. This afternoon she and I splurged on some good cheese and made a batch. We both loved it and made two more batches to freeze for his meals. It was easy, creamy and a really good combination of cheese. This evening she texted me and said he downed his entire dish of mac & cheese (he’s had trouble eating, so this was great)! I’m curious to see how it comes out of the freezer, but I’m guessing it will be fine. It’s a great recipe.
Hey Marni,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! So sorry to hear about your friend and her husband and what they are going through. Sending positive thoughts their way 🤍 xTieghan
Hi! I love your one pot mac and cheese so I’m so excited to try this! How far in advance could I prepare the dish before baking? Could I prepare it the night before and then bake it the next day?
Hey Cassidy,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
This was so easy to make and delicious! The store was out of fontina, so I just used more havarti and cheddar. The havarti is so melty and buttery and the chunks of brie melt nicely. I also used chickpea elbow pasta. I will definitely make this again!
Hey Erin,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
I can’t find fontina cheese, what can I use to substitute it?
Hey there,
Gouda, provolone, and gruyere would all be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Could you sub the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt?
Hey Julia,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing for you! xx
Metric instructions say 1.7kg shredded cheese. Is this correct??
The amount should be the same as the shredded havarti cheese 141 grams.
Hi Jayne,
Sorry, I’m not sure, you will want to use 1 1/4 cups of shredded cheddar. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Why would you mix this with your hands? Ew.
Hey Loa,
You can use a spoon too lol:) I hope you love the recipe! xT