I love mac and cheese. Or more accurately, I LOVE mac and cheese. Luckily, my family does too so when we are in need of some comfort food, it’s the dish we turn to most often. I happen to be partial to Martha Stewart’s Perfect Macaroni and Cheese (it really is nearly perfect), but when I saw this baked mac and cheese that required no stovetop work at all, I just had to try it. Because a no-boil, cheesy mac and cheese that takes less than five minutes of prep… What could be better than that?

While admittedly this is not the be-all, end-all showstopper of a baked macaroni and cheese, its draw is in the ease of preparation, and let me tell you, it’s extremely easy. It’s also a totally tasty, dependable mac and cheese, with a creamy, cheesy interior and a crunchy top, which is nearly everything you want from mac… It just isn’t quite the luxurious three-cheese silky-sauced endeavor you might get from Martha’s. Think side dish more than scene-stealing main.

But literally all you have to do to make that side is stir together some sour cream and milk (plus nutmeg, salt, pepper, etc.) with dry macaroni and some grated cheddar before tucking it all in a baking dish and letting the oven do all the work. I suppose you could even stir everything together in the baking dish itself and then you’d only have one dish to worry about.

The baking time is longer than your usual baked mac, but you aren’t working over a hot stove for any of it. Just stir, put it in the oven, and walk away! It’s the ideal macaroni and cheese to serve when you’ve got a bunch of other dishes in the works – it’s delicious but doesn’t take any of your attention.