Here is a pretty simple recipe for Classic Macaroni and Cheese Just make sure that when you are making the roux or sauce, that you keep stirring constantly, and don’t let it burn.
I make a variation of this recipe using half low fat cheddar cheese like this one (Trader Joe’s has their own brand) because it has the right texture. It doesn’t have much of a flavor, and that’s the good part, because the other half of the cheese should be the yummiest sharp cheddar you can find, although a friend of mine makes his with Gruyere, which would also be good.
I also sautee about a half a pint of sliced mushrooms (of any kind that you like) in about a half cup of chopped onions and a Tablespoon of olive oil, until they just start to brown. Then I put the schrooms into the cheese sauce and then dump the whole thing over the cooked macaroni noodles and mix well. If you want, you can also mix in one piece of crumbled real or fake bacon (which really adds a fantastic flavor dimension). Then I put Panko breadcrumbs on top before putting the casserole into the oven.
Your method sounds only fit for a starving college student who doesn’t know how to cook. However, I did read a recipe recently in which they took cooked spaghetti, put it into a frying pan, mixed in a beaten egg, some cheese and some salsa and kind of fried it up into a little patty sort of thing. It sounded pretty tasty and it would be very quick. And I just found a recipe that sounds very similar complete with photos on how to make it. Check it out Here
The other thing that you might like to do in a pinch, although I think it sounds way to fattening for my taste, is to get one of those jarred Alfredo pasta sauces, which is basically a white cheese sauce, and just heat it up and pour it over your cooked noodles. Such as Bertolli or Classico