May 4, 2018

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

We love Macaroni and Cheese in our house. It’s a guarantee that you can find at least one box in our pantry at all times. My husband loves it and it’s one of a few sides he’ll actually cook. On holidays and for parties though we like to make “real” mac and cheese. I used to make it the old fashioned way boiling the noodles first, making the sauce in a pan, mixing together and baking. It’s so time consuming. I decided to try my hand at making it in the crock pot. It did not disappoint!

If you love easy recipes like I do, then this one is for you! The best thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to boil the noodles first! You literally just dump all the ingredients in mix it up and walk away!

A tip that we always use when cooking with our Crock-pot is to use Crock-pot liners. I discovered these a few years ago and it was life changing! No more over night soaking to get the crock-pot over night to get it clean.

Mac and cheese in the crock-pot is a little different than your average slow cooker meal. This one only takes a few hours, which makes it perfect for whipping up after a long day at work or before the party that you forgot to plan for ahead of time.

Its so simple all you do is put the macaroni in the crock-pot and top with butter.

Next grate the cheeses. You can use any combination of cheese you’d like. I used Cheddar and Monterey Jack, but feel free to play around with combinations. Cube the Velveeta, I know Velveeta may seem like an odd choice but it brings an extra creaminess to the dish. Make sure you don’t leave it out.

When your finished grating and cubing the cheese place it in the crock-pot on top of the macaroni. In a separate bowl mix together the milk, evaporated milk, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard powder. Add mixture to crock pot and press all macaroni down into the liquid.

That’s it! Place the lid on the crock-pot and set on low. Let cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After the first hour check pasta to see how down it is and stir to mix around. Keep an eye on it till pasta is completely cooked.

That’s it you’re ready to enjoy!!

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Crock-Pot Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is so easy and doesn't require you to pre-boil the pasta! 

Course Side Dish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Milk
  • 12 oz Evaporated Milk
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp Mustard powder
  • 1 lb Elbow Macaroni
  • 6 oz Velveeta cubed
  • 8 oz Sharp Chedder Cheese grated
  • 8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese grated

Instructions

  1. Pour the uncooked macaroni into the crock pot and top with butter and cheeses. 


  2. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, evatorated milk, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard. 

  3. Pour milk mixture on top and stir to combine. 

  4. Make sure to press all the macaroni into the milk mixture. It won't completely cover the macaroni, but press cover as much as you can. 

  5. Place lid on Crock-pot and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure all macaroni gets cooked. 

  6. Macaroni and Cheese will be done when all the liquid is absorbed and pasta is cooked. 

  7. ENJOY!

Recipe Notes

  1. Cooking times can vary from 1 1/2 - 3 hours based on pasta type and slow cooker. Make sure to check on past around 1 1/2 hours and decide if more time is needed. 
  2. Fresh grated cheese works the best as pre-grated cheese is coated to not stick to the package. The coating will affect the creaminess. 
  3. I recommend always use a crock pot liner. It make clean up a breeze. 

 

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