Well, I eat it as though it’s a main course. I tweaked a few things, didn’t cook it as long, and wound up with this amazing side dish. The first time I made it, I left it in too long and the macaroni was too overcooked for a good picture (but my brother and I loved it anyway), and then my brother begged me to make it again for his birthday weekend.
EASY MAC AND CHEESE CROCK POT MAC
This Three Cheese Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese might be some of the cheesiest, creamiest, richest Mac ‘n’ Cheese I ever had. Genius, genius, genius! But would it taste good? But that’s it!Īnyway, then it came to me. Elbow macaroni noodles are slow cooked in a rich cheesy sauce. I’m not turning on the oven unless there’s a gun to my head. This easy mac and cheese recipe needs just minutes of prep and comes out of the slow cooker perfect every time Why this is the best crock pot mac & cheese ever. Smooth the top so the pasta is submerged. (you may have to add a little more milk to completely cover the macaroni). Add ALL remaining ingredients (with hold 1/2 cup cheese for top). Cook elbow macaroni per box directions, drain and place in mixing bowl. Stir to combine, making sure everything is evenly distributed. Spray Crock pot with non stick cooking spray. It is great as a holiday side and a favorite for Sunday supper. Add the macaroni, whole milk, heavy cream, cream cheese, salt, mustard, and ground red pepper, if using. This Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is a family favorite Elbow macaroni noodles are slow cooked in a rich cheesy sauce. Holy yum to all of the above.īut it wasn’t until just recently that I realized that I would love a way to make Macaroni and Cheese with as little effort and heating up the house as possible. Spray the inside of a medium-large crock pot (approximately 4-qt size) with cooking spray then pour macaroni mixture into crock pot. This Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese is the creamiest, cheesiest, most addicting mac & cheese you'll ever make. Combine ingredients in the slow cooker: Coat the insert of a 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker insert with cooking spray. Cover and cook in the slow cooker on high for 1 hour 15 minutes. Stir well to combine and press the pasta down so it’s as submerged as possible in the liquid. Add the pasta, butter, milk, broth, cream cheese, salt, pepper and ground mustard to the slow cooker.
In the time since, I’ve made many forms of Mac ‘n’ Cheese and featured some of them here, like Grilled Mac ‘n’ Beer Cheese Sliders with Tomato-Bacon Jam, Chicken Enchilada Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and Cauliflower Baked Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Spray the insert of your slow cooker with cooking spray. There’s just something so… comforting… about this comfort food. I have had a deep, soul-encompassing desire to eat Macaroni and Cheese at every opportunity from then on out. Then I discovered the joys of baked Macaroni and Cheese at a barbecue a few years back, and then I realized that, of course, you can make Mac ‘n’ Cheese with real cheese on the stove top.Īnd I thought to myself, “What a wonderful world.” Next time, I will stir this right away and then now and then during cooking to prevent that from happening.I’m sad to say that there was a point in my life when I hated Mac n’ Cheese.ĭoesn’t that make you sad for my childhood? Oh, the wasted years!įor much of my life, I didn’t realize that there was anything else out there other than the watery, powder-made instant cheese sauce from a box. Sprinkle about 1/2 the Cheddar cheese over pasta and stir. Add butter to pasta and stir until melted season with salt and pepper. I scraped the stuck parts off and removed them. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Luckily it was not burned at all, which I know would have ruined the flavor of the whole thing.
When I went to stir it at 2 1/4 hours, I was disappointed to find that the cheese that melted down into the noodles had become stuck to the crock pot (I had sprayed liberally with cooking spray) about three inches up around the entire edge at the bottom where the noodles sat and was very browned. My ONLY issue was that I followed your instructions not to peek. The cheesy flavor is perfect in my book! I know I’ll make it again and again. I used 3 cups mexi-blend cheese and 1 cup mozzarella. Wonderfully simple and delicious recipe! I’ve been striving for years to make home made macaroni and cheese like mom taught me with the flour/milk mixture and could never ever get the taste right! This recipe gives me the same incredible taste as mom’s with less than half the effort! So creamy and perfect with the addition of the cottage cheese.