Recipes

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 pound elbow pasta uncooked (regular, NOT gluten free, NOT quick cook pasta) We use Barilla brand
  • 2 ½ cups whole milk
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk
  • 12 ounces Extra sharp cheddar 3 cups shredded (from the deli, shred yourself, don’t buy bagged)
  • 4 ounces American cheese (or Monterrey) 1 cup shredded (from the deli, not processed slices)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Dash of cayenne pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup butter cubed

Instructions

  • Spray 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick spray.
  • Rinse the uncooked pasta well in cold water and drain.
    1 pound elbow pasta
  • Add uncooked pasta to crockpot along with milks, cheeses, salt, pepper, mustard, garlic and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine, making sure macaroni is submerged in liquid as much as possible.
    2 1/2 cups whole milk,12 ounces evaporated milk,12 ounces Extra sharp cheddar,4 ounces American cheese (or Monterrey),1 teaspoon salt,1/2 teaspoon black pepper,1/2 teaspoon dry mustard,1/4 teaspoon garlic powder,Dash of cayenne pepper
  • Dot with cubed butter.
    1/4 cup butter
  • Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour. Remove lid and stir. Depending on your slow cooker, your dish could be done at this point or require UP TO 1-2 more hours.
  • If not done, continue cooking and checking periodically (ever half hour or so).
  • When done, pasta will be tender and liquid will be thick and creamy. Sauce will thicken even more after lid is removed and mac and cheese sits.

Expert Tips & FAQs

  • Condensed milk is sweetened and the two cannot be used interchangeably. Use evaporated milk.
  • Don’t use regular milk in place of evaporated milk. However, you can create your own evaporated milk. To make 1 cup of evaporated milk, simmer 2 1/4 cups of regular milk down until it becomes 1 cup. Replacing the evaporated milk with regular milk will result in sauce that is too runny because of the water content in regular milk.
  • For the milk in the ingredient list, use whole milk as directed. Using a lower fat milk can add more water and make your mac and cheese more liquidy nand not cook properly.

 

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