The pasta can be cooked ahead, rinsed, and cooled. Make ahead – To prepare this ahead of time, mix all of the ingredients except the pasta.(When stirring, try to do it as quickly as possible to keep the heat inside). Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours, stirring after 1 hour and 2 hours. To double this recipe, cook in a 6QT crockpot. Double the recipe – A single batch of this slow-cooker mac is cooked in a 4qt slow cooker.
Cooking time – Check the pasta early, slow cookers can vary.Cheese – Shred the cheese from a block, pre-shredded cheeses do not work as well.Pasta – Do not overcook the pasta, it should be very firm after boiling.Put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook per the recipe below.While pasta is boiling, shred the sharp cheddar cheese.Boil pasta for about 2 minutes less than the package indicates.This slow cooker macaroni and cheese takes less than 10 minutes to get into the Crock Pot and then it’s ready to go!
It’s also a great way to save oven space for Thanksgiving dinner (including turkey and stuffing!) and cook this on the side. Regular or light mayonnaise (or dressing) will work.Ĭrock Pot Mac and Cheese is perfect for camping or potlucks, basically, anywhere you don’t have an oven. The addition of mayonnaise sounds odd and even if you don’t love mayonnaise, it works (as you can see by the reviews on this recipe below). While some of the ingredients in this recipe may seem odd, they really make a great cheesy sauce!Ī traditional cream sauce or cheese sauce doesn’t hold up well in the slow cooker, as dairy can curdle and/or separate in the crock pot. I prefer crock pot macaroni without evaporated milk or Velveeta cheese. Depending on the brand, the pasta can become mushy or gummy in texture and I find it to be inconsistent.īoiling the macaroni about 2 minutes less than indicated on your package (so it’s quite firm) keeps it from getting mushy. I’ve tested countless “no boil mac and cheese recipes” (using uncooked pasta). Precooking the pasta ensures it is perfect every time.