Homemade mac & cheese is healthier than the store bought variety. With this recipe for Crock-Pot Macaroni and Cheese you know exactly what is in it!
Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
I don’t know a kid who doesn’t like macaroni and cheese and MY kids are no exception to that rule. While in a pinch, a box of store bought mac and cheese will do. But in my humble opinion homemade is always better than anything you are going to find in a pouch of powder.
We have tried several homemade macaroni & cheese recipes over the years. Cooked on the stove top, baked in the oven and now this yummy version made in the slow cooker. And I have to say…this recipe, the kids absolutely adore!
This recipe makes about 4 servings which I think is perfect if I am making it just for the kids or I am going to serve it as a side dish to go along with a main entree and vegetables. But if you need to make a bigger batch this recipe doubles easily and because the pasta noodles are cooked on the stove-top you do not really need to adjust the cooking time and your elbow macaroni won’t get mushy.
We now make this macaroni & cheese recipe in the slow cooker on a fairly regular basis and love it.
Hope you do too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Pasta can be a tricky item to cook in the slow cooker and in most recipes we recommend cooking the pasta on the stove-top in boiling water according to the directions on the package. Cook the pasta just until done or slightly under-cooked and then add the pasta to the slow cooker at the end.
This ensures pasta that is perfectly cooked and not mushy.
Special Diets
Crock-Pot Macaroni & Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Macaroni Pasta (uncooked)
- 2 ½ cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup Milk
- 10.75 ounces Canned Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 3 cloves Garlic (finely minced)
- ½ teaspoon Ground Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a pot on the stove top follow the directions on the package of macaroni noodles and cook until the noodles are slightly under cooked. Drain.
- Spray a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray or line with a slow cooker liner to prevent sticking.
- Add the cheddar cheese, milk, cheddar cheese soup, sour cream, butter, garlic, ground mustard, salt and pepper to the slow cooker and mix everything together well.
- Add the drained pasta to the slow cooker and stir to coat all the pasta in the cheese sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Top with additional shredded cheese before serving if desired and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The “note about pasta” says to “add the pasta to the slow cooker at the end”, but the method outlines to cook the noodles in the sauce for 2 to 2.5 hours. Which is right?
The pasta in this recipe is cooked 2 to 2.5 hours in the slow cooker in the sauce.