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Slow cooker mac & cheese

Ingredients

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 3 1/2 cups blend of shredded cheese, like cheddar, fontina and butterkase (reserve about a 1/2 cup)
  • 2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
  • 2 cups 2% or whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up into cubes
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more if needed

This recipe is courtesy Alice Choi at HipFoodieMom.com.

VERY IMPORTANT: I have bags and bags here of now frozen mac and cheese because I’ve tested this recipe so many times. This is very important: I say cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Then, check your mac and cheese, mix it around and for some, it will be ready to eat. If you’re going for a more casserole-like baked mac and cheese, let it go for another 30 minutes on low. But after that, this is the important part: remove all of the mac and cheese out of the slow cooker and into a completely different casserole dish, pot or whatever. If the mac and cheese stays in the slow cooker, even when it’s off, it will continue to cook and get hard if you leave it in there. You don’t want this to happen. Trust me.

Toss everything into your slow cooker, mix and set to low for about 3 hours.

Directions

1. Set aside a 1/2 cup of cheese. Combine all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and mix together well. Make sure the butter cubes aren't stuck together and are evenly distributed and the pasta is submerged in the mixture. Sprinkle that remaining 1/2 cup of cheese evenly over the top.

2. Cover your slow cooker and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 hours. Check your mac and cheese at the 2.5 hour mark, mix it around and immediately serve and enjoy. If you're going for a more casserole-like baked mac and cheese, let it cook for another 30 minutes on low.

3. After 2 1/2 to 3 hours, either serve all of the mac and cheese immediately, OR remove all of the mac and cheese out of the slow cooker and into a completely different casserole dish or pot. If the mac and cheese remains in the slow cooker, even when it's off, it will continue to cook and get hard if you leave it in there.