Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Easy Crock Pot Mac & Cheese is a super creamy, classic mac and cheese that starts with uncooked elbow macaroni noodles. No boil! Just throw everything together in your crockpot for an easy and delicious dinner or side dish. The crock pot does all the work. That’s my kind of recipe!
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There are lots of ways to make a yummy mac and cheese, but in the crock pot is my favorite. Just throw everything in your trusty crock pot and wait for your delicious, creamy mac and cheese to be ready. You don’t even have to cook the noodles first. It doesn’t get much easier!
Why you’ll love it
- The best thing about mac and cheese is that you can make it your own. Try different cheeses or a combo. I personally love sharp white cheddar, good ‘ole American cheese, gouda, or monterey jack. You can also add anything to your mac, such as chili, lobster, broccoli, crawfish, you name it!
- Cooking in a crock pot means you don’t have to keep an eye on it and worry about it burning. It’s a pretty dump and go, hands off, kinda thing.
- For a large crowd you can double the recipe, just add an extra 30 minutes of cook time.
Items you’ll need:
Ingredients:
This is an overview, full recipe at the bottom of this post.
- Elbow macaroni– I love noodles with ridges, such as Barilla, it holds up so well
- Milk– 2% or whole milk is best
- Cheese– this recipe calls for shredded cheddar but feel free to use your favorite cheese or a combination of cheeses. Take the time to shred it yourself. Pre-packaged cheese does not melt well and might not turn out as creamy. If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, I LOVE this attachment for shredding cheese easily and quickly.
- Velveeta cheese
- Canned cheddar cheese soup– adds to the creaminess
- Seasonings: ground mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg. Feel free to add more or less to taste. If you like spicy, try some chili powder!
How to make it
See the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of this page.
It’s so easy, you may not think you did enough work! Start by shredding the cheddar cheese, cubing the Velveeta and measuring out all the ingredients. Quickly rinse the noodles just to get rid of that “pasta dust” that comes from sitting in the box. Lightly spray your crockpot with nonstick spray or use a crockpot liner for easy clean up. Add all ingredients to the crockpot, ensuring the noodles are completely submerged under the milk.
Cover, cook on low for 1 hour then stir. Cover again and cook on low for an additional 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes. That’s it! I told you it was easy!
Tips for leftovers
This dish is best to be enjoyed immediately, as the longer the mac and cheese sits, the mushier the noodles become. If you do want to reheat it, add some milk to the mac and cheese to loosen the sauce then reheat it in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat, stirring and adding extra milk as needed to bring the sauce back to life.
Alternately, you can add leftovers to a casserole dish, with 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of milk to the casserole dish and bake at 375 F for about 30 minutes.
What goes with Mac and Cheese?
In my opinion, anything! This dish is perfect as a main meal. Serve with a side of roasted broccoli, air fryer green beans, a side salad, baked beans, just to name a few!
Its great as a side dish too! Serve mac and cheese along side something meaty like ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, meatloaf, brats, anything smoked or from the grill! Mac and cheese is the perfect BBQ addition! It goes so well with corn on the cob, steak, baked beans, coleslaw and all the yummy BBQ foods.
It also reminds me of the holidays. Mac and Cheese was always at our large family holiday gatherings with a juicy ham or prime rib, right beside the green bean casserole and the buttery rolls. Yum!
Mix it with Chili for a delicious chili mac.
Try these crock pot recipes
Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce, Crock Pot Peach Glazed Meatballs, or Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin!
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Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni noodles
- 3 cups milk 2% or whole milk works best
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese feel free to use any cheese you like or a combination of cheeses
- 10.5 ounce can cheddar cheese soup
- 8 ounces Velveeta cubed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Spray your crockpot with nonstick spray or use a crockpot liner.
- Give the noodles a quick rinse in a colander before adding to the crockpot to remove the pasta "dust" from being inside the box.
- Shred the cheese and cube the Velveeta. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and mix. Make sure the noodles are completely submerged in the milk.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 hour. Stir, cover and cook on low another 1 hour until the noodles are tender and the sauce is creamy. Because all crockpots are different you may need an additional 30 minutes of cook time for the best result.
- Did you make this recipe? Let us know below in the comments!
