Mac & Cheese in the Crock Pot – USING DRY PASTA!

This is a dream come true.

Did you know you could make mac & cheese in the crock pot?

Without  boiling the pasta?

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

A few weeks ago, a friend sent me this link –

http://tipgarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/one-pot-mac-and-cheese.html

– and I was so excited!

Tip Garden’s Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

Cooking oil spray

2 cups skim milk

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups pre-shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

Directions:

Grease the pot of the slow cooker. In a mixing bowl whisk together milk, evaporated milk, egg, salt and pepper. Pour milk mixture into the crock pot.  Add cheese and uncooked macaroni. Stir gently to mix.

Turn slow cooker on low and cook 3-4 hours, or until the custard is set and the macaroni is tender.

(Do not cook more than 4 hours, or the sides will begin to dry out).

When I finally tried it, I was not disappointed. I suggest cooking it on low for the first 2 hours, then check it every 1/2 hour after that. Every crock pot is very different, so the result will vary. It will cook much faster on high, but you sacrifice texture in the pasta for speed. Sometimes it’s just worth it.

It’s so easy! Just mix the liquids, pour, and stir in the cheese and pasta.

It really is simple enough for the most inexperienced cook. I mix my milk, egg, salt and pepper in a jar that shows measuring increments, to minimize mess.

After a trial run, you’ll know how long it needs to cook. You can just throw in the ingredients and come back to this –

Oh. YUM.

This recipe is also very versatile! You can use a variety of cheeses or combination of several. You can use any milk, from reconstituted powdered milk (did NOT sacrifice taste!) to cream – it will be so good. You can use other pasta shapes. You can even substitute jarred alfredo sauce for the evaporated milk.

Delicious.