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Everyone loves a good slow cooker recipe, and this crock pot mac and cheese is so simple, cheesy, and delicious!
Moms & Kids Approve!
If your family is like ours and could eat Homemade Mac and Cheese every night of the week, then you have to try this super easy slow cooker version!
Moms love this crock pot mac and cheese because it’s low-effort, and kids love it because it’s delicious! It’s great for busy nights, busy holidays and
It’s definitely a main dish favorite that everyone will love!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- So delicious! Made with lots of cheese, butter, and sour cream, it’s very flavorful and the whole family loves the taste
- Great for holidays. It’s especially nice to have side dishes that can be made in the slow cooker on busy days like potlucks, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
- Quick prep. It preps in minutes and can be made the morning of for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 2 hours
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni – Elbow macaroni noodles are a mac and cheese classic, but you can use other similarly sized noodles like shells, cavatappi, penne, farfalle, fusilli, or rotini.
- 4 tablespoons butter – salted or unsalted butter both work for this recipe
- 2½ cups grated cheddar cheese – use any cheese that melts well, or add a flavor twist with manchego, muenster, provolone, Monterey jack, fontina, gruyere, or American cheese. Even Velveeta cheese works.
- ½ cup sour cream – or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup – or cream of chicken soup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk – whole milk makes the creamiest sauce but a lower fat milk can be used.
- black pepper, to taste – for added flavor, use garlic salt with parsley flakes
How to Make Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
- PASTA. Bring water to a boil and cook 2 cups of macaroni for only 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- SAUCE. In a medium pan, mix 4 tablespoons butter and 2½ cups shredded cheese until cheese melts. Add ½ cup sour cream, 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup whole milk, and season with black pepper. Stir until combined.
- SLOW COOK. Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add the cheese sauce to the slow cooker and the cooked macaroni. Mix until combined and cook on low for 2 hours stirring every once in a while.
Use at least a 6-quart crockpot for this recipe. To double this recipe, which we do all the time, we have been able to have everything fit in out 8-quart slow cooker.
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Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and cook macaroni for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a medium pan, mix butter and cheese until cheese melts. Add sour cream, soup, salt, milk, and pepper until combined.
- Add this mixture to the slow cooker along with the cooked macaroni. Mix until combined and cook on low for 2 hours stirring every once in awhile.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
> Remove the lid of the crock pot to allow for some liquid to evaporate
> Add in more cheese
> Cornstarch slurry. in a separate bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of COLD water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Stir it into the Mac and Cheese and the dish will thicken as it continues to cook.
When there are about 30 minutes left in the cooking time, add in some of these suggestions:
– cooked bacon bits, diced cooked ham, grilled chicken, or cooked hamburger
– parmesan cheese
– broccoli or roasted red peppers
– garlic powder, dry mustard, onion powder, red pepper flakes, or paprika
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Reheat. The key is to reheat slowly on low heat. Adding in a bit more milk can help smooth out the texture. You can reheat in the slow cooker, covered in the oven, stovetop, or microwave.
This pasta dish can be frozen for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to use, thaw it in the fridge and reheat slowly over low heat.
My picky kiddos absolutely love this mac and cheese and it’s so easy to make! Already planning to make it for a Comfort Food New Years Eve night!
This recipe is a family favorite! My kids request this Mac and cheese weekly. The cheese turns out perfectly. The flavor is delicious.
Mine do also! Thank you for sharing that!
I LOVE this mac n cheese!!! It has everything I’m looking for. I have even found that I can cook it on the stovetop very quickly also (mix sauce together, boil noodles, then add to sauce, serve). I love it as a side to sloppy joes (or even in it)!
My kids loved this for Thanksgiving! My son told me it was his new favorite Mac and cheese. In the crockpot, even better
Macaroni and cheese is a favorite and this recipe does not disappoint! Amazing and so creamy!
Can I get everything ready ahead of time and then just turn the crockpot on
You sure could 🙂
Has anyone ever cooked this on high? If so, for how long and what was the result? Any good? This is my hands down, favorite go-to Mac and cheese and I want to make it at the beach but don’t want to have to wait so long once we get home. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it on high, but you could! You’d just want to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Essentially, everything in this dish is already cooked, it just needs to warm through together. So you could essentially even make it over the stovetop. After melting the cheese and the cooking the noodles, combine over the stovetop until heated through. If you do it on high, maybe check it after 1 hour and determine if it is ready.
Can you use 1% milk, 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream?
I’ve added 1% & it’s fine 🙂 I haven’t tried the other two.
I don’t normally leave reviews but this was delicious ! Over the last few years I have been trying to find the perfect Mac n cheese crockpot recipe and I finally hit the jackpot ! About halfway through I added a little more cooked pasta b/c it seemed a little to soupy for my taste and it worked out perfect. I also added a small amount of onion , but otherwise followed the recipe. IT WAS SO GOOD ! I was nervous about trying a new recipe on Thanksgiving day but this was the most popular dish. Thank you !!
Awe, I am so glad you decided to try it & happier you liked it! Thank you so much for sharing that!
I am making this soon. How much extra cooked noodles did you end up adding?
Thanks!
I cant find the soup what can i substitute for
I haven’t tried substituting the soup, but I would see what google suggests. I don’t want to say the wrong thing, since I haven’t tried.
Cream of chicken, mushroom or celery work great!
I’ve used Condensed Cheddar Cheese Broccoli Soup
What kind of grated cheese should I use? Can I used the shredded cheddar that comes in a bag or should I get a lock and shred .. would it make a difference either way? Thanks!
I use bagged & I have bought a block of cheddar & shredded it. I like to use fresh cheese for pastas, but both are great 🙂