This Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese has tender pasta, cream cheese and sharp cheddar, a recipe you’ll want to make every week!
As I am writing up this recipe for you I am dreaming about making it again this week! This mac and cheese is ultra creamy and a family favorite.
I use two types of cheese in this and cream cheese to thicken the sauce, no need for a flour and butter roux to make this.
Should I boil the noodles?
Yes! The slow cooker does not get hot enough, fast enough to properly cook noodles. You will be left with a chalky mess if you do not boil the noodles.
How to make Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese:
You will need these ingredients:
- Dried elbow noodles (we will cook them in first step on the stove-top)
- Cream cheese
- Sharp cheddar
- White sharp cheddar
- Milk
- Salt and pepper
That’s it! May not be the healthiest meal but at least it has real ingredients.
Directions:
- Start by boiling the noodles as directed on the package. Do not cook a minute longer. Get other ingredients ready while pasta cooks.
- After draining pasta add it to the slow cooker while it’s still hot and add remaining ingredients. Stir.
How long to cook:
Add the lid and set the slow cooker to High. Cook for 2 hours. Stirring occasionally.
What to serve this with:
- Sliced garden tomatoes
- Slow Cooker Ribs
- Any type of grilled meat
- Garden salad with dressing
- Fresh fruit
- Steamed veggies
I think your family will enjoy this recipe as much as mine does. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
Ultra creamy mac and cheese made with cream cheese and sharp cheddar!
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Servings: 6
Calories: 732kcal
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker Size: 4 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dried elbow noodles, large or small (see instructions on how to prepare)
- 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
For topping:
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheese (optional)
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions on the stove top and not any longer. Get other ingredients ready while pasta cooks
- Drain the pasta immediately after done cooking and add to the slow cooker add remaining ingredients and stir.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours. Stir the pasta twice during this cooking time, once at the hour mark and then and the 1.5 hour mark. Be gentle when you stir.
- When the cooking time is up add more cheese on top, add the lid and let melt for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Different types of cheese are fine to use in this recipe! Use what you like best. I prefer to use cheese that I grate by hand not pre-shredded for a very creamy sauce.
Nutritional Values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet. Recipe values are for 1/6 of the recipe.
Nutrition:
Calories: 732kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 1062mg | Potassium: 355mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1585IU | Calcium: 818mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Made this recipe?I want to see your photos! Tag me on Instagram @themagicalslowcooker
Everything curdled and separated. Back to standing over the stove with my tried and true stovetop recipe. Good taste though.
Taste was good. However, I made it to soon and after 2 hours it became very soggy.
This recipe is so creamy and delicious! I doubled the recipe and used some cheese that I had left over from a cocktail party the night before. I am now giving up making my mac and cheese from scratch with homemade cheese sauce and love that I can add anything I want to this recipe and it comes out wonderful every time. Seriously a must have in your Crock-Pot Arsenal.
After about 20 minutes it started drying out and sticking to the sides. I was wondering if a smaller pot or a lower heat setting would have been better. Maybe my CrocPot was too hot. I had to scoop out into a pan, top with cheese. Turned out good, just dry.
Perfection!
Family loved this even more than my Mac and cheese made with a homemade cheese sauce from scratch! This was so much easier to make. Though I did leave it on a little too long and it dried out a bit easy fix added more milk and stirred up. Cream cheese makes this recipe so good. Thank you!
I used a box of rigatoni pasta…which equals about 3X the recipe cooked. i used 3 bricks of cream cheese, two 2c pkgs sharp white cheddar, two 2c pkgs sharp cheddar, 4c milk. I added chopped up ham about a half hour before cooking was finished. It is creamy, and so tasty. the noodles are NOT mushy, but perfect texture for mac and cheese…….mac and cheese, in my experience was never al dente. I also notice someone said it was grainy or something like that…i dont know how that could have happened, because this is creamy and smooth. I also did not find it to be buttery or oily one bit!!! I will make this again and again. It is an exceptional recipe!!
i just wanted to add, i boiled the pasta for 7 minutes exactly. in case anyone wanted to know how long it boiled it for.
Thanks
Looks good except that you add cooked pasta and then you cook for another 2 hrs. I like my pasta Al Dente and this seems like it would be over cooked
Then slow cooker mac and cheese probably isn’t for you. I don’t think it’s over cooked but it is not al dente.
Nope. Not what I’m looking for. This was grainy… and VERY buttery/oily. I followed the directions exactly. I’m looking for creamy, yet sturdy noodles… without tasting like Velveeta. Don’t make this if you want creamy mac n cheese.
This is what mac and cheese tastes like without velveeta. I apologize for the confusion.
Would this recipe also work cooked in the oven?
I don’t see why not.
Do you cook for longer if you double the recipe?
You may need to do an extra half hour.
C
Family loved this so I think it was cream cheese. Didn’t t know about. Also first time in chock potT Thank you. Marilyn
Your recipes looks delicious
Can’t wait to try that Mac and cheese in the crock pot
Thanks
Good recipe Thanks
My family ate it all up and keep asking to make it again