Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese (Uncooked Macaroni)

This mac & cheese recipe only uses a few ingredients one of which is uncooked macaroni elbow. Make this easy comfort food in your slow cooker.

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Updated 2019

Yes you read that correctly, this recipe uses uncooked macaroni. Mac & cheese just got super easy! With Easter right around the corner, I’m bringing out some of my favorite side dishes. This is a great side dish when you’re short on time. If you give yourself cheat meals, this is a great cheat meal. The original recipe that I posted for this mac & cheese used only 5 ingredients, one of which was poultry seasoning. Last week I called my Mother and asked her what she puts in her mac & cheese. After speaking with her, I removed the poultry seasoning and added in paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper.

My Mother uses a combination of milk and evaporated milk. I used all almond milk. You can use your preferred milk. “You don’t need a lot of salt, cheese has salt” that’s what my Mom said as a result, I only use a pinch of salt here. But I’ve been told that I sometimes under-salt food so you can use more than a pinch. I also only used 1 tbsp of ghee. I say only because I know people tend to add a lot more butter to their mac & cheese. So again, if you want more butter, add more butter. I found 1 tbsp to be enough.

before

For the macaroni elbows, it’s up to you if you want to use gluten-free, whole wheat, low-carb, regular, etc. I won’t judge or preach. The recipe calls for 16 ounces of cheese but I sometimes add in even more. If you like your mac & cheese extra cheesy, use more cheese. You also don’t have to use all cheddar cheese. If you have a preferred cheese combo for your mac & cheese, swap it in. Remember, you can always stir in more cheese when the dish is done cooking. The slow cooker will be so hot that the extra cheese will melt in easily.

For most slow cooker recipes, you’re not supposed to lift the lid off the dish while it’s cooking however for this one, if you’re home I suggest giving it a good stir halfway through. If you’re not going to be home, don’t worry this is still a set-it-and-forget-it recipe and dish and it should still cook properly. There is one downfall to this recipe. If you cook this too long, it will dry out very quickly. Meaning, it’s very easy to over-cook. This isn’t a recipe you can let sit on the WARM setting once it’s done cooking. I suggest turning the slow cooker off so it doesn’t continue to cook. Don’t be concerned about the edges crisping up, that’s normal. If you have slow cooker liners, this is the time to use it. If not, don’t forget to spray your slow cooker generously with cooking spray to help prevent sticking.

Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese (Uncooked Macaroni)

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• Author: Fit SlowCooker Queen
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours 5 mins
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 pound macaroni elbows, uncooked
• 16 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 5 cups milk of your choice
• 1 tbsp butter or ghee
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• Pinch of salt & pepper

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Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
2. Cook HIGH 1-2 hours or LOW 2-3.

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I made this mac & cheese in my 3.5-quart slow cooker.

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