Budget friendly family dinner made in one pot, warm and cheesy!
Easy Weeknight Dinner Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe by
Serving
about 4 servings
Prep time
10 min
Cook time
2-4 Hours—
Gluten-free pasta works with this recipe
Weeknight comfort food doesn’t get any easier than creamy macaroni and cheese made right in the slow cooker crock pot. This beginner-friendly recipe is a true set-it-and-forget-it one-pot meal, perfect for busy school nights when you need something warm and satisfying on the table fast. With simple ingredients and minimal prep, the slow cooker does all the work—melting the cheese into a rich, velvety sauce while the pasta cooks to tender perfection. Cut a ham steak or roasted turkey breast into cubes and stir in for hearty pasta casserole that’s sure to please.
Serve it straight from the pot for an easy, family-pleasing dinner with almost no cleanup. One-pot macaroni and cheese casserole recipe makes weeknight meals easy at home.
Ingredients
- 8 oz cooked macaroni or rotini noodles, unsalted
- 12oz can evaporated milk
- 1 cup milk, whole or 2% fat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
- 1 large egg beaten well with a couple of drops of hot sauce (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, cheddar-jack, or pepper-jack cheese blend
- 1 cup of chopped or cubed cooked ham steak or cooked turkey breast meat
Directions
- Prepare the Noodles: Boil 1 cup (8 ounces) of noodles about 6 minutes. Noodles finish cooking in the sauce. Drain in strainer, stir and let rest until ready to use. Do not rinse or add oil to the pasta.
- Prepare the Crock Pot: Spray the inside of slow cooker with nonstick spray oil. Set it to high heat.
- Mix Liquids Together: In a bowl combine egg, milk, and seasonings. Stir together well.
- Add Ingredients to Crock Pot: Slowly pour liquids into the slow cooker and top with cooked noodles. Add 1 cup of cheese and meat. Stir all together. Top with the last 1/2 cup of cheese and do not stir.
- Cook and Serve: Top the pot with lid and ensure a tight seal. Cook on high heat about 2 and 1/2 hours without opening the lid or stirring. You could also cook on low heat about 4 hours. This will make a rich macaroni and cheese casserole with cheese topping.
Notes & Tips
* Adding oil to pasta water helps noodles to not stick together. It also prevents pasta sauce or cheese sauce from adhering to the pasta which counteracts the cheesy noodle effect we’re looking for in this dish.
* Gluten-free pasta, wheat noodles, high protein macaroni, and veggie pasta noodles also work in this recipe.
* I recommend using a pasta shape that holds the sauce such as macaroni, rotini, fusilli, ziti, rigatoni, cavatappi, or another tube-shaped noodle.
One response to “Easy Weeknight Dinner Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese”
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