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Slow Cooker Creamy Mac and Cheese Close Up
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5 stars from 1 review

Creamy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese Recipe + Video

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese is so easy, it just about cooks itself! Make creamy 4 cheese mac and cheese for dinner or a potluck side.
Author: Donna Elick
Servings: 8
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound cellentani pasta also known as cavatappi, uncooked
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced into 1-tbsp pieces
  • 4 ounces cream cheese cut into 1-oz pieces
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup fresh shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • fresh Italian parsley for garnish

Instructions

  • Pour the uncooked pasta onto the bottom of your slow cooker. I love my 6-quart for this recipe. Scatter the butter and cream cheese pieces over the pasta. Sprinkle the salt, paprika and mustard over the top and pour the milk and cream into the slow cooker. Stir to combine everything and smooth the pasta into one even layer coated in sauce.
  • Cover and cook on low for 1 to 2 hours, until the pasta is chewy (not quite crunchy, but very al dente). Your cook time will vary if you use a different pasta, so start with 1 hour and adjust from there.
  • Stir once halfway through the cook time and be sure to smooth the pasta into one layer so it is well coated with the sauce.
  • Once the pasta is ready, sprinkle on the cheddar, Gruyere and mozzarella cheeses and stir to combine. The cheese will melt into the sauce to create the most luxurious creamy cheese sauce. Cover the mac and cheese and cook for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and it comes together.
  • Stir before serving and garnish with fresh parsley.

Video

Notes

The cheese sauce will thicken as it cools. If you plan to hold the mac and cheese in the slow cooker on warm, add extra milk as needed to keep the sauce nice and creamy. Also, if you are going to refrigerate it to eat later, add enough milk to the pasta to thin out the sauce before refrigerating. That way when you pull it out, it will scoop easily and the mac and cheese will warm up perfectly in the microwave or on the stove top. We do this every week and portion it out for easy lunches.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 740cal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 748mg | Sugar: 9g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 609mg | Iron: 1mg