Crockpot Mac and Cheese with Cream Cheese + Video
Mac and Cheese with Cream Cheese is made in a slow cooker with THREE cheeses! This recipe makes the cheesiest comfort food meal ever!
Ingredients
- 1 pound cellentani (corkscrew) pasta uncooked, or other small pasta shape
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into 1 ounce pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese I use sharp cheddar
- 1 cup freshly shredded pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Pour the uncooked pasta onto the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Scatter the butter and cream cheese pieces over the pasta.
- Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper 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 or different size crockpot, 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 and pepper Jack cheeses and stir to combine. Cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes. The cheeses will melt into the sauce to create the most luxurious creamy cheese sauce.
- Stir before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I love the flavor in this recipe, but when I am preparing it for a crowd I substitute Colby Jack cheese for the Pepper Jack. It gives it a great flavor, but it isn't overly spicy for sensitive palates.
- 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: 1cup | Calories: 584cal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 648mg | Sugar: 7g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 455mg | Iron: 1mg