Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Soft macaroni wrapped in cheddar and Gruyère makes a generous bowl to come back to. The sauce settles around the elbows as everything warms together, ready for serving straight from the cooker. Give it a stir and enjoy a creamy helping while it is hot.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Total
- 135 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course · Sides
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Slow cooker
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: over 60 minutes
- Dish type
- Casseroles · Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Keep the first pasta very firm
Boil macaroni less than package directions, leaving it very al dente before draining and rinsing under cold water.
2. Combine before covering
Mix the prepared pasta with the other ingredients in the cooker before its covered warming stage, stirring once or twice as directed.
3. Check your cooker early
Slow cookers vary, so check early, especially if using a larger cooker for the same quantity.
Get to know the ingredients
Cheddar and Gruyère
Both shredded cheeses are listed. If Gruyère is unavailable, you can use another cup of cheddar instead.
Condensed soup
The condensed cream of chicken soup is combined with the other sauce ingredients and prepared macaroni directly in the slow cooker.
Sour cream choice
Regular or light sour cream is listed. It joins the mayonnaise, cheeses and seasonings for the combined cooker mixture.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Serve the macaroni hot
After its cooker stage and occasional stirring, serve the warm, melted-cheese mixture while the macaroni is creamy and hot.
A little more help as you go
Four-quart cooker
Use a four-quart cooker for this quantity. A six-quart cooker makes the same amount cook faster, so check it sooner.
Keep advance components separate
For preparation ahead, mix sauce ingredients without pasta and cook, rinse and cool pasta separately. Combine in the cooker just before cooking.
A few questions you might have
Can I bake it instead of slow cooking?
You can bake the combined macaroni mixture in a 350°F oven for thirty minutes covered and another thirty uncovered.
Can I use either slow-cooker setting?
The main directions allow two hours on high or three on low, with one or two stirs during cooking.
Why rinse the first cooked pasta?
Cold rinsing stops it cooking after its short boil, helping keep it firm before the slow-cooker stage.
Is dry mustard mixed into the topping?
There is no separate topping; dry mustard powder is combined with all the other ingredients in the slow cooker.
Can pasta and sauce be refrigerated together ahead?
Keep the cooked, cooled pasta separate from the mixed sauce ingredients. Combine them in the cooker just before cooking.
Any more cooking tips?
Pasta: Do not overcook the pasta, it should be very firm after boiling. Rinsing the pasta stops it from cooking. Cheese: If you do not have gruyere cheese, you can use an additional cup of cheddar instead (4 cups in total). Cooking time: Check the pasta early, slow cookers can vary. *Slow cooker size: A single batch of this slow-cooker mac should be made in a 4QT slow cooker. If using a 6QT slow cooker, it will cook faster so check it early. Double the recipe: To double this recipe, use a 6QT crockpot. Cook on high for 2 ½ hours, stirring after 1 hour and 2 hours. (When stirring, try to do it as quickly as possible to keep the heat inside). Make ahead: To prepare this ahead of time, mix all of the ingredients except the pasta. The pasta can be cooked ahead, rinsed, and cooled. Combine the pasta and sauce ingredients in the crockpot just before cooking. Baking in the oven: If you prefer or if you are short on time, you can bake this in the oven (and I have many many times!) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: spendwithpennies.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
