INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound elbow macaroni, UNCOOKED
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 ounces whipped cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 24 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 cups milk (we usually drink 1%, but if you’re already making a WHOLE CROCK POT FULL OF MAC & CHEESE, you might as well shoot the works and use whole milk.)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- In the bowl of the slow cooker, combine macaroni, butter, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, parmesan, evaporated milk, whole milk (you’re using skim, aren’t you? Wuss.), garlic powder and paprika. Stir in salt and pepper.
- Cook on high until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Check it at 2 hours, then every 20 minutes thereafter. Maximum 3 hours.
Pro tip #1
If you have a pepper grinder, use fresh ground pepper. That pungence combines with the sharpness of the cheddar to really make the flavor pop.
Pro tip #2
You may have noticed that the recipe says elbow macaroni, but the picture shows a box of radiatore. Don’t use radiatore for this recipe. Raditore is awesome if you’re making mac & cheese on the stovetop, but in a slow cooker, it comes out like this:
Pro tip #3
That nasty-looking burned cheese along the inside of the crock pot? That’s actually the best part. It’s worth the scrapin’! If I don’t fight you for it, my wife will.
Pro tip #4
When reheating, add some milk to restore the creaminess. I also like to spike mine with some hot sauce. My favorite one with this recipe is Parrot Head, which I found at the Pepper Palace. I haven’t seen it anywhere else, so I may have to grab another bottle when I get back down to the Gulf later this month.
Getcha some!