Day 181.
This is the best macaroni and cheese, ever. Ninety-seven days ago, when I made the crockpot ziti, my buddy Alison wrote in the comments her recipe for macaroni and cheese.
I waited too long to make it----this is a superb recipe.
I wouldn't recommend putting this in the crockpot unsupervised. There is a lot of liquid and the noodles cook VERY quickly. Our pasta was perfectly cooked and al dente after about 90 minutes on high, but I left it on and accidentally fell asleep on the couch when I should have been folding laundry. An hour later, the pasta was still amazingly delicious, but it got mushy. The above picture was taken after I fell asleep. Imagine the pasta fully intact, doing the back float in a yummy sea of cheesy goodness.
The Ingredients.
--1/2 pound uncooked macaroni or hearty pasta (I used a 1/2 bag of Trader Joe's Brown Rice fusilli)
--4 cups of milk (I used skim cow's)
--1 egg (Alison's recipe calls for 2. I only had one in the house because we had company over the weekend and they ate all my eggs. Well, Adam cooked them all my eggs. And left the carton in the fridge with only 1 egg in it and didn't write eggs on the list even though I've been to the store numerous times this week and could easily have bought eggs. It's a good thing he's so cute.)
--4 cups shredded cheese (I used all cheddar)
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1/2 t black pepper
--1 tsp dried mustard (edited 8/24: okay. I made a mistake and originally wrote a BIG T which is tablespoon. yet, some people made it with that much mustard and liked it. So use what you'd like. I'm so sorry!)
The Directions.
Spray crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whip egg and milk together. Stir in spices.
Add cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the crockpot.
It will be very liquidy.
Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours, or on high for 1-3. The cooking time will vary depending on what size crockpot you are using, and how quickly it heats and cooks. I was quite surprised at how quickly our pasta got fork-tender.
The Verdict.
Woah. This tastes like macaroni and cheese should taste. The cheese on top was bubbly and brown and had the neat texture it gets when baked in the oven. The pasta was perfectly cooked.
Until I fell asleep.
The kids each ate 2 bowls, and my three-year-old has requested that I make this every single day for lunch from now on. In the crockpot.
I was a little surprised that the ingredients called for only a half-pound of pasta. This was more than enough food for 6 people to eat. The pasta swelled and completely filled a round 4qt.
Thank you, Alison! xoxox
*** Edited July 7 to add: There have been mixed reviews on this dish! Please read the comments for suggestions, and attempt at your own risk! ;-) *** -steph
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