Slow Cooker Four Cheese Mac and Cheese

Slow Cooker Four Cheese Mac and Cheese

Dry elbow macaroni cooks in whole milk and evaporated milk, so there’s no separate pasta pot. Cream cheese, sharp cheddar, Havarti, and Gruyere melt around the elbows for a rich, golden coating. The finished mac and cheese should be moist and scoopable, with distinct pieces of pasta rather than a firm casserole.

Cook it on LOW, stir thoroughly after the first hour, and begin tasting an elbow at about 1 hour 20 minutes. Pasta tenderness—not a fixed cook time—determines when it’s ready.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Four Cheese Mac and Cheese

Makes 8 side-dish servings. Prep time: about 15 minutes. Cook time: about 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours.

• 12 ounces dry elbow macaroni (340g)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (12-fluid-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed (115g)
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, freshly shredded (225g)
• 4 ounces Havarti, shredded (115g)
• 4 ounces Gruyere, shredded (115g)
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Add the elbows dry. Boiling them first would change how much liquid they absorb in the slow cooker.

How to Make Four Cheese Mac and Cheese in the Slow Cooker

1. Prepare the insert: Lightly coat a 4- to 6-quart slow-cooker insert with nonstick spray. Shred the cheddar, Havarti, and Gruyere, and cube the cream cheese.
2. Combine and cook: Add the dry elbows, whole milk, evaporated milk, all four cheeses, and salt. Stir to distribute the pasta and cheese. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 hour.
3. Stir in the seasonings: Scrape the sides of the insert and fold the pasta from the edges toward the center, breaking up any patches of cheese or pasta. Stir in the ground mustard and garlic powder. Cover and continue cooking on LOW for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Check the pasta: Starting at about 1 hour 20 minutes total, taste an elbow. If it has a hard center, cover and continue cooking on LOW in 15-minute increments, stirring and tasting at each check. Stop when the elbows are tender and the melted cheese coats them. Total cooking time is usually about 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the cooker.
5. Serve: Turn off the cooker and taste for salt. If the finished mac and cheese is too thick to scoop loosely, fold in warm whole milk 1 tablespoon at a time as needed. Serve promptly in shallow bowls, without a baked finish or topping.

When Is Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese Done?

The elbows should be tender without a hard center, and the cheese should cling to them without a pool of thin liquid. The pasta will keep absorbing sauce as it sits, so turn off the cooker once it reaches that point. This version is not meant to cook for 3 to 4 hours.

A 4-quart insert holds this batch more deeply than a 6-quart insert, which may affect the timing. Begin checking at the stated time regardless of cooker size.

How to Keep the Cheese Sauce Creamy

The one-hour stir redistributes cheese that may have collected in patches and pasta sitting against the insert’s edges. Keep the lid on between checks. If the sauce tightens after cooking, fold small amounts of warm milk into the finished dish until the elbows are creamy and scoopable again.

Serving Ideas

Serve the mac and cheese plain, or offer chopped parsley or toasted buttered breadcrumbs separately. For a vegetable side, try Parmesan roasted Brussels sprouts. For an oven-finished alternative, try classic baked mac and cheese.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a covered container and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently until hot throughout, stirring in a splash of milk if the sauce is too thick. The elbows will be softer than when freshly cooked. Freezing is not preferred because the pasta and dairy sauce may lose their original texture.

Nutrition

Approximate per side-dish serving (1/8 of the recipe): 530 calories, 26g protein, 29g fat, and 41g carbohydrates. Approximate per 100g of cooked mac and cheese: 250 calories, 12g protein, 14g fat, and 19g carbohydrates. Values exclude optional milk added at serving and will vary with cheese brands and finished weight.