Slow Cooker Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese – macaroni and cheese made with gruyere, cheddar, and American cheese. It is made completely in the slow cooker and is so creamy and delicious. It is great for holidays or parties!
I had a cold over the weekend (story of my life – my kids get sniffles and I am on my death bed) so all of Saturday, I laid around and watched Food Network. I haven’t watched Food Network in ages but I got sucked into old Ina episodes and next thing I knew I was watching something called My Food Obsession.
Have you seen it? It’s quite weird but I couldn’t stop watching. I saw an episode about a girl who’s boyfriend broke up with her because she ate while she was sleeping.
And then one about a guy who drinks 7 glasses of vinegar a day. Then there was a girl who was afraid of creamy foods. Yogurt, cheesy nachos, mac & cheese, stuff like that.
I mean, can you imagine?
Life without nachos and mac & cheese?
Slow Cooker Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
Coincidentally, I had made this Slow Cooker Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese the day before. And it was awesome and I wondered how anybody could possibly be afraid of something so amazing.
I won’t lie, I was a little worried. I don’t really love gruyere to begin with and the one I used smelled like dirty socks. You guys know I love a stinky cheese but man, that gruyere was rough. Maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough to appreciate dirty socks gruyere.
It worked out really well though – the American cheese gave it that almost-Velveeta texture but not gummy like Velveeta. And the other two cheeses were delicious together.
And, of course, the best part is that it’s cooked in the slow cooker! It’s not something you can leave going all day while you’re at work but it’s great for parties or holidays when you already have 4 pots on the stove.
How To Make Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
This is seriously so simple to make! You just combine the macaroni noodles, all 3 of the cheeses, regular milk, and evaporated milk in your slow cooker and let it cook until the noodles are done. It should only take about an hour and a half.
At that point, all the cheese will be melted so you can stir it all together to make sure the noodles get coated and then stir in some dry mustard, salt and pepper, and some cayenne if you like your macaroni and cheese to have a little heat.
And that is it! If you aren’t ready to serve it immedately, keep it in your slow cooker on the warm setting and give it a little stir every 15 minutes or so.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad – a healthier version of the classic broccoli salad recipe. Broccoli, bacon, red onion, slivered almonds, and dried cranberries in a delicious creamy dressing. Instead of being entirely mayo based, the dressing is made with half mayo and half Greek yogurt. This is great for barbecues or potlucks!
Cilantro Lime Rice – this Chipotle copycat recipe is perfect to serve alongside tacos, wrap up in a burrito, or put on the bottom of a burrito bowl! It is white rice with fresh lime juice and zest – so easy but so much flavor!
Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes – smooth and creamy mashed potatoes with crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and green onions. This recipe is made with sour cream so it is super creamy and rich.
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Slow Cooker Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Host the Toast
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry elbow macaroni
- 1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10 slices American cheese, chopped
- 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the slow cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of the slow cooker, combine the macaroni, cheeses, evaporated milk and skim milk. Stir until combined and the macaroni is almost completely covered by liquid and cheese. Cover and cook on low for 1½ hours.
- After 1½ hours, the cheese should be melted and the macaroni should be cooked. Fold and stir in the dry mustard, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Make sure to stir well to make sure all the macaroni is coated with cheesy goodness.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 463Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 870mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 24g
Jaclyn says
This looks so creamy and cheesy! I love that it’s made in the slow cooker! Dreamy.
Shawnda says
A life without nachos or yogurt or mac & cheese is not worth living ;)
Amanda @ Cookie Named Desire says
Life without any creamy cheesiness is not a life at all. It’s a lie.
This mac and cheese though… it’s the stuff truth is made from! I never made mac and cheese in the slow cooker, but I really need to try it. It sounds like a great way to get dinner started while I run off to the store to pick something up or fold that one last basket of laundry.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I love mac and cheese but have never made it in a slow cooker before. This recipe is such a perfect excuse for me to pull out my slow cooked! Looks delicious Amanda!
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector) says
I’m all about a three cheese combo!
Kelly @ Mostly Homemade Mom says
I LOVE that this is cooked in the slow cooker, yum!
Christina @ Bake with Christina says
I love how easy this is to make! Definitely gotta try this soon – thanks!!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Mac n cheese in the slow cooker is genius! I mean…I have to make this now, right! Pinned :)
Cookbook Queen says
This mac and cheese looks majorly amazing. I love that you can make it in the slow cooker!!
Kristen says
My slow cooker is getting a workout this fall already and I can’t wait to make this in it!
Paula says
Too funny, I just had this conversation with my friend that says brie smells like dirty socks. I love cheese, even stinky cheeses and I swear to you I could eat Mac and Cheese every day of my life! Great recipe – I’ve got to try M&C in the slowcooker! Pinned.
Julie | This Gal Cooks says
I can not imagine being afraid of creamy foods. That’s crazy-ness right there! That mac n cheese looks AMAZING! I would totally stuff my face with it more than I should. OH, and about gruyere, have you ever tried smoked gruyere? OMG. So good and it doesn’t have the stinky sock smell!
Hope you’re feeling better, Amanda!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Girl, I feel your pain about getting sick! When I drop off my daughter at preschool to a bunch of kids coughing all around her. . all I think of is the impending cold that I will certainly catch and keep me in bed for a day or two. . argh. If you don’t like the smell of gruyere, you want to steer clear of Limburger cheese. . just sayin’. . and damn, love this slow cooker mac and cheese!! :)
Stephanie @ Back For Seconds says
We have all been sick for like a month over here. I’m so over it. I haven’t seen that show but now I’m intrigued…I like weird things like that, haha! This looks crazy delicious and bonus points for using the slow cooker! Pinning and making for sure! :)
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
Old episodes of Ina comfort my soul, and I have a feeling this mac and cheese would do the exact same thing! (Also DRINKING vinegar? Someone get this person some real food STAT). I hope you are back to 100% ASAP!
Carolyn says
Now that is some gorgeous mac and cheese! I bet the gruyere takes it over the top.
Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt says
I used to always watch Food Network (before motherhood and talking children). Now that I have to sell my soul to change the channel off from Disney, I haven’t caught up on any interesting shows. It’s a sad day. Anyhow, I’ve never had dirty sock cheese. I bet my darling husband would love it. He’s a lover of all mac and cheese. Definitely pinning!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Life without creamy food? Who could live like that! I really need to give slow cooker mac and cheese a try. It looks so dreamy.
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
Holy cow this looks so creamy and good.
Chelsea @chelseasmessyapron says
If I was afraid of creamy foods I think I would weigh about ten pounds since pretty much everything I eat needs lots of creamy cheesy-ness. Like mac and cheese it’s one of my favorite meals ever! Love that this is done in the slow cooker! I’ve made mac and cheese once it the slow cooker and it was our favorite – definitely need to do it again soon!