Crock Pot "No Fail" Macaroni and Cheese

*originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 2-24-15*

With another super duper cold snap upon us, I was craving some comfort food! One recipe in the crock pot that has not been a success for me in the past is mac n cheese. I made a recipe back in season 2 of The Crock of the Week, and it was good, but it wasn’t quite the creamy consistency I was looking for. I tried again last fall and failed miserably. It always curdled on me! I came across the recipe below online a few weeks ago, and the author of the blog had the exact same problems and frustration as me, and THIS is the recipe that worked for her. So I decided to try one more time, but if it didn’t work, I was never going to make mac n cheese in the crock pot ever again! Haha! Well, since I am sharing it with you this week, you can probably guess the outcome. It was AWESOME! The key is NO EGGS! Don’t use a crock pot recipe that calls for eggs in the ingredient list! This recipe uses a can of condensed cheddar soup in the mix, and I think that is what made it work so wonderfully. YUM YUM YUM!!!

Crock Pot “No Fail” Macaroni & Cheese

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

5 tablespoons butter

18 oz grated medium cheddar cheese (about 2.5-3 cups)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil elbow macaroni in a saucepan for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Then, melt butter in a saucepan, and slowly stir in the grated cheddar cheese over low-med heat until it is completely melted. It should only take a few minutes, and stir almost constantly to avoid burning.

Transfer melted cheddar to the crock pot, and add in sour cream, milk, soup, dry mustard, and salt & pepper. Stir in partially cooked elbow macaroni. Cook on low for about 2 hours, stirring a few times. Keep an eye on it, as all crock pots cook differently. It was done in about an hour and 45 minutes for me.

Mac N Cheese!

This week, howabout one of THE best comfort foods EVER? Macaroni & Cheese! My 2 year old asked for seconds, which is indeed rare, so I consider this recipe a success :) As a note, this recipe would probably work best in one of the older tall crockpots, as opposed to the new ones which are oblong and tend to run hot (like mine). You just jave to be vigilant about stirring occassionally, this isn't a put in the pot and leave it alone until it is done recipe. But it's tasty!

Crockpot Mac n Cheese
•2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
•4 Tablespoons butter
•2 1/2 cups freshly shredded cheddar (I use a mixture of medium and sharp)
•3 eggs (optional, I don't always use, or sometimes just use 1)
•1/2 cup sour cream
•1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup
•1/2t salt
•1 cup whole milk
•1/2t dry mustard (I don't use)
•1/2t black pepper
Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In slow cooker, combine cheese mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper. Add the drained macaroni and stir again.

Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Makes 4-6 servings.