Crock Pot Mac and Cheese with Uncooked Pasta

angled shot of serving spoon full of creamy mac and cheese

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese with Uncooked Pasta

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crock pot mac and cheese, crock pot macaroni and cheese, crockpot mac and cheese, mac and cheese with uncooked pasta, no boil crock pot mac and cheese, no boil mac and cheese, slow cooker mac and cheese, slow cooker macaroni and cheese

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1 15

Total Time: 1 25

Servings:

Calories: 655kcal

Author: Jessica Formicola

Creamy Crock Pot mac and cheese made with uncooked elbow macaroni, evaporated milk and cream cheese, with freshly shredded cheese added at the end for a smooth sauce.

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 pound elbow pasta
3 cups whole milk , divided
12 ounces evaporated milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter , cut into cubes
4 ounces cream cheese , cubed
1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups cheese* , freshly shredded

Instructions

Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray or use a slow cooker liner.
Add the uncooked 1 pound elbow pasta to the pot and top with 2 cups whole milk, 12 ounces evaporated milk, cubed 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Stir well.
Place the lid on and cook for 1 hour on low heat, stirring at the 30 minute mark.
At 1 hour, check the pasta. If it is not done, continue to cook for 10 minutes. As soon as the pasta is al dente, stir in the freshly shredded 4 cups cheese* and remaining 1 cups whole milk.
Stir well and cover for another 15-20 minute or until the cheese as just melted. Stir again before serving and turn off heat or use "keep warm" setting.
If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Notes

Chef Notes:

We used Barilla pasta- it is thicker and has grooves, which helps it cook more evenly. We have not tested this recipe with other shapes of pasta. Readers have used rotini and other thick, short tubed pasta with success.
Cheese sauces are finicky and can go from perfectly creamy to clumpy FAST. Make the heat setting on low- do not try to speed up the process. It will separate. Cheeses start to separate around 180°F and slow cookers on low are about 190°F- there is a fine line between super creamy and not.
I used 2 cups of cheddar and 2 cups of Monterey jack, which melts smoother.
If you cheese sauce is get clump, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to try and smooth it out.
After the cheese sauce has come together, to not over stir- this can cause mushy pasta.
Slow cookers are supposed to consistently run at 190°F on the low setting, but we've found this to be largely inconsistent. After you've done it once, you'll know how long to cook it. If you plan to make this for a special occasion or holiday, do a dry run ahead of time to gauge how your slow cooker will cook it.

Nutrition