Slow cooker mac and cheese
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Recipe by Audrey Deane
An easy and timeless classic for the family to enjoy...
- Prep Time 5 mins
- Cook Time 3 hrs
- Serves 4
- Difficulty Level Easy
Preparation
- Total Time 3 hrs 5 mins
- Preparation Time 5 mins
- Cooking Time 3 hrs
For the white sauce
- 55g butter
- 55g plain flour
- 500ml milk (plus extra for thinning, optional)
- 250ml water
- ½ tsp English mustard
- salt (a pinch to taste)
- black pepper (freshly ground, to taste)
For the macaroni
- 250g macaroni pasta
- 100ml milk (or water)
- 150g mature cheddar cheese, grated
For the white sauce
- Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook over a low heat for a minute, stirring continuously
- Take off the heat and beat in the milk and water a little at a time until it is all mixed well and smooth
- Season with the mustard, salt and black pepper
- Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously
- Add to the slow-cooker basin
For the macaroni cheese
- Add the macaroni pasta to the basin and stir well
- Put on the lid and cook on Low for 2–3 hours
- When ready, remove the lid - if the sauce is really thick, stir in 50ml of milk at a time to thin it down into more of a sauce
- Stir in half the cheese and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top
- If you like, and if you have a flameproof basin, preheat the grill and finish the dish under the grill until the cheese is bubbling
Tips
You can make your own white sauce or use a jar when you are really short of time. Keep one in the cupboard just in case you need a store cupboard version.
Variations
- To speed up this recipe, you can replace the white sauce with a 400g jar of white lasagne sauce, adding it directly to the slow-cooker basin at step 2 with 350ml milk, 250ml water and ½ tsp English mustard
- You can vary the dish by adding vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, sweetcorn or peas
- Add cooked meat – such as ham, chopped chorizo, salami or cooked chicken – at the end of cooking just to heat through
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Reviews
★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ 11 ratingsRate this recipe
Kay M(159)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
We all love this recipe and usually make this on a night we have clubs after school so its all ready when we get back.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
This recipe is great. I have tried a number of slow cooker recipes lately as I we need recipes that we can leave cooking whilst we are out and will be ready when we get back. This is nicer than our regular recipe
claire b(956)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
great recipe. perfect for after school on a busy night with kids classes and clubs.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Nice but didn't really save any time - will probably just stick to stove top method in future.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
The tastiest macaroni cheese I've ever made, and it's so easy to do!! My kids loved it too.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
This is great and tastes as good as macaroni cheese made the traditional way. I have never tried using my slow cooker for pasta before but decided to give this a go as we go out as a family to Taekwondo on a Thursday evening and get back quite late. We can't eat before we go so often resort to a take away to avoid the children going to bed too late. This was really easy to do and gave us a lovely meal to come back to.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
I will be doing this tomorrow iv made it in oven I did not know you could slow cook it!!! Amazing thanks
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Mac n cheese is a favourite of our family, this recipe makes it even easier!. We also chuck some breadcrumbs on top (stash in the freezer) before grilling for some texture. Yum!
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Good, quick and very easy to make
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
Easy, quick and really tasty!! My family loved this x
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
We absolutely love this dish in our household, it's so easy to make and tastes divine. It's wonderful to come home to on a cold winter's day and because it's all done at the beginning, I don't have to lift a finger (well you know what I mean!) when it's serving up time! Wonderful comfort food made without any hassle! And as I'm the cook, I get the "cooks perks" of all the crusty bits around the side at the end! Macaroni cheese is my favourite dish - ever - and my slow cooker is my best piece of kitchen kit - so the combination of the two is just heaven! Thanks for a great recipe!
Guest
Have been meaning to do this for ages but was reluctant because my daughter is so fussy. Well I needn't have worried, she thought it was lovely, the only criticism was I'd cooked it too long as there were a few hard bits at the bottom. (To be fair, I had because we were out.) It did need quite a lot of extra water at the end to thin down the sauce. I think next time I would add more water at the beginning and not cook as long. 8/10
Guest
Made this tonight for my two boys, had a sneaky taste myself too. It tastes lovely, and so easy to do. What confused me a little though is that it states to add 250ml of water to the white sauce then add a further 100ml to the pasta yet on the video she doesn't add any water to the sauce, just a glass full into the slow cooker afterwards?
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