Go Back
Print

Creamy Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

A family favorite and holiday dinner must, modified version of Paula Deen's original recipe

Course Side Dish
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked pasta (elbow macaroni but I like to use rotini sometimes, too)
  • 3 cups shredded/grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup sour cream (I use light)
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 1 cup milk (whole is preferred)
  • 1 can Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard

Instructions

  1. Boil pasta for one minute UNDER the "al dente" option on the box. Using the elbow macaroni, the lucky number is typically "5". (If you boil too long, the pasta will become mushy in the crock pot).

  2. While the pasta is boiling, cut the butter into smaller pieces for quicker melting. Add the  butter, along with the sharp cheddar to a non-stick sauce pan and melt over medium heat, stirring often. (If you do not use a non-stick pan, the cheese clean up will get very messy)

  3. In the crock pot, add sour cream, can of soup, milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard and stir together.

  4. When the melted sharp cheddar/butter mixture has melted, add to the crock pot. Drain the cooked (approx. 5 min.) macaroni and add it to the crock pot. Stir all ingredients well.

  5. Cook on low. Depending on your crock pot, you will likely need to cook it anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. After 20 minutes of cooking, start revisiting and stirring every 20 minutes or so and make sure the make and cheese isn't getting scorched. You will know it is finished when the white in the sauce mixture isn't white anymore and has married together to form to form one uniform sauce.

  6. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I double this batch often and it works like a charm. When I double the batch, it usually takes about 30 minutes longer to cook perfectly.