Ladies and gentlemen, I am back! Posting LIVE from my new house! Eeeek!!! 🙂
After living in campus housing for exactly one year, Ben and I bought a house and moved into it this weekend. I keep talking about it on Instagram and Twitter to the point where it's probably obnoxious to my followers, but I'm just SO excited! Yesterday, Ben and his friend built phase 1 of Judah's new treehouse bed (more on that in the future), our handyman came to fix up a few things, and I am still unpacking kitchen boxes. When we are settled in and as each room gets finished (painting, decorating, rug ordering, etc.) I'll share photos with you so you can have a peek inside!
Before we moved, I was trying to use up as many pantry items as possible and not buy more food that would just have to be packed up. This forced me to get a bit creative, which is how this macaroni and cheese recipe came about. It turned out soooo good, that Ben requested it a second time in the same week! Good thing I still had more of the ingredients on hand.
For my version, I used smoked Gruyere cheese because I needed to use it up. I bought it for a recipe that I intended to make during the holidays, but time got away from me and I never got to it. Maybe next year. But, thankfully it's fabulous for mac 'n cheese because it melts beautifully! You do not have to use Gruyere and can go with cheddar or your other favorite instead.
This recipe is perfect for those days that you just need to throw it all in the pot and not mess with anything more. Even though it's cooked up in a slow cooker, it takes less than 2 hours from start to finish. So, don't set it on 6-8 hours while you're at work, or you'll come home to a mushy dish! 🙂 If you get home from work at 5PM, just have your teenaged kids toss in the ingredients at 4PM and dinner is ready for you by 6PM! Great way to get them active in the kitchen! <wink wink!>
Recipe Card
Creamy Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 cups lowfat milk (I used 1%)
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 cups dry (uncooked) elbow macaroni pasta
- 8 ounce block cheese , shredded* (I used smoked Gruyere, but cheddar or another favorite is fine)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the seasonings with the lowfat milk, evaporated milk and sour cream (or yogurt). Carefully pour into a lightly greased slow cooker. Add the pasta and shredded cheese. Stir gently to combine. Cook on low for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring after 1 hour. Do not overcook.
