I am reposting this by request-it was originally published in December of 07. Annie Jones, this ones for you!
There is a lady at Yankee Bill’s job who brings in Crockpot Mac ‘n Cheese (also known as All Day Mac ‘n Cheese) for every potluck. She says it makes her feel guilty because it is so darn easy to make, but whenever she tries to sign up for a different dish they practically have a mutiny in the cubicle farm!
I finally tried the recipe last night and found that it met all of my requirements for being a keeper. It was quick, easy, pretty frugal*, and YUMMY!
16 oz cooked and drained Pasta
Elbows are classic, but you can use anything. I mixed 1/2 whole wheat and half regular elbows with the leftover spaghetti in the fridge.
4 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
I used only 3, and a mixture of taco cheese and cheddar, which was what I had in the fridge. Sharp cheddar would have had a more intense flavor)
1 Can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk
I used fat free. You could make your own powdered milk substitute.
1 1/2 C Milk
I used fat free. You could use powdered milk.
2 Eggs
2 TBS Flour
I used whole wheat. I also chucked in 2 TBS of wheat germ that I had on hand, no one even notice and I had upped the fiber content. Score one for mom.
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Spray Crockpot with nonstick spray (or grease down, your choice). Mix everything together and pour into Crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours**-Do not stir, it will cook and firm up.
Although I personally didn’t do this, you can reserve out some cheese to sprinkle on the top and make a super cheesy layer, or you can mix up your favorite casserole topping (ie cracker crumbs and butter) and sprinkle that on top too.
This recipe is great to take along to potlucks, to bring to a family who needs meals (sickness, new baby, just moving etc), or even to make while camping (assuming you have power of course). Just add a veggie and maybe some fresh bread, and you have a classic comfort meal.
Just don’t ask how many calories are in it. I won’t tell if you won’t.
*Note: The least frugal thing about this meal is it uses 4 cups of shredded cheese. There are ways to mitigate your cheese cost somewhat-such as paying attention to cost per ounce and shredding your own block cheese if necessary-but the fact of the matter is that the cost per serving is still pretty low. Everything in the ingredient list is a pantry staple for me, which means it is bought at the lowest possible price.
**Note: 5-6 hours means it is done. I don’t think anything at all would happen to this recipe if it had to cook a few more hours. So if you work an 8 hour day go ahead and throw it together and start the crockpot in the morning-it should still be fine when you get home. That’s the beauty of crockpots-very few things HAVE to be taken out when done.
Thanks! I’ll be making this soon.
I have made this before…..YUMMY!
Thanks! I’m making this dinner and I just linked to your recipe.
We just made this for my daughter’s school potluck International Festival. We had to make dish that reflected our country. Nothing beats all American Mac n Cheese! Thanks, there is NONE left!!!
mac and cheese sounds super yummy…..going to try it this week 🙂
thanks!!!!
Karen
This Sounds DELICIOUS. I want to eat it right now.
Glad you all enjoy it! what could be yummier (or easier!)
I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was a big hit! Even my husband, who is VERY picky about mac ‘n cheese, really liked it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
BTW, I’m loving your blog!
Tami-Glad that the recipe worked well for your family! I just love recipes that cook without any help from me 🙂 And of course I’m happy that you are enjoying Frugal Upstate-I love writing it and it just means so much when people take the time to comment and let me know that it has helped.
Sounds great!! Just wondering if you ever have heard of someone adding tuna to this? We love our tuna casserole and I’m forever experimenting with stove top vs. oven variations… wondering if a crock version would work?? 🙂 I’d hate to waste that much cheese though if it wouldn’t!!
I have never heard of adding tuna to the mac and cheese. . . but I can’t imagine really how you could go wrong with it if you already love mac ‘n cheese and you like tuna in warm dishes like tuna casserole. . . as a matter of fact you could probably cut back a little bit on the cheese if you are adding tuna.
If you try it, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Very close to my great grandma’s recipe – thank you 🙂
I only make mac & cheese twice a year due to all the work & the bake time – so a crock pot version totally rocks! I’m going to try to throw this together during my lunch break for dinner tonight.
Tory – I think tuna would work. Maybe cut all the amount in half to do a smaller test batch? I add ham & broccoli to mine one in a while so it’s an entire meal.
Just an FYI to make this extra frugal: My mom takes the little ends of blocks of cheese that are left over and throws them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. When she has enough she takes them out, shreds them, and makes the best-ever mac n cheese.
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.