I got my first slow cooker about a year and a half ago, and I swear I use it at least once a week. That thing is AMAZING! Typically when you think about a slow cooker, you think about meat. But there are so many other uses for it!
I especially love making pasta in the slow cooker – if you can get the proportions right, there’s no need to cook the pasta beforehand. Hello, time saver!
Now, I never said this one was healthy… I’ve found that the best way to get a good cheddar-cheesy taste is to use canned condensed cheddar cheese soup in combination with freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. I usually like to stay away from these heavily processed canned goods, but I’ll make an exception for this recipe.
Enjoy!
- 2 cups dry macaroni or any short dried pasta
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
- 1.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup sour cream light or full fat
- 2 cups milk
- 10.75 oz can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
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. Add milk, sour cream, and cheddar soup to the slow cooker and whisk gently to combine.
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. Add shredded cheese, dried macaroni, cubed butter, and seasonings to the milk mixture and give it a big stir to combine.
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. Cover and set your slow cooker to LOW for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally to check consistency. Add additional milk if needed to keep from becoming too dry.
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. The dish is done when pasta is al dente. Turn slow cooker to WARM to keep warm for serving. So easy and so yummy!
STEP BY STEP PHOTOS:
Start by combining the milk, cheese soup, and sour cream in your slow cooker. Gently whisk together to combine.
I know these photos aren’t very appetizing, but I promise the end product will be!
Shred your cheese with a course shredder or box shredder. Shredding your own cheese makes all the difference when it comes to melting properly. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on the outside that prevents it from sticking together in the bag, but that also prevents it from melting consistently. I use about half of an 8-ounce block of sharp cheddar.
Throw the rest of the ingredients and seasonings into the slow cooker, adding salt and freshly cracked pepper to your liking.
Cover the slow cooker and turn on LOW for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally to check the consistency. If it starts getting to dry, you can add more milk (or water) as needed. You’ll know it’s done when the pasta is al dente, or slightly firm! I want to note that my slow cooker is relatively hot – I can’t tell much of a difference between the LOW and HIGH settings. If you have an older model, yours may take more time!
Add more salt and pepper to taste at this point, then either serve from the slow cooker or transfer to a serving bowl.
