Monday, January 13, 2014

Crock Pot Mac & Cheese

With a new year comes resolutions to eat healthier and cook more meals at home. Cooking more at home gives us the opportunity to use the crock pot more. I love being able to throw all the ingredients into the pot and walk away. 

Tonight we made Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese. Since we are also trying to eat healthier, I took a recipe that I found on Pinterest and made it lighter by using fat free dairy and whole grain pasta. I also added a little bit of ground mustard to give it more flavor. 

The recipe that I adapted was from the Food Network's Tricia Yearwood's Southern Kitchen




Ingredients

8 oz. elbow macaroni (i used whole grain), cooked al dente
12 oz. can fat free evaporated milk
1/2 stick of butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten 
5 cups fat free cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
dash of paprika

Line your crock pot with disposable liner- these make clean-up a snap and saves so much time scrubbing the pot after cooking a meal all day. 


Combine in crock pot: cooked elbow macaroni, evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, pepper, ground mustard, beaten eggs, and 4 1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the last 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on the top of the mixture. To top it off, sprinkle paprika on top. 




Put lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 3 hours and 15 minutes. 

Ours turned out delicious! If we had not used fat free cheddar, it probably would have melted into a creamier consistency. Of course, fat free cheese allows you to feel less guilty about having a bowl of it! 

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