Creamy, sweet & earthy bites mixed with ooey gooey cheese makes this slow cooker mac and cheese recipe a crowd pleaser!
We love pasta and we love to find easy, delicious ways to make pasta dinners. This slow cooker mac and cheese is the perfect dish to make on those days when you want to spend little to no time in the kitchen but still want bold and satisfying flavors. It’s creamy, savory and way more nutritious and delicious than store bought mac and cheese. Prep time is only 5 minutes and the rest is left mostly unattended.
I made this recipe using the Tiger JAX-T10U rice cooker set on the slow cooker function.
The base for this mac and cheese recipe consists of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, 2% milk, chicken broth and a dash of soy sauce. I know, there’s nothing traditional about this slow cooker mac and cheese (plus the fact that it was made in a rice cooker) but the flavors are all there!
This is my way of compromising for using full fat cheese as opposed to low fat (which I don’t particularly like) while still keeping this recipe somewhat healthy.
I figured if I use full fat cheese, I wil cut down on other high fat dairy products and focus on flavor bombing this pasta meal. And it totally worked!
YUMMY!
The idea of using cream of mushroom soup comes from a recipe I make for green bean casserole every Thanksgiving.
I like that it gives the dish a thick and creamy texture and adds an extra layer of umami next to the cheese. And since I was doubling up on umami I thought “why not triple it with a dash of soy sauce” for a super duper savory slow cooker mac and cheese.
I finished the dish by adding green peas as requested by Ben, and some quick fried caramelized mushrooms. Beautiful! This is a very filling, satisfying, comforting bowl of slow cooker mac and cheese that’s a little more haute cuisine than its store bought counterpart. Bon appetit!
Other yummy umami packed dishes: Szechuan chicken, kimchi udon stir fry, spaghetti squash yakisoba style, easy Thai red curry.
Did you like this Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 180 minutes
- Total Time: 190 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Slow cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy, sweet & earthy bites mixed with gooey cheese makes this slow cooker mac and cheese recipe a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 298 grams can 98% fat free cream of mushroom
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 cup milk (room temperature)
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (room temperature)
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni (uncooked)
- 1 cup frozen green peas (thawed)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar (shredded)
- 1/2 cup parmesan
- 2 cups sliced button mushrooms (optional)
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, cream of mushrooms, soy sauce and dry mustard to slow cooker (or rice cooker) and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly whisk in milk and chicken broth and mix until smooth.
- Add macaroni and green peas and stir well.
- Cook on low for 3 hours, until pasta is tender.
- In a pan over high heat, add remaining extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms and fry until golden brown (this step is optional).
- When the macaroni is cooked, add cheese and mushrooms and stir until creamy.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
This Slow Cooker Mushroom Mac And Cheese Recipe Is:
High in calcium
High in vitamin B6
Nutrition
- Calories: 477
- Sugar: 4.7
- Sodium: 934
- Fat: 24.6
- Saturated Fat: 12.9
- Carbohydrates: 40.9
- Fiber: 3.2
- Protein: 24.1
- Cholesterol: 53
The rice cooker I currently use is from my bridal shower from 20 years ago, so all I use it for is to cook rice. I’d love to win this Tiger rice cooker and be able make all kinds of dishes.
I have never used a slow cooker or a rice cooker before! I loved this recipe and would like to try it out, but I also kind of dream of cooking a delicious ragu in a slow cooker!
My boyfriend is the one who cooks, not me! This would so be for him to make me stuff. If I used one I would say I would make pot-stickers in it! If you can.. lol
I like to cook white bean turkey chili.
My family loves beef stew in the slow cooker especially in the winter!
I would love to try your recipe!
I like to cook pot roast in a slow cooker. I’ve never owned a rice cooker before, but I would be excited to use and own one.
I like to steam fruits and veggies in my rice cooker when I do baby food
I love making carnitas!
brown rice, we also like to cook omlets, oatmeal , so many goodies 🙂
We love to make beef stew in our slow cooker. My son loves it and we have it all the time.
We cook beef stew in slow cooker.
I like to cook cheesy potatoes in the slow cooker.
I like cooking in our slow cooker. We don’t have a rice cooker quite yet.
I’d use a rice cooker for rice (stir-fry, etc) and breakfast grains.
I love making beef stew or chicken and noodles in my slow cooker. I would love to have a rice cooker to make rice in!
Love to cook chicken meals of all types in a slow cooker
I would love to try Spanish Rice in the rice cooker.
I like to cook jasmine or brown rice in my rice cooker!
White rice to go with my awesome slowcooked orange chicken!