If there's one dish American country singer and Food Network Star Trisha Yearwood always brings to a holiday potluck, it's her homemade slow cooker mac and cheese straight from her Southern kitchen. And we can't wait to try it. Speaking with Sounds Like Nashville, Trisha recommends bringing something a bit saltier to take the edge off of all of the sweets. "A lot of people bring sweets to Christmas parties because everybody's got a dessert," Trisha shares, "You gotta have something salty, so I'm usually the girl that brings Crock-Pot macaroni and cheese."
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We are with you Trisha. While a casserole or pot of creamy mac n cheese isn't on the top of the holiday food list, Trisha assures us that it's the first thing devoured and the main dish of comfort food is always a festive affair. This homemade macaroni and cheese recipe is cheesy good. It's the ultimate comfort food for the entire family.
The great thing about this crockpot Mac n cheese is that it is cooked entirely in the slow cooker. No need to boil water for your elbow macaroni. Just throw it all in and you are set. The cooking time is about 3 hours, so plan ahead!
Start by spraying a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray to prevent the noodles from sticking to the sides. To the slow cooker add the elbow macaroni, one can of evaporated milk, whole milk, butter, salt, pepper, large eggs and two bricks sharp cheddar cheese, grated.
Cover the mixture and cook it on low heat for about 3 hours, stirring halfway through.
If you don't own a slow cooker, have no fear because this recipe works well in the oven. Pour the mac & cheese mixture into a 9-by-13-2-inch pan and bake at 350ºF for about 50 minutes. While Trisha likes to keep the mac and cheese recipe plain, I highly suggest serving this creamy mac with a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs, a dash of paprika, a dash of pepper, crumbled bacon and extra grated cheese. Add some pepper jack for a kick!
This Trisha Yearwood crockpot mac and cheese recipe makes for a great bulk side dish during a busy holiday because you don't have to take up a burner with slow cooker macaroni. There's no active prep time which makes this easy to set and forget while you work on the rest of your party dishes. Trisha uses the 10-ounce bricks of cheese that melt beautifully, like Velveeta, but you can also use any grated cheeses you like because the ratio is what matters most here. When it comes to home cooking, there really is nothing like a baked macaroni or in this case, one slow cooked to perfection.
Find the full recipe here.
In the market for a new slow cooker? The Instant Pot is a great option, as is the standard 6-quart slow cooker from Crock-Pot. I own a Zavor 3-in-1 and find that everything I cook is to perfection.
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This post was originally published on November 16, 2020.
