Without hesitation - I would say this would be a perfect dish to have at a football party!  And it will travel well - so take it to your next potluck - or really impress your co-workers and take it to the office!


This comes from one of my favorite slow cooker cookbooks.  It’s by Diane Phillips.  The title is “Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever with More Than 400 Easy-to-Make Recipes”.


There are a handful of macaroni & cheese recipes in the book - and this one is called “Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese”.


In a recent “Chicken, Spinach & 3 Cheese Penne Pasta Bake” recipe I did, I talked about how hard I work to keep these baked pasta dishes creamy. Because more often than not, when pastas are baked - the noodles take in all the creamy sauce and the resulting dish is not what I’m looking for.  Which is why I will often look to a quick broil to crunch up the topping, or use hot toasted breadcrumbs instead of placing it in the oven/broiler.


Which is why I’m so very, very excited to share this recipe ... the macaroni and cheese was so creamy, so cheesy ... it was perfect.


I’ve mentioned a few times previously that I buy my cheese at our wholesale club, where I can get 32 oz of sharp cheddar for $5.25.  That’s the best price I’ve been able to find on cheese anywhere - and by grating it yourself, the quality is excellent.  Plus, by shopping smart - you’ll be able to keep this dish budget-friendly.  A good rule of thumb for cheese-based dishes like these is 4oz of cheese will equal about 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese.  So keep it in the budget by pricing your cheese by the pound and be as bargain-minded as possible.  Happy 2012!!


OH - This is not a “dump and go” recipe - but if you’re as picking as I am about my mac & cheese - you’ll not even give this a second thought!


Here’s her full recipe:


One small change to note in the photos ... 1 cut the recipe in half and used my 3 1/2 quart slow cooker!  I also cut the amount of dried macaroni by 2/3 because I wanted a super-rich, ultra-creamy dish.


  1. -4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  2. - 1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup) *I omitted

  3. -3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  4. -1 1/2 cups chicken broth *I used heavy cream + 1 teaspoon of chicken base for an ultra creamy sauce

  5. -1 1/2 cups milk

  6. -4 drops Tabasco sauce *I also added a few dashes of cayenne pepper

  7. -5 cups finely shredded mild yellow and sharp white Cheddar cheese, plus extra to top *I used sharp yellow cheddar + Colby jack cheese to keep the cost even lower

  8. -6 cups elbow macaroni, cooked just short of al dente * I only used 2 cups, which isn’t exactly half - I really wanted a creamy mac & cheese, this worked great, especially since I made the extra thick & creamy sauce

  9. -1/2 cup crushed buttery crackers such as Ritz or Pepperidge Farm Golden Butter Crackers.


Coat the insert of a 5 to 7 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.


Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.


Add the onion (if using) and sauté until the onion is softened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the flour, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking constantly. 


Gradually add the broth (or cream in our case) and milk and bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly.


Add the Tabasco (and cayenne) and remove the sauce from the heat.  Add 3 cups of the cheese to the sauce and stir to melt. 


Spread half the macaroni in the slow-cooker insert and pour half of the sauce over the macaroni.  *Be sure to evenly spread the cheese sauce over the macaroni.


* In between the layers of cheese sauce and macaroni, I added in 4 slices of yellow American cheese.  This added to the creaminess factor.


Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over the layer.  Repeat with the remaining macaroni and sauce and 1 cup of the cheese.


Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours (we only cooked for 2 hours and it was perfectly bubbly hot and creamy), until the mac and cheese is bubbling and cooked through.


Sprinkle a little more cheese and the crackers over the top of the mac and cheese.  *I used freshly grated Pecorino Romano and Ritz crackers.


Remove the cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.


Allow the mac and cheese to rest 10 minutes before serving.  Serve in the cooker set on warm.


Set this next to your chili, meatballs & hot wings ... and watch everyone at your party go nuts ... kids and adults alike!  Happy New Year!