Mac 'n' Cheese on the Go!

It’s the time of year again for Christmas parties and company potlucks. Our company Christmas luncheon was today. After seeing plenty of people signed up for vegetables and desserts, I decided to bring macaroni and cheese. After all, you can’t have ham without it! The glitch to bringing this dish, however was two-fold. 1) Mike and I have had a lot going on with finals, visiting with friends, and our new German Shepherd pup, Leopold, so I needed to make something quick and easy; and 2) warming up large portions of food in our work microwaves is tedious and frustrating. Cooking something in a slow-cooker solved both these problems in one fell swoop.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was very easy to whip up, and I thought it was very tasty. The sauce would have been a bit creamier if I had served it 30 minutes earlier, but it was still very good. And had I been at home cooking it, I could have simply stirred in some extra milk or margarine.


Before Cooking

The original recipe cooks the pasta first, and cooks the cheese sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and combined. To me, those extra steps defeat the purpose of making mac ‘n’ cheese in a slow-cooker, so I followed someone’s recommendation on the site where I found the recipe and prepared mine as I’ve indicated here. In fact, I forgot to add the margarine when I was stirring it all together, so I dotted it over the top and stirred it in once everything started warming up. A couple of my co-workers (me, to, truthfully) were a bit apprehensive about whether or not the noodles would actually cook and be tender, but it wasn’t a problem at all. I did stir it a few times while it was cooking, but I imagine you’d be ok without doing that if you couldn’t.

Next time you’re headed out where you need to take a dish to share, I would definitely recommend this one!

Slow-Cooker Mac ‘n’ Cheese

1 (16-ounce) package pasta shells
½ cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups fat-free half-and-half
1 (10-ounce) can Cheddar cheese soup
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Spray a slow-cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the pasta and butter and stir to coat. Combine the eggs, half-and-half and soup in a bowl and mix until well combined. Stir in the cheese and dry mustard. Add to the pasta and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on Low for 2½ to 4 hours.



After Cooking


Comments

  1. Mandy1/10/12, 9:30 AM

    Sounds easy and tasty! Thanks for sharing this to-go dish!

    ReplyDelete

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