The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

4.33 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 53 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

A quick and easy and tasty rendition of a family favorite. My most requested potluck dish!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Uncooked Macaroni
  • 4 cups Shredded Cheese, Any Flavor. We Like Mostly Cheddar With Some Mozzarella Thrown In.
  • 4 cups Small Curd Cottage Cheese
  • 2 sticks Butter
  • 2 cups Boiling Water

Preparation

Spray a 5-6 quart crock pot or use a crock pot liner (a lifesaver of a kitchen tool!). Pour the layer of uncooked noodles on the bottom. Top with shredded cheese(s). (You can add ham or sausage or pepperoni in this layer if you’d like.) Top with cottage cheese. Cube sticks of butter and distribute evenly on top.

Run a knife quickly around the edge to make room for the water to ooze down the sides. Pour the 2 cups of boiling water into the crock pot. Put on the lid and turn it on high for 2 1/2 hours without peeking! (It is sometimes done in 2 1/4 hours, so you can check and maybe stir it up then. But it isn’t really necessary.)

Rich and gooey yummy-ness. A huge hit for kids and adults alike!

3 Comments

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Jenelle Miller on 9.2.2013

I used a disposable crockpot liner, which saved the day! It did stick! And I had my crockpot on LOW for 3 hours.

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witstar on 10.17.2009

Update: I’ve tried the recipe again, stirring it right away and then now and again during cooking.

DON’T DO THIS.

The end result is MUSHY PASTA. Nothing ruins a pasta dish more than the icky texture of mushy pasta!

So, Sandy was definitely right in saying DO NOT PEEK!

I’m hoping it stuck and browned because I was using an old crock pot that does not have a removable crock and the heat was just too much in the area it stuck. I’ll have to try it without stirring in a newer crock pot.

Also, I think I’ll look into getting a crock pot liner!

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witstar on 10.10.2009

Wonderfully simple and delicious recipe! I’ve been striving for years to make home made macaroni and cheese like mom taught me with the flour/milk mixture and could never ever get the taste right! This recipe gives me the same incredible taste as mom’s with less than half the effort! So creamy and perfect with the addition of the cottage cheese. I used 3 cups mexi-blend cheese and 1 cup mozzarella. The cheesy flavor is perfect in my book! I know I’ll make it again and again.

My ONLY issue was that I followed your instructions not to peek. When I went to stir it at 2 1/4 hours, I was disappointed to find that the cheese that melted down into the noodles had become stuck to the crock pot (I had sprayed liberally with cooking spray) about three inches up around the entire edge at the bottom where the noodles sat and was very browned. Luckily it was not burned at all, which I know would have ruined the flavor of the whole thing. I scraped the stuck parts off and removed them. Next time, I will stir this right away and then now and then during cooking to prevent that from happening.

Thanks for posting this recipe!

3 Reviews

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Shannon on 6.3.2022

I ran the cottage cheese through the food processor, and the dish came out very creamy. However, if I make it again, I will not add all of the butter. It was too greasy and when I refrigerated the leftovers, they solidified.

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Jenelle Miller on 9.2.2013

this tasted really good! The cottage cheese did not melt, like I thought it would, and I thought the fam would not like the chunks of cottage cheese! But everyone loved it–pasta was just right, 3 hours/LOW

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swellmama on 7.2.2011

I never would have believed it, but this is beyond awesome. I make this weekly and all three of my boys love it. I have altered it some…I’ve never used the butter, and I use only cheddar cheese. Also, I’ve found the texture is better if I use about a cup of cottage cheese and a cup of light sour cream. Yum. The best elbow macaroni I’ve found is the Barilla brand for this crockpot recipe…holds up and doesn’t get mushy. Thanks for the recipe…you’re a hero to our family!

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