Basic Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

This is a basic slow cooker macaroni and cheese recipe. With UK ingredients, measurements and method. Which can easily be tweaked and adapted to your own taste. Where you can add vegetables, crispy bacon or cooked sliced sausages or chicken to it. Or change the type of cheese or pasta, as you like. For example, in the recipe below, I’ve included brocoli and sweetcorn.

For more slow cooker pasta recipes. See my posts, listed below.

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese – UK Recipe

Ingredients (Serves 3 to 4)

250 g uncooked macaroni pasta, such as Spirali pasta.
750 ml hot water or stock.
¼ tsp fine sea salt.
½ tsp ground black pepper.
1 tsp Dijon mustard.
½ tsp paprika.
1 garlic, crushed.
2 spring onions, sliced.
150 g Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated.
110 g full fat cream cheese.
100 g frozen sweetcorn (optional).
250 g brocoli, cut into small florets (optional).

I made this slow cooker Mac and Cheese recipe in a Morphy Richards Accents Sear and Stew 3.5 L Slow Cooker (See my review).

Method

Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker pot. And mix, making sure that the pasta is immersed in the liquid, as much as possible.
Cover and cook on High for 45 minutes.
After this time, stir to make sure any uncooked pasta is immersed in the liquid again.
Cook on High for a further 30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through and the liquid has been absorbed.

Recipe Notes

Tweak this basic mac and cheese UK recipe to your liking. Replacing the brocoli and sweetcorn with other veggies you might have to hand. You could also tweak the flavourings. Or add cooked shredded chicken, crispy bacon bits, roasted peppers or sliced ham at the end of cooking.
The starch released from the pasta during the slow cooking mixes with the cream cheese and grated cheese to make a thick cheese sauce.
Pre-grated cheese is NOT recommended for this recipe. As it doesn’t work in the same way as cheese that you grate yourself.