Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

I am sorry to say that this recipe was a total flop for me! After 2 1/2 hours I had a pasty sauce and couldn't find the noodles in it...they had dissolved. The odd thing is that I have made mac and cheese in this crock pot before and never had a problem. I don't know what went wrong.

Thank you for saving my sanity! I was planning a different Zaar mac. 'n cheese but it was so hot outside and in I couldn't fathom the thought of boiling noodles and than baking so this was a handy recipe. I did add cubed ham for a 1 dish meal. Checked this at 2 1/2 hrs. and it was done-overdone-the noodles were gummy and pasty tasting, my family didn't care though.

This really didn't live up to my expectations. After 2 hours the milk had been completely absorbed and the macaroni was starting to stick to the crockpot. I added about 1 1/2 cups of milk, but I could have added more. It was done in the 2 1/2 hours stated, but really not as good as mac and cheese you can whip up in less than 1/2 an hour on the stovetop (and I mean home-made, not boxed).

This was my first crockpot mac & cheese venture, and I chose this recipe because the spices are similar to what I like to use when I'm making it the "long way". I upped the mustard powder, skipped the black pepper (to avoid black specks) and used a few dashes of Tabasco sauce instead. I like this because it's an ultra-fast, no-brainer way to make mac and cheese (or at least get the stuff cooking so you can go do chores or something). The flavor was great, but it was done-done in two hours (I have a big and powerful crockpot, in the recommended 4-6 quart range, which I really think is overlarge for this recipe). I can't set it lower than low, so I think next time I'll add more milk so it will be a little more gooey and moist.

I never expected this to taste as good as it did. I opted for the 3 hours cooking time (macaroni was a bit overcooked), but I think I'll definietly cut it down to 2 1/2 hours (so that it stays creamy).