Easy Mexican Mac and Cheese

"Creamy, cheesy, spicy...and cooks up easily in your crockpot even if you don't have a kitchen. At your desk at work? Yes! Anywhere with an electrical outlet! This is not one of those "dump and go" recipes as you can't leave your crockpot unattended, but a tastier alternative to boxed mac and cheese. It is not, however, better texture or taste than from-scratch mac and cheese on the stove. This recipe was created for a crockpot cooking contest and truthfully, you will love it even more it you make the recipe in a pot on the stove. You can always transfer to a crockpot for party-style serving. Enjoy!"
 
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photo by CookingONTheSide photo by CookingONTheSide
photo by CookingONTheSide
photo by CookingONTheSide photo by CookingONTheSide
Ready In:
2hrs 5mins
Ingredients:
9
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • SPRAY crockpot with cooking spray.
  • DUMP pasta, then all other ingredients (except garnishes) in your crockpot.
  • COOK ON HIGH for at least 45 minutes without disturbing; from that point on, stir every half hour or so, checking to see if the pasta is done (based on the reviews it can take anywhere between 45 minutes and two hours). When your pasta is cooked, proceed to Step #4.
  • SERVE -- topped generously with green onions and crushed tortilla chips! Be sure to turn off the crockpot or switch to the warm setting, so the pasta doesn't get mushy.

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Reviews

  1. Mine turned into total mush between an hour and fifteen minutes and an hour and forty-five minutes. Tasted great, but could not serve (noodles were totally gone). I liked the ingredients though and may try it again, turning it to low after the first 45 minutes.
     
  2. Super simple, and tasty. I had rigatoni pasta on hand so I used that. I let it go for the 45 minutes, then stirred, stirred 10 minutes later and felt the pasta was done. I turned off the pot, but in the next half hour it sucked up lots of the sauce, so next time I would serve it right away, while the pasta is still al dente, and the sauce is still saucy! I will make this again! ZWT8
     
  3. A decent recipe, mild in flavor for what I was expecting. I liked the idea of the flavors, but would increase the spice next time, would also make the bacon crisp prior to adding it in. Just about 2 hours worked for mine, but I do have an older crockpot...I do suggest checking your pasta frequently and turning it to low early to avoid overcooking pasta. Next attempt I might add a jalepeno pepper for a little more spice. Nice and creamy - good recipe using ingredients well. Thanks! Made for first Craze-E Contest 2008.
     
  4. Dh and I thought this was great! We thought that the spice was just right and that everything blended well. I did use turkey bacon(as I always do) and I think that might have helped with the "chewy bacon" problem another reviewer had. I didn't mind the "babysitting" because it only took 2 hours and I just stirred whenever I went back into the kitchen. This did turn out very rich even with low fat milk, which we really enjoyed. Great recipe, thanks.
     
  5. This was OK for us, but I just don't think we cared for a Mexican-type macaroni and cheese all that much. I cooked mine for about 2 hours. The pasta was done just right. I do think the bacon should be cooked crispy in the microwave before adding to the crock pot. I thought it was a nice use of contest ingredients, though!
     
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