MACARONI CHEESE

marree, Apr 10, 3:37am
Came across a nice slow cooker recipe - takes around 2.5 - 3 hours. Wish to add bacon (of course!) Which is best - just add raw bacon and let all cook together, or fry off bacon prior to dishing up the mac cheese?
rainrain1, Apr 10, 4:13am
I'd would just add it raw in the cooker, you'll get the bacon flavour through the macaroni
fifie, Apr 10, 4:51am
Always fry off bacon pieces and onion before adding to macaroni, regardless how its cooked.
ffloss, Apr 10, 4:56am
Maree Could I have the recipe please.
marree, Apr 10, 5:10am
Rainrain & Fifie- I thought raw also (or fry off bacon) - just want easy tonight as we won't all be eating at once (some of the kids home later). I've already put the red onion in (raw) Such fun and experimenting always! I'll put through recipe in a mo (I think came from Facebook - I think an American recipe, so you'll need to convert from ounces to grams etc). Pretty simple though an you'll get the idea of consistency. I've got it on "high" in slow cooker, checking frequently.
marree, Apr 10, 5:16am
Here you go. and OMG, it's smelling devine!

MACARONI CHEESE (Slow Cooker)
A simple yet high-impact twist to one of our favorites: mac and cheese

When it comes to cooking, we're all about finding the easiest ways to make our favorites taste exponentially better. Leave it to The One Pot Chef to devise a recipe for macaroni and cheese that is as hassle-free to make as it is decadently creamy. His secret ingredient is an act of sheer genius.

Of course, there is no shortage of recipes bouncing around for ways to reinvent mac and cheese. This list from Red Tricycle features chicken enchilada macaroni and cheese among others, while Betty Crocker's top 25 macaroni and cheese recipes include fried mac and cheese balls. The One Pot Chef, however, steers clear of gimmicks to produce the creamiest version yet.

To make this decadently creamy slow-cooked macaroni and cheese, you'll need:

16 ounces of elbow macaroni, uncooked
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
8 ounces of cream cheese
2 1/2 cups of milk
12 ounces of evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

To begin, dump your uncooked macaroni into your slow cooker, followed by your shredded cheddar cheese. Note that The One Pot Chef is Australian, so his cheddar cheese is probably a slightly different color than that of his American viewers.

Next, distribute chunks of cream cheese (genius, right?) amid the noodles. Finish off with the two types of milk and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook for 2 1/2 hours on the low setting. Stir a bit after 2 hours to make sure everything is melting properly, then put the lid back on and let it finish cooking.

If you find the sauce too goopy for your liking, feel free to add more milk.

After 2 1/2 hours, you should have thick and luscious mac and cheese begging to be devoured.
marree, Apr 10, 5:20am
OK, I still have time to decide - chop up raw bacon now & add, or fry off and add towards end?
rainrain1, Apr 10, 5:29am
It's OK added raw with 3 hours cooking time on high I would have thought, but there's always them's what don't agree
wheelz, Apr 10, 7:31am
I saute the onions, crisp up the bacon and always have chargrilled pineapple pieces in mine, no other veges allowed, apart from sliced tomatoes on top, then grated tasty cheese and panko crumbs. The sauce to macaroni ratio has to be perfect! The sauce is very quickly done in the microwave, with lots of mustard, (dry and whole grain), pepper and the required mountain of cheese.Then cooked in the oven 20 odd minutes to get a crunchy top.
finlight, Apr 13, 9:39am
any gluten free recipes for this too please
joey2221, Apr 17, 3:57am
Marree made the Macaroni cheese didn't like it.Was dry and gluggy through it out copied it from your recipe
ruby2shoes, Apr 17, 4:06am
try this one joey -
2 - 2 & 1/2 cups penne, macaroni or other "robust" pasta shapes
25 g butter
3 cups grated cheddar or colby cheese
3 TBSP flour (I've never put this in)
1 tsp garlic salt
3 cups boiling water.
Tip pasta into crock pot. Melt butter and pour over pasta. Stir.
Fry bacon in fry pan. Add to pasta, along with cheese, flour garlic salt. Stir. Pour boiling water over and mix gently. Sprinkle paprika over top. Cover with lid and cook on high for 2 - 3 hours, stirring periodically.

I add either cauliflower or broccoli to it, towards the end. Do keep stirring it. to check it as the pasta goes very soft, very quick. I usually cook it on low for a few hours.
marree, Apr 17, 6:24am
Joey, sorry to hear that. It was a recipe I came across and thought I'd try - don't make mac cheese often at all, let alone in the slow cooker, but turned out OK here.
samanya, Apr 17, 6:36am
Don't worry . I've tried many recipes from this forum & most have been 'keepers' & the odd flop . it really is all about the experimentation for new recipes to suit our own style of cooking.
I've saved your recipe to try & thanks.
marree, Apr 17, 7:07am
Thanks Samanya - the recipe wasn't from here (I think it popped up on Facebook or similar) and not a cheap version, bearing in mind having to add sour cream and evaporated milk - gave it a nice flavour though and everyone here wants it again. Next time, once cooked, I'll transfer to a baking dish, add extra cheese on top and grill for a for a crunchy topping!
samanya, Apr 17, 7:19am
Great . cooking is always a learning curve . whether you are new to cooking or have been cooking for many years . we can all learn & this is a great place to learn.
sue193, Apr 17, 9:15am
Frying the bacon and onions first really improves the flavour. I only fry it first if I've got time and can be bothered. Mostly I can't be faffed.
kateley, Apr 17, 9:17am
just out of curiosity, but which ingredient contains gluten in this recipe? (obviously the pasta, but there are gluten free varieties, aren't there?)
blueviking, Apr 17, 7:40pm
Sorry people, the only way to do Mac & cheese is in the oven , so you get that crisp crunchy topping.
fizzy_kiwi, Oct 2, 11:45am
I always fry bacon when I make the roux (fat from the bacon replaces some of the butter). Wouldn't add it raw because it doesn't get crispy and sometimes isn't fully cooked by time the top is grilled. But that's when adding cooked pasta to finished sauce.