You can make comfort food, such as macaroni and cheese on a hot summer day. Just use your crockpot instead of your oven. This macaroni and cheese dish can be paired with a salad to make a full meal, or used as a side dish. It will freeze well, too. Just make sure to reheat it and eat it within three to six months for optimal flavor. If you have a food sealer, you can keep it even longer.
This variation on the original crockpot macaroni and cheese sneaks in some extra lycopene for good eye health through the addition of the tomatoes. Evaporated milk does a better job in the crockpot compared to fresh milk. It doesn’t break down over the long cooking period that takes place in the crockpot. It also holds up well to freezing.
There is nothing complicated about this recipe, but by using different cheeses, you can get a more complicated flavor. Start with a base of the 2 cups of cheddar and then experiment with the rest. The milder the cheese, such as mozzarella, the more overall cheese you can use. Cut back the amount of cheese if you are using stronger cheese, such as sharp cheddar instead of mild. The condensed milk keeps it creamy.
This recipe makes quite a bit, so if you don’t have a large family, be prepared to share or to divide the leftovers into your freezer meals.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons canola oil
6 tablespoons of melted butter
2-1/2 teaspoons of salt
6 slices of American cheese
3 cans of evaporated milk
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
4 tablespoons of chopped onion
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 16-ounce box of elbow macaroni
Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Place the oil in the crockpot. Toss the pasta in the oil. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on low for two hours to blend the flavors.
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