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Slow-Cooker Bacon Topped Mac and Cheese

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  • Prep 25 min
  • Total 2 hr 25 min
  • Ingredients 10
  • Servings 6
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Mac 'n cheese just got better with yummy bacon and the ease of the slow cooker.
Updated Nov 27, 2017
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (about 12 oz)
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine, cut into pieces
  • 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
  • 3 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese (12 oz)
  • 8 oz (half of 16-oz loaf) prepared cheese product, cut into cubes
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped packaged precooked bacon (about 8 slices from 2.1-oz package)

Steps

  • 1
    Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cook time. Place macaroni in slow cooker; immediately add butter and stir until melted.
  • 2
    Add evaporated milk, half-and-half, 2 1/2 cups of the Cheddar cheese, the cubed cheese, mustard, salt and pepper; stir to blend well.
  • 3
    Cover; cook on Low heat setting 2 to 3 hours, stirring once halfway through cooking time. During last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and the bacon.

Tips from the Pillsbury Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Macaroni and cheese is a great dish for adding herbs and other ingredients to give it a unique or new flavor. For example, during the last few minutes of cooking, stir in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa, cubed ham, caramelized onion or chopped cooked vegetables (such as broccoli or asparagus), or 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley.
  • tip 2
    Packaged precooked bacon is a quick way to get great bacon flavor, but instead, you can cook 8 regular bacon slices until crisp, then drain well and crumble.

Nutrition Information

850 Calories, 50g Total Fat, 39g Protein, 62g Total Carbohydrate, 14g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
850
Calories from Fat
450
Total Fat
50g
77%
Saturated Fat
29g
147%
Trans Fat
1 1/2g
Cholesterol
155mg
51%
Sodium
1670mg
70%
Potassium
580mg
17%
Total Carbohydrate
62g
21%
Dietary Fiber
3g
11%
Sugars
14g
Protein
39g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
35%
35%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
70%
70%
Iron
15%
15%
Exchanges:
3 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 1 Low-Fat Milk; 1/2 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 2 High-Fat Meat; 4 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
4
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • Whether you make your mac and cheese on the stovetop or in the slow cooker, the end goal is a seriously cheesy, gooey, smooth sauce. This can’t be achieved by just melting cheese and adding it to pasta—to get the perfect mac and cheese sauce, you’ll need to add a few ingredients. Some recipes call for a béchamel sauce—this is basically a combination of a white roux and milk. This gets combined with the cheese and melts into a creamy sauce. Other recipes, like this slow-cooker mac and cheese recipe, call for evaporated milk instead. Evaporated milk combined with cheese yields a deliciously gooey, creamy sauce without the added work of making the béchamel sauce. After you try this slow-cooker version, try experimenting with your favorite way to prepare macaroni and cheese sauce by trying a handful of our delicious mac and cheese recipes
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