Instant Pot Mac n Cheese
Okay pals...who loves mac n cheese? I LOVE IT. It is a food group. It's a MAJOR food group. Yea yea yea it isn't the healthiest but its MAC N CHEESE! Also you know I love my Instant Pot. If you do not know what an Instant Pot is, let me know and I'll give you WAY more information than you probably need. Basically its a slow cooker/pressure cooker combo (mostly the pressure cooker) but way better than your old school ones! ANYWAYS my little drama llama munchkin LOVES his cheesy past. When I went to their house a few weeks ago they had an Instant Pot and that's about it since they were remodeling their kitchen. And my Welly wanted cheesy past. It's a food group for him just like me...I had no influence in it I promise! (okay maybe a little). SO I went to the Facebook Instant Pot Community and found a few recipes but I didn't like the looks of some of them...they added weird things like mustard or hot sauce and other things...to each their own...but I just wanted creamy cheesy two year old approved cheesy past right...SO I combined a few ideas and came up with my own recipe that is both Cece and Welly approved.
I used the following recipe:
1lb elbows (but lets be real you can use any pasta...just make sure it's the 1 lb (16oz) box)
4 cups water
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp salt
1 12oz can evaporated milk (I used the fat free kind, but I don't think it really matters)
2/3 of a 16 oz block of cheddar (more or less depending on how cheesy you like it but 2/3 is MORE than plenty)
1/2 cup or so of parmesan cheese
In the IP add your water (you can turn it on sauté at this point to heat up your water. The faster your contents heat up, the faster it comes to pressure). Add the pasta, salt, and butter. Make sure your water covers the pasta. If it doesn't cover it, that pasta will not cook. Make sure not to over fill it either. After you add the ingredients, turn the IP on manual, make sure it is sealed, and cook for four (4) minutes. After the 4 minutes let it Natural Pressure release (which means let it sit, don't touch it) for about 10 minutes then you can finish releasing the pressure. Trust me, my hangry self today didn't wait and I ended up making a big mess...so just wait the 10 extra minutes.
Taste test the pasta to make sure it is done. If it's not, it will cook some more on sauté as you stir in the cheese. If you did not add excessive water, you do not need to drain it. Switch the IP back to sauté to help keep it warm and melt the cheese. Add in your evaporated milk and shredded cheese (please shred by hand...it melts SO much easier and doesn't separate). Stir until fully incorporated and it should be thickening nicely!
Season with salt and pepper and ENJOY!
Try it out and let me know what you think of it!
If you do not have an instant pot I do not know how to make this particular pasta on the stove. I do have a white cheddar mac n cheese recipe that is a house favorite that I would be more than willing to share if you would like, just let me know!