Slow-Cooked Mac 'n' Cheese

My son absolutely LOVES mac 'n' cheese, as does his father.  I have made "home-made" mac 'n' cheese before, you know, from the recipe off the inside of the Velveeta box!  Actually I made that as one of the dishes at my son's 1st Birthday Party, and suffice it to say, it was a HUGE hit!  I do love that recipe, but I don't love making it!  I'm always on the hunt for making my family's favorites easier on me!  I found this recipe in Taste of Home: Comfort Food Diet Cookbook.  This recipe is slightly different, I didn't even know you could make mac 'n' cheese in the slow-cooker!  It actually came out very well!  To make it slightly healthier, I mixed half regular elbow macaroni and half whole wheat elbow macaroni.  I could have went the extra step and added broccoli to it, but as I was already making the Tomato Casserole to go with it, and I felt the broccoli would take away from the dish.  Next time, if I plan on just having the mac and maybe a meat, I'll add the broccoli so I don't have to worry about making another side.  This is perfect to use for lunches, my son is always excited to get mac 'n' cheese for lunch!

This past Monday, I spent my entire day cooking!  Cooking around breakfast, lunch and naptime, so I could be there for my son when he needed me.  It actually worked out very well, considering it was a miserable day anyway, and now I don't have to cook until Friday!  Having one of the dishes being a slow-cooker meal, helped me out a huge deal, it was one less thing I had to constantly watch!  If you have the time to set aside a few hours to cook, I highly recommend getting it all out of the way in one day!  Anything to make life a little bit easier!

Yields 9 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used half reg and half whole wheat)
• 1 can (12 ounces) reduced-fat evaporated milk
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/3 cup egg substitute
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 8 ounces reduced-fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

 

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water.  In a large bowl, combine the evaporated milk, milk, egg substitute and butter.  Stir in the process cheese, 1-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese and macaroni.
2. Transfer to a 3-qt slow cooker coated with cooking spray.  Cover and cook on low for 2-3/4 to 3 hours or until center is set, stirring once.  Sprinkle with remaining sharp cheddar cheese.