Slow-Cooker Mac and Cheese for a Busy Thanksgiving Kitchen
A six-quart slow cooker can free oven space, but this mac and cheese still has a defined cooking and finishing sequence. Butterball’s selected version starts with dry cavatappi, then adds the final cheeses and broth after cooking.
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Source formula: Butterball. Explanatory copy is original; this project has not kitchen-tested the recipe.
Selected formula and sequence
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cheddar, divided
- Two 12 oz cans evaporated milk
- 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 beaten egg
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 lb cavatappi
- 4 oz softened cream cheese
- Topping: 3 Tbsp butter, 1.5 cups panko, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
Method
- In 6 qt slow cooker mix 2 cups cheddar, milk, 1 cup broth, egg, salt, pepper and dry pasta. Cover; cook LOW 2 h, stir midway; turn cooker off only after the casserole reaches at least 165°F at the center, verified with a food thermometer; the source’s two-hour cooking interval is an estimate.
- Meanwhile melt topping butter in skillet; stir panko/salt over medium-high about 5 min until golden. Remove; add parsley.
- Stir cream cheese, remaining cheddar and 1/2 cup broth into pasta. Stand covered 30 min. Add crumb topping immediately before serving.
Yield: 8 source servings
Timing: Prep under 30 min source; 2 h cooking plus 30 min covered standing, with topping prepared separately; headline under 3 h
Allergen checks: Milk; Egg; Wheat
Use the specified cooking appliance
A six-quart slow cooker on LOW is the source appliance. A flat warming tray or buffet server keeps already cooked food warm and cannot replace it. Check the actual model settings and follow its lid instructions; a transport latch should not be locked during cooking.
Keep the two broth additions separate
Measure the initial broth and finishing broth into separate containers. Reserve the final cheddar and cream cheese as well. Starting with everything at once changes the selected sequence. The pasta is dry at the beginning; precooking it would be a different method. For this casserole-style pasta containing raw egg, apply FoodSafety.gov’s 165°F minimum for meatless casseroles: check the center with a food thermometer before ending cooking. The source’s two-hour interval is an estimate, not proof that every cooker has reached a safe food temperature. This cooking check is separate from the 140°F hot-holding minimum.
Prepare the crunch in a skillet
The panko topping is browned separately, with parsley added off the heat. Keep it apart from the pasta until service so it remains a topping instead of disappearing into the sauce. Use a suitable utensil around the cooker’s removable insert.
Understand the word make-ahead
The recipe title does not supply a verified refrigeration interval. Its thirty-minute covered finish with the cooker off is a defined step, not permission for indefinite room-temperature or unmonitored buffet holding. Any later hot holding needs an actual food-temperature check; do not assume the WARM label guarantees a safe temperature in every portion.
Useful equipment, if you need it
Check what you already own before buying. These are source- and specification-based selections, not hands-on product tests. Check the exact variant and current instructions before use.
Crock-Pot Manual Cook and Carry
The red Crock-Pot SCCPVL600-R Cook & Carry is a six-quart manual cooking slow cooker. Check LOW, HIGH and WARM instructions and leave transport latches unlocked during cooking. Cook & Carry does not mean carrying a hot, filled cooker is risk-free.
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OXO Silicone Spoon
The OXO silicone spoon helps stir the dry-pasta mixture midway and fold in the finishing ingredients. It is a cooking utensil rather than a thermometer, and should not remain trapped under the cooker lid.
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Storage and serving limits
Title does not establish an advance-cooking or refrigerated holding interval. No invented make-ahead duration. Turning off for source's 30 min finish is not indefinite buffet holding.
For perishable-food service, follow FDA buffet guidance: keep hot food at 140°F or warmer and cold food at 40°F or colder; limit time outside temperature control to two hours, or one hour above 90°F. Recipe storage advice is separate from buffet holding.