This recipe makes the perfect amount, so you won’t get sick of leftovers! But if you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge. There’s nothing like fresh, homemade mac and cheese. How to Store and Reheat Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese You can use whatever combination of cheeses suits your taste. I try to avoid blends that contain mozzarella cheese for mac and cheese, because it is very stringy (like pizza). I purchased two types of cheddar cheese blends for this macaroni and cheese from the store. Simply add cheese in small handfuls and mix quickly to combine. However, I haven’t found a problem using pre-shredded cheese! I recommend adding the cheese into the hot noodles in small increments to prevent clumping. Certain mac and cheese recipes advise you to grate your own cheese for best results. Some people claim the starches in pre-shredded cheese stop it from melting and incorporating well when cooking. Pre-shredded cheese contains preservatives to prevent clumping. My favorite vegetable to add to Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is frozen peas. Mix again, and it’s the perfect temperature for kids! The hot noodles and sauce warm up the frozen veggies, and the frozen veggies cool down the mac and cheese. Mix the Instant Pot Mac and Cheese and frozen veggies together and let it sit for a couple minutes. So I just add some frozen vegetables to their bowls! I usually use this trick for my soup recipes, but it applies perfectly here too. Quick Tip: My hungry kids tend to get impatient waiting for hot meals to cool. If you have other favorite seasonings for macaroni and cheese, feel free to use those! Some people like nutmeg, garlic powder, or onion powder. It simply enhances the flavors of the cheese. The mustard and hot sauce add flavor to the finished dish, but not any heat.
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Add a splash of milk or cream if needed to thin. Add additional 1/2 cup cheese if you’d like it cheesier. Gradually incorporate 1 cup of the shredded cheese and mix constantly.Open the lid and mix the noodles to break them up.Lock the lid, turn the knob to sealing, and cook on manual high pressure for 4 minutes with a quick release.To the Instant Pot, add macaroni, water, bouillon, cream, mustard, hot sauce, and salt.Any other parents relate? How to Make Instant Pot Macaroni and CheeseĪdd everything to the pot, stir, then cook. I’m not sure how we got here, but power struggles over mac and cheese aren’t worth the energy #pickmybattles. My kids actually prefer Instant Pot Easy Mac to any homemade, gourmet mac and cheese. It’s a no-drain, no fuss recipe for Easy Mac in the Instant Pot. If you don’t want to make a from-scratch recipe for Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, don’t worry! I’ve got you covered with my tried and true recipe for Kraft Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot. Feel free to double this recipe if you like! Most recipes for Instant Pot mac and cheese call for 4 cups of noodles. For a reference point, a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese contains one cup of noodles. So you don’t have to use an entire box or pound of noodles if you don’t want that much. This recipe is unique because it calls for half a pound of macaroni noodles.
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I find that the starch in Instant Pot Mac and Cheese makes the sauce thick, rich, and creamy. That’s why the texture is different! Pressure Cooking NoodlesĪdding back starch is a chef’s trick to thicken pasta sauces. On the other hand, pressure-cooked noodles cook so quickly they don’t have time to release starch. Pasta boiled in water releases starch while absorbing liquid over time. The cooking chemistry is completely different for boiling a pot of noodles and pressure-cooking a pot of noodles.
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I will say macaroni cooked in the Instant Pot does have a slightly different texture than if it was boiled on the stove. Skip straining an intimidatingly heavy pot of steaming noodles. The Instant Pot cooks noodles incredibly fast and it’s a one-pot meal! That’s right, skip babysitting boiling water.