Replace the “Blue Box” – Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese
So our Get Real topic got me thinking about some of our favorite pasta dishes and how they have changed in the last couple years as our whole/real food journey progresses. I used to be a BIG couponer. You know the kind of shopper who carries a binder around the grocery store and holds up the line using 25 coupons in one transaction? (No offense to couponers! It is an art and well worth it if you have the time and can make it work for your family. More power to ya!) I admit that I happily stocked my shelves with little blue boxes (you know the ones) when they were at rock bottom prices, and happily ate them for a quick lunch or dinner.
Taste Tester #2
When I quit buying the little blue boxes (and all of those other boxes and packages that come in various fun colors) I had to come up with a suitable substitute. I considered switching to the organic box, but honestly they didn’t seem that much better. Just organic junk food. And have you noticed that they’re 2-3 times the price? There are lots of delicious stove top and baked mac and cheese recipes out there. But they take more time and dirty a lot more dishes than the blue box. Enter rice cooker mac and cheese. I was skeptical at first. I’d never made anything but rice in my rice cooker. It sounded to good to be true. But trust me it wasn’t! This is now one of our favorite lunches or super quick dinners in our house.
Here’s the run down: 4 ingredients (I guarantee you have them in your pantry now), one pot, 20 minutes, lots of options to customize, oh and did I mention cheesy and delicious? What’s not to love? And one more note, if you’ve been looking for a way to incorporate more homemade bone broths into your diet (or your children’s diet), this is a great way to do it. Hope you enjoy this real food as much as our family does.
Rice Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
Author/Source:
Kim @ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
Taste Tester #1
- 2 cups small shaped macaroni (Whole wheat is best. Elbow, bow-ties, shells, wagon wheels, etc.)
- 1.75 cups chicken broth (Homemade is best. Opt for organic store bought second.)
- .25 cups of milk (You can use up to .5 cups if needed to make it smooth.)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (Use your favorites. I usually use mostly cheddar and a little Parmesan)
- .5 cups frozen mixed vegetables (Optional. Other fresh or frozen veggies work well too, broccoli is another favorite of ours.)
- .5 cups cooked meat (Optional – bacon, chicken, ham, etc.)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place pasta, vegetables (if using), and chicken broth in the rice cooker. Cook 15-20 minutes until pasta is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Stir just once during the cooking time. Turn off rice cooker and add milk and shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and creamy sauce forms. Add more milk as needed (up to .5 cups). Stir in cooked meat (if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Freezing Directions:
Not recommended. However, this recipe makes good use of freezer staples like homemade chicken broth, frozen vegetables, and precooked meat.
Servings: 2 adult (4 toddler or side dish servings)
**conversion chart image provided by Erik Spiekermann
Can you do this on the stove if you dont have a rice cooker?
I’ve never tried. It might be hard though since you want the pasta to absorb all the liquid but not stick to the pot. If you try, use a non-stick pot and keep a close eye on it. Let us know how it comes out.
I bet you can do it in a microwavable rice cooker or just a small covered dish. It would absorb all the liquid without burning it. Similar to the snack ones in the little blue tubs they now sell. I know microwave isn’t ideal to some but I bet it would work.
Tried this tonight for a lazy home dinner. Amazing :) so easy and tasty and hardly any cleaning. Thanks!
This is an awesome idea. We can’t eat the boxed varieties (even the organic ones) because they have glutamates in them. My son loves Annie’s frozen Mac & Cheese (the only brand safe for him) but it’s so darn expensive. I’m going to try Alton Brown’s Stovetop Mac & Cheese first, since I don’t have a rice cooker, but I think I’ll modify it to use chicken broth since I have a ton of it already. It’s a complicated recipe though so I’ll try this one sometime and see how they compare.
My goal is something my son can microwave — have you ever tried microwaving “already cooked” mac & cheese? Any tips? I’m thinking if I spread it thin in a glass rectangle Pyrex (then I pop them out into a ziplock so the Pyrex can be used for other things during the month) then he could use it just like a microwave dinner, and eat it straight from the Pyrex. Hopefully the thinness of the layer will make it microwave OK…hard to know. I’ll try to remember to report back!
I have never frozen it, but I have eaten it leftover from the refrigerator and it was fine. Please let us know your findings!
Freeze in muffin tins,lined with paper or use a silicone pan. When you reheat add a tablespoon of milk or water to make it as creamy as it was fresh.
Thanks for sharing that tip!
I’m wondering how this would work in a slow cooker — maybe just longer cooking time?
I know there are slow cooker mac and cheese recipes out there too (if you find one let us know), but I think they work best on a day where you have planned ahead. This recipe can be used in those situations where you need something quick, but don’t want to resort to processed food.
I tried this slow cooker mac and cheese recipe last night. It only took about 2.5 hours on low, although after the first hour you need to stir about every 20 minutes to prevent curdling. I thought it was really yummy! http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/06/crockpot-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe.html
What kind of rice cooker to you have?
I have a very standard, no frills, Black and Decker. But here is a review we did on a fancier one: http://onceamonthmom.com/christmas-gift-ideas-ricevegetable-cooker/
I made this tonight. So good!! I wanted to put Kale in it (ala mac and greens) but my 4 year old was adamant that I not do it. It was so good. I bought the italian mix of shredded cheese from Organic Valley. Yum. Can’t wait to make it again. Definitely easier than the box, and I am willing to eat this one.
Awesome! And great idea on the kale.
Love it! We also add a spoonful of dijon mustard to give it a litle extra kick.
I made this on a week night. My 20 month old picky eater liked it. We ate it as our dinner, my hubby came up with a great idea adding bacon & jalapeno, it was SO DELICIOUS! It tasted like the ‘grown up’ Mac & Cheese from our favorite gourmet burger joint which charges $13 for this dish. We can now whip it up at home much cheaper! I love easy recipes like this, being a working Mom I like fast & easy recipes.
Thanks for posting such a great recipe Kim!
I cannot wait to try this!! So great, and right in time for summer vacation! My son (and hubby) have always loved the “blue Box” mac and cheese. My other kids and I cannot stand it! I stopped making it when I found they have lots of colors in them (My son has a sensitivity to artificial colors), and switched to organic ones, but they are expensive and the boxes are smaller so I found I was making 2-3 boxes for lunch. I cannot wait to try this when they are out of school. And the added veggies/meat will make it soo much more a meal rather than a box of carbs :)
Has anyone tried this recipe with an automatic rice cooker?
Mine doesn’t allow me to set the time, I only get to choose what kind of rice I’m cooking and it generally takes about 45-60 minutes to complete the cooking.
I have the simplest rice cooker ever. It only has cook and warm settings, and switches on its own. I just check my pasta after about 15 minutes, but it usually takes about 20. If it hasn’t shut off by then, I just unplug it.
We just tried this for lunch and it was amazing! It turned out better than I had hoped. We used 1/2 cheddar & 1/2 jack with a little Parmesan sprinkled in. I never would have thought to use my rice cooker for pasta. Thank you for the recipe :)
I don’t have a rice cooker but hoping to find an alternate to the boxed stuff that my kids like as much. I am going to try incorporating butternut squash because I usually add some to the boxed stuff to sneak in some extra nutrition and it makes it even creamier anyways!