My sister, Teri, is an Instant Pot, she tweaked the recipe until it is perfect. Teri Brown’s Amazing Instant Pot Macaroni & Cheese is creamy, delicious, and quick (4 minutes to cook). Teri’s children are almost grown, so with spouses and friends, there is always a crowd when she makes this, and she puts out toppings and add-ins for everyone to personalize their dish.

Teri discovered that plain elbow macaroni in this dish is absolutely boring, and uses ridged or specialty shaped pastas that are a lot more fun. My kids love radiatori, but her kids like cavateppi, cascatelli, cavatelli, fusilli etc. She always browns bread crumbs in butter to sprinkle on top, and offers roasted veggies, crisp bacon, ham, hot dogs, barbecued chicken, etc. depending what she has on hand and who is coming to dinner. She sometimes varies the types of cheese she uses, but usually uses sharp cheddar, as well as cheddar jack or jack, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This recipe comes out perfectly every time, and even favorite Hancock taster, Mr. Picky (who is from the south and has been brought up on macaroni and cheese) loved it.

10 Servings

1 pound ridged pasta, such as cascatelli, radiatoire, cavatappi, cavatelli, etc. (you can also use elbows or shells)
4 tablespoons butter
4 cups water
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons sea salt, or kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Place macaroni, butter, water, dry mustard, and salt and pepper into the Instant Pot.
2. Cover the pot, set the valve to sealing, and set to manual (high pressure) for 4 minutes. If the directions on the macaroni have a boil time of less than 6 minutes, reduce the cook time to 3 minutes.
3. When the cycle has finished, quick release the pressure. Remove lid and check that the pasta is cooked completely. If not, select sauté and cook for another 2 minutes until pasta is cooked through.
4. Add the evaporated milk and the cheeses. Continue to mix and stir until creamy. Add extra salt to taste if necessary. Serve.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 448 Calories from Fat 210
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 47% Protein 20% Carb. 33%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 23 g
Saturated Fat 14 g
Cholesterol 68 mg
Sodium 902 mg
Total Carbohydrate 37 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 22 g

Vitamin A 15% Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% Iron 12%