A friend shared her ‘secret recipe’ for the world’s best macaroni and cheese a couple of months ago and it has become a family favorite. You can make it on the stove in a pot or in an instapot (pressure cooker). I’ll give directions for both ways. I actually prefer the stove top method because I don’t like waiting for the Instapot to come to pressure. But if you’re not in a hurry, the Instapot works great. You can find this recipe on lots of cooking sites, but I will save you the scroll, scroll, scroll to get to the recipe.

The best part is you can make a whole batch of this for about the price of one meal at a restaurant. You can make it even cheaper if you use American cheese and regular milk, but the sharp cheddar and evaporated milk give it a wonderful rich flavor!

Bonus Tips: You could make a double batch in a big pot, but I’m not sure about the instapot. It’s really great with a can of tuna mixed in, or add some taco meat. A salad would go nicely with it if you don’t want to overdo the carby goodness.

Ingredients

• 12 or 16 ounce package of elbow macaroni, any type of flour will work. I use gluten free.
• 4 cups shredded cheese. I use sharp cheddar.
• one can of evaporated milk.
• Water or chicken broth for cooking
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional ingredients of your choice such as butter, onions, spices, veggies, cooked meat to make it a casserole.

Stove Top Method

1. Boil macaroni according to package directions in large pot of salted water (cover noodles).
2. Drain excess water or broth from macaroni in collander/strainer.
3. Put back in pot. Add cheese and evaporated milk and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.
4. Devour!

Instapot Method

1. Put macaroni in instapot with 3 cups water or broth.
2. Using Manual setting, Cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.
3. Quick release after about a minute. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam.
4. Add other ingredients and stir.
5. Enjoy!