Four Cheese Mac & Cheese (Instant Pot)
I’m pretty sure COVID-19 is making me a better cook. Case in point, this Four Cheese Mac & Cheese made in the Instant Pot. One of my favourite places to order mac & cheese is at Bellingham’s Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro. But with the border closed, I’m got getting to Bellingham anytime soon ?
So I decided to recreate it on the boat. Mine definitely has less oil and/or butter (as in none) but is still rich and creamy with lots of cheesy goodness. The cream cheese is definitely the key here to achieve the right texture. The rest of the cheeses though are completely up to your personal tastes. I used cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan for my Boundary Bay recreation and it tasted like I remember it.
The final touch was adding bread crumbs, a couple of grape tomatoes and baking in the oven for 10 minutes and broiling for 1 minute. My individual ramekins just fit under the broiler in my MagicChef oven. But you can also put it in bigger casserole dish and skip the broiler.
Sadly though, there was no recreating their beer or the fun of hanging out with our American friends. But at least I took care of my mac & cheese craving!
Yes, you can make perfect mac & cheese in the Instant Pot
Heating water to make pasta on the boat creates quite the steam bath thanks to the propane stove. Plus, it just takes too long for my impatient soul.
So the Instant Pot is perfect for making mac & cheese. Simply dump in the pasta, broth and spices. Then, seal the Instant Pot and wait about 10 minutes and the noodles are cooked perfectly. In the meantime, shred your cheese while the noodles are doing their thing. Finally, spend another five minutes melting the cheese and you’re good to go. It’s probably easier than Kraft Dinner and infinitely tastier (in my opinion).
About this recipe
This Four Cheese Mac & Cheese (Instant Pot) recipe was made on a 37 foot Tollycraft using an Instant Pot 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker – 6 Qt. See other boat tested and tasted recipes.
Four Cheese Mac & Cheese (Instant Pot)
Comfort food at it’s best and easiest!! Using the Instant Pot to make this Four Cheese Mac & Cheese is quick with minimal clean-up. It tastes great straight out of the pot and even better with a few minutes in the oven.
- 2 1/2 cups dry macaroni noodles
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 oz cream cheese (cubed, (half a block))
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese or cheeses of choice ((cheddar, swiss, pepper jack, Mexican blend, etc))
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup milk to reach desired consistency (I like mine thick and gooey so I tend not to use milk)
- Bread crumbs ((optional))
- Grape tomatoes (halved (optional))
- Add macaroni, vegetable broth, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot.
- Set Instant Pot to manual for 4 minutes on high pressure. Once cooking is complete, release pressure immediately. Do not be concerned by water in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Stir in cream cheese to melt.
- Add cheeses and stir to melt. Add milk until your desired mac & cheese consistency is reached. Enjoy now or crisp things up in the oven!
Optional
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Place mac & cheese into oven safe casserole dish or individual ramekins, top with bread crumbs and halved grape tomatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes, followed by 1 minute under the broiler or until top is crispy.
Sometimes I add some veggies with the cheese. It’s a great recipe to use up spinach that is nearing it’s best before date and looking a little wilty.
This Four Cheese Mac & Cheese recipe was made on a 37 foot Tollycraft using an Instant Pot 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker – 6 Qt. See other boat tested and tasted recipes.
Stay safe and happy cruising!
