Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Last night I found ourselves in a bit of a pinch.  On our meal plan, we had leftovers marked, but there weren’t any leftovers left! The kids were asking for macaroni and cheese and it was already after 5 o’clock.  We typically eat dinner around 5:30, so if I were to make my usual macaroni and cheese from scratch, it would have been almost 6:30.  It was also much too late to do a crockpot macaroni and cheese.  What’s a mom to do when she has a gaggle of hungry kids?  I attempted to make Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese.

I decided to wing it and see if I could come up with a quick and easy recipe to feed the hungry crowd.  It was a huge hit!  So much in fact that I quickly had to make a second batch!

Directions:

First up, pull out your pressure cooker.  I have the Power Pressure Cooker XL but sometimes you can find the Instant Pot brand for cheaper.

I put in a pound of elbow noodles, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tsp salt and 4 cups of water.  Selected the rice cycle for 5 minutes and pressed start.  If you don’t have a rice cycle, put it on low pressure for 5 minutes.  The noodles came out perfect for me.  Didn’t even have to drain them!  You may have to adjust the time based on your pressure cooker, but I found 5 minutes to be perfect.

After it’s done, quick release the pressure and  keep it on the warm setting.  With the lid off, stir in 1 cup of cream, 16 oz of shredded cheddar cheese, 5 oz of shredded parmesan cheese, and 1 tsp of black pepper.  Stir the cheeses in slowly to combine well.  Serve immediately.