Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese

One of the first recipes that we made in the Instant Pot was mac and cheese. It was our New Year’s Eve treat last year. This is a combination of a couple of recipes—mainly based on this one—that I found online and on YouTube. This was a huge success, and it might have been even better throughout the following week. It’s great plain, and we also added it to pizza and soup. Next time we want to try to bread it in Panko and give it a fry.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (or your favorite pasta)
• 4 cups chicken broth (I make my own from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon minced, fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I like Texas Pete)
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• ½-1 cup milk

Instructions

1. Add the uncooked macaroni, chicken broth, butter, ketchup, hot sauce, garlic, pepper, and salt to the Instant Pot.
2. Place the lid on the pot and set to sealing. Cook on manual function, high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, do a quick release.
3. Add the milk and stir.
4. Add the cheese in 3-4 handfuls, stirring in between each addition until smooth and creamy. Season as necessary to taste.

Notes

Last time, I used cheese we had in our fridge: some extra-sharp cheddar, a bit of smoked cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and some Gruyère. I think as long as it adds up to about 4 cups, you should be fine. You want a mixture of creamy and piquant cheeses. Use your favs.

If you want it spicier, add some Jalapeño Jack instead of the mozzerella, or just add some diced jalapeños (or any chiles you have—fresh-roasted Hatch chiles would be great) in step 1.