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Instant Pot Adult Mac & Cheese

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The Instant Pot. Dude! I love this thing! When I work second shift and get off at 8 o’clock at night, the last thing I want to do is go home and cook something that’s going to take an hour and I just can’t stomach fast food, so it’s my Instant Pot to save the day. This thing can have a beef tenderloin, a stack of pork chops, or even a whole chicken ready in no time. I use the Instant Pot for many things, but one of my go to recipes for a quick meal is mac & cheese.

Everybody likes macaroni and cheese. Name one person that doesn’t! Before the Instant Pot, whenever I wanted macaroni and cheese I made it out of a box that had macaroni in the shape of Spongebob or the Ninja Turtles, but now I like to “adult” my mac and cheese. After the pasta is cooked and the cheese is melted, I add some sautéed mushrooms then put everything in a baking dish, top with Panko bread crumbs, and broil in the oven till the Panko is nicely browned. You won’t find anything like this in a box, lemme just tell you!

You could add the cheese and be done with it and it would be delicious, but why stop there when you can make it even better. The sautéed mushrooms add so more flavor and texture.

You can use any kind of mushroom you like. I used portobello for this recipe.

I’m a firm believer in your dish is only as good as your ingredients, which is why I like to use really good cheese. You could use the bagged cheese that’s already shredded, or hell you can throw a couple of Kraft singles in there if you want, but really good cheese will take this dish to the next level. By good cheese I mean cheese that isn’t processed or has additives or preservatives. Cheese with good flavor comes from the quality of the milk by which it’s produced and also the aging process.                                         (The More You Know =====★)

My favorite part of this whole dish is the crisp Panko crumbs. I could eat a bowl of them by themselves. They add a nice crunch to the creamy pasta and cheese.

I definitely recommend getting an Instant Pot, especially if you have a busy schedule. You can make quick and easy meals like this one in literally minutes that looks like it took you hours to do.

It took about 30 seconds for the Panko to brown, so keep a very close eye on it!
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Instant Pot Adult Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 lb macaroni
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 teas salt
  • 1 teas pepper
  • 1 teas garlic powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups mushroom medium diced
  • 1 teas fresh thyme chopped
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated
  • ¾ cup parmesan cheese grated
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 Roma tomato diced
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • Parsley chopped

Instructions

  1. Mix the macaroni, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in the Instant Pot. Close and lock the lid. Set to manual/pressure cook and set the time for 5 minutes and press start.
  2. While the macaroni is cooking, heat a sauté over medium heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add mushroom and thyme and cook for about 8 minutes until mushrooms are browned.
  3. Once the Instant Pot is finished, quick release the steam, drain noodles, and return to pot. Add milk, butter, and cheese until melted and the macaroni is well coated. Stir in mushrooms and tomatoes. Pour the macaroni mixture into a baking dish and add the Panko bread crumbs over the top. Broil until the Panko is browned, will only take a few minutes (be careful, the Panko will burn very quickly so keep a close eye on it). Top with parsley.

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