Cooking Lesson #74— Instant Pot Cheese and Macaroni and Cheese

Instant Pot Cheese & Macaroni & Cheese

How you doin’? We have another great Instant Pot meal to share with you, but before I share Joan’s favorite meal in the world—Mac & Cheese—we want to thank many of our friends for their responses to our Covid-19 Survival Guide Cooking Lessons.
 
To Jayne and Kathy, your quiches looked great—thanks for the pix. We especially like to hear that you both included additional vegetables to make this your own recipe. That’s part of the fun of it all. Our cooking lessons are flexible, and you can always feel free to add and subtract ingredients at the whim of the chefs.
 
Brad, your comments on cocktails have been fun to read. I didn’t know you were of Portuguese descent so you can really appreciate my references to Lisbon-siders drinks and pastry. Bob and Will, thanks for the photo images on our Texas Cowboy Casserole—you proved once again that Bisquick is a great fallback ingredient. And, Nel, I’m glad you saw the wisdom and convenience of our Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatball dinner. Linda, thanks for trusting us enough to go out and purchase a new Instant Pot. I’m sure it will bring you lots of cooking joy.  We know many of you were skeptical of everything tossed into one pot turning out dishes that are so delicious. We can’t call out everyone for your cooking efforts, but you know who you are—thank you and stay tuned.
 
There must be thousands of recipes for mac and cheese, not to mention the boxed products from Kraft, Amy’s and others. A classic homemade stovetop macaroni and cheese often has you make a cheese sauce that requires making a roux and at least two cups of milk or half-and-half. But while it might be hard to believe, in this Instant Pot version, the pasta and cooking water do most of the sauce work, so all you need is a little half-and-half added together with the cheese at the very end.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cooking time:  20 minutes
Yield:  6 to 8 servings
 
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 ounces dried pasta shells or elbow macaroni
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3-1/2 cups shredded cheese, such as sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack (about 16 ounces)
1/2 cup half-and-half
 
Directions

1. Turn on an Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and add the butter.  Once the butter is melted, turn the Instant Pot off.
2. Add the pasta, water, and salt.  Seal the Instant Pot.  Use the manual setting to set the pressure cooker to cook for 6 minutes on HIGH pressure.  It will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure.
3. When the cook time is done, immediately QUICK RELEASE the pressure being careful not to burn yourself on the steam.
4. Turn the Instant Pot OFF.  Open it, add the cheese and half-and-half, and stir until combined.
5. Put the lid back on the Instant Pot again and let sit for 3 minutes for the cheese to melt and the sauce to thicken. 
6. Give it a quick stir and serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  If you are like me and like a sharper finish on your mac and cheese sauce, add a couple of teaspoons of blue cheese for a more adult finish. Take it to the next level with a little cooked lobster, shrimp, chicken or bacon.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe, be kind and always give thanks to our many first responders on the front lines who risk their lives for us.

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