Pressure Cooker Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese is a great first recipe to try in your new electric pressure cooker. It only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and lets you work out all of your pressure cooker nerves and fears. It will help you practice using the “Quick Release” of the pressure valve and become familiar with all of the fun pressure cooker functions.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients
1 pound of Elbow Macaroni (small, 16 ounce box)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups water
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 ounces cubed american or processed cheese ( we used Kraft Velveeta)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup heavy cream
With the unit unplugged and off, add the noodles, butter, salt, and 4 cups of water to the pressure cooker’s removable inner pot. Secure the lid, making sure it is turned to “closed” and the float valve on the lid is turned to “airtight.” Plug the unit in, and select the “Rice” setting – five minutes. The pressure cooker display will blink five times, then illuminate.
What you can expect: As the pressure begins to build in the unit, you will hear a hissing, and see steam being released through the pressure cooker’s lid. Please be careful, as it is very hot. Once the pressure cooker has built up enough pressure, the display will change to “P” and begin counting down the cooking time. In this case, five minutes. Once the cooking time has passed, the pressure cooker will automatically switch to the “keep warm” setting and will begin releasing steam. This is called the “natural release.” For some recipes, like this macaroni and cheese recipe, you’ll need to “Quick Release” the pressure. This is done in cases where things can become over-cooked easily like pasta and meat.
To “Quick Release” the pressure, wear an oven mitt and manually switch the float valve from “airtight” to “exhaust”. When doing this, be careful to keep clear of the steam and where the steam releases.
Once the steam is all released, carefully turn the lid to “open” and remove the lid from the unit. If the lid doesn’t turn easily, there is more pressure to be released. Wait several minutes until the remainder of the pressure is naturally released though the valve.
Once the lid is removed, stir in the remaining ingredients (cheeses, pepper, and heavy cream) until well combined and serve.
Order a Ginny’s Brand Electric Pressure Cooker
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
1 pound of Elbow Macaroni (small, 16 ounce box)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups water
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 ounces cubed american or processed cheese (we used Kraft Velveeta)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup heavy cream
In a pressure cooker, add macaroni, salt, butter and water. Place lid on slow cooker, ensure the pressure valve is set to “airtight”, and set to the “Rice” setting or 5 minutes. Once done cooking, carefully “quick release” the pressure. Then add the remaining ingredients (cheeses, pepper, and cream), stir until combined, then serve. We recommend moving the finished macaroni and cheese to a serving bowl as the pressure cooker unit will be very hot.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (including pressurizing the pressure cooker)
Yield: 8 Servings
Enjoy!
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Categories: Family Friendly Recipes
