I have found this to be one of the easiest (and yummiest) ways to prepare mac and cheese. The pasta cooks quickly in the rice cooker, and while your pasta is cooking you can shred your cheeses to have ready to stir in once the rice cooker has done its job. I have listed swiss, cheddar, and jack cheeses in my recipe, but you can experiment to make this recipe your own. I would recommend keeping the swiss, as that adds a nice creaminess to the dish.
- 2 cups macaroni
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream (I feel guilty every time I use heavy cream in anything. Sometimes I use a can of evaporated milk instead – The end result is not quite as creamy, but it is still very yummy. The photo above was taken on an “evaporated milk” day.)
- ½ cup shredded swiss
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup monterey jack
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Place pasta, chicken stock, and cream into your rice cooker with salt, pepper and cayenne. Close lid and start cooking on the “white rice” setting. I check on the pasta every 5-7 minutes or so, as my rice cooker cooks the pasta much faster than it’s “white rice” time. Rice cookers vary, so check your pasta often for tenderness.
Once pasta is al dente, and liquids have been partially absorbed, (it should look creamy, not watery) add cheeses, stir well, and allow to heat through. Serve right away.
I’m linked up to:
Clover and Thyme 
I’m gonna try that!
Great! I hope you enjoy it! It’s so much less involved than the baked mac and cheese recipes I’ve made.
Brilliant idea — never would have thought of it. My rice cooker doesn’t really have settings (just on/off/warm) but I think I can make this work!
Thanks, Jessamine – yes, I think any rice cooker would work – just check the pasta for doneness and you’re good!
Brilliant!
Wow- very cool. We have the rice cooker and will try this!
Great! I hope it works out for you, too!