Instant Pot Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese. Everyone loves it, right?

Well, everyone in my house does. Before my acknowledgement of my gluten sensitivity one of my favorite treats was Stouffer’s Macaroni & Cheese. It was basically childhood in a bowl: Creamy, delicious and, well, hearty. This recipe is as close as I have gotten to that classic.

In comes the Instant Pot (I know, I know… but it really is amazing. Read all about it here) and Melissa Clark’s genius cookbook, Dinner In An Instant. This recipe is adaptation of her Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni & Cheese. I highly recommend hers but I wanted to make it a little bit lighter and gluten free. And you know, throw a vegetable in there too…  Another side note, mac & cheese is very hard to photograph!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Cups Milk (I use 2%)
• 1 8 Oz Block Cream Cheese
• 1 16 Oz Bag of Frozen Butternut Squash defrosted completely
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• 1 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
• 3/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
• A Few Dashes of Smoked Paprika
• 12 oz Box of Gluten Free Pasta (I think Jovial is the best brand around- try these or these)
• 8 Oz of Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Instructions: 

1. Coat the bottom of your Instant Pot insert with 1 tablespoon butter to prevent sticking.
2. In a blender add the other tablespoon of butter, milk, cream cheese, squash, garlic, dry mustard, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Blend on high until really smooth.
3. Add macaroni and sauce from blender into the Instant Pot and stir well. Cover with lid and set the vent to sealed. Set for 6 minutes on high pressure.
4. When cooking time is complete manually release (carefully switch valve to release). I normally throw a dishtowel over the valve so that hot steam doesn’t go everywhere. Remove lid once all the steam has released and the toggle is down. Immediately stir in grated cheddar.
5. Enjoy!

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