Celebrate Macaroni and Cheese Day with These Three Recipes

National Macaroni and Cheese Day is July 14th and we are going to celebrate and dive into a bowl (or three) of cheesy goodness! Everyone loves a good ole' mac and cheese and there are so many different variations out there. We've put together three different versions for you: An easy 5 ingredient macaroni and cheese; a low carb macaroni and cheese; and of course we had to throw in a macaroni and cheese in your instant pot. Hey, we might be a little biased, but anything with macaroni is a "linguin-ner" in our books! (Yeah, we went there!)

5 Ingredient Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of milk
• 1 pound dry elbow macaroni
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring the milk to a boil.
2. Add the pasta and stir constantly until the pasta is cooked about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir constantly, as you can burn the milk easily.
3. Turn off the heat, then add in the cheddar, butter, and mustard. 
4. Stir until the cheese is melted, the other ingredients are blended well. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dry elbow macaroni (or your favorite pasta)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of whole milk or half and half

Instructions:

• Add the uncooked macaroni, chicken broth, butter, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and nutmeg into the pressure cooker.  
• Place the lid on the pot and set to sealing.  
• Cook on manual function, high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, do a quick release. 
• Stir in the cheeses and milk until smooth. Add more milk if needed.

Low Carb Faux Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 large heads cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
• 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (Reserve 1/2 cup for topping)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Fill a pot with water, boil, and add cauliflower. Boil until the cauliflower is soft, about 10 minutes or just until soft (al dente). Turn off heat, drain, and return to pot.
3. In a small bowl, mix all of the seasonings together to combine.
4. Add cream, butter, cream cheese, 2 cups of the shredded cheese and mixed seasonings to the pot and stir well. Taste for salt and pepper seasoning and add a dash more heavy cream if needed.
5. Pour into a baking dish and top with remaining cheese. 
6. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.

Optional: Garnish with paprika and/or parsley.

BONUS IDEA:

Make all three and do a taste test to find your family's winner!