Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese? Not only is it creamy and delicious, but it’s so easy and fun to make with kids! 

Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese recipe from weelicious.comPin

I don’t know many kids who don’t like macaroni and cheese. Come on, cheese and pasta, what’s not to like? 

I love making my own mac and cheese, but even for someone like me who wants to make everything homemade, it’s not always easy. Between cooking the pasta, making the sauce and then baking it, the process can take time that many mothers (including myself), just don’t have! But as time consuming as the homemade kind can be, I just can’t break down and buy the powdered cheese, boxed version, no matter how easy it may be to prepare.

Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese recipe from weelicious.comPin

If you have a rice cooker (and I hope you do because it is one of the great kitchen time savers), this recipe is going to change you and your kid’s world! All you have to do is put all of the ingredients into the rice cooker and let it do all the work for you. 

The best part is that you can tailor this recipe to your child’s favorite tastes and flavors. For example, if you want to give it some added nutrition, just add an array of veggies. This is also a great way to involve your kids in cooking since they can have fun placing all of the ingredients in the cooker.

Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese recipe from weelicious.comPin

Now, what are you going to do with all of that time you just saved being a kitchen hero to your kids?

P.S. Click here for the Rice Cooker I love by Zojirushi!!

Photos by Matt Armendariz

Pin

Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese

4.08 from 14 votes
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups pasta (I used macaroni, but you could also use rotini, faralle or bite size pasta)
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium stock)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese ( I use a 3 cheese blend of cheddar, mozzarella and monterey jack)

Instructions 

  • Place the first 3 ingredients in the rice cooker and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Open the lid, add the milk and cheese, stir to combine, close the lid and cook for an additional 20 minutes (25 minutes if you want it to have a crust on the bottom).
  • *Rice cookers can cook at different heats, so make sure to check the mac & cheese after if cooks for 30 minutes once or twice.
  • Serve.
  • * Option: You can also add a cup of finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, butternut squash or frozen peas. Do so in step #2.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 670mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. We have this regularly, and I usually add two rather than one cup of vegetables. There i enough sauce for two cups, so it works out well. Frozen green beans are our favourite, and I add them in at the very end (3-5 minutes to go), so they are not mushy. Great recipe!

  2. We have this regularly, and I usually add two rather than one cup of vegetables. There i enough sauce for two cups, so it works out well. Frozen green beans are our favourite, and I add them in at the very end (3-5 minutes to go), so they are not mushy. Great recipe!

  3. So fun that you’re cooking together! I haven’t used an Instant Pot yet, but I know it has a rice cooker setting, so that may work. Let me know if you try that and how it comes out!

  4. I love this recipe. My son loves helping to cook it! However, my rice cooker just died and I am thinking of getting an Instant Pot to replace it. Any ideas on if it will work in there and if I need to change anything?

  5. Made this twice now and it comes out great! So easy and the kids love it… Me too! I have a very basic rice cooker so I just keep an eye on it after adding the milk then when it looks done, I turn it off and stir the cheese. Thank you for the great recipe!

  6. The pasta will not be cooked through yet, and there will still be liquid in the rice cooker. In Step 2 you will continue cooking the past an additional 25-30 minutes, until the pasta cooks through.

  7. what should the pasta look like when step 2 happens? should all the stock be cooked away and the pasta cooked? or should there still be a fair amount of liquid and hard pasta?

  8. I started with my cheapie Aroma rice cooker. Warm, cook. I followed the directions step by step but I used 2% milk, 2 cups of cheddarjack, and frozen corn.. The consistency wasn’t perfect and I’m wondering if it was the milk, cheese, or the excess liquid with the frozen corn.

    It was still really good and I had that nice crispy layer on the bottom.

  9. Oh no that is awful! I am so sorry this recipe didn’t work for you. I make it ALL the time at home and we love it! Maybe try the white rice setting from the beginning and check it at 10 minutes to see how it is cooking?

  10. Wow I had such hi hopes for this recipe and so did my kids and it did not turn out. I have a different rice cooker, but still followed all the directions and cooked it on the brown rice setting as I read posted in comments. It was completely filled with the liquid still even have 30 minutes and the macaroni wasn’t cooked. So because I needed it done I switched to white rice and that was a mistake. That quickly cooked everything but it was clumpy and gross. So the whole thing got put into the trash can. Very sad it didn’t work but not as sad as my kids were. Such a waste of the food.

  11. I haven’t tested this in a pressure cooker, but would love to know how it works if you try it!

  12. Could you make this in a pressure cooker? I use that for making rice so wondering how long to cook each step on manual ?

  13. I can’t wait to try this! We love our rice cooker! My stove top recipe calls for sour cream. It just adds a little zing and extra creaminess because I typically half only skim milk on hand.

  14. I usually have it on the brown rice setting, but for the mac and cheese I set the timer and cook according to the times I have listed in the recipe 🙂

  15. I have the same Zojirushi rice cooker and am wondering which cycle you used for this recipe. Did the cycle run its course completely or did you watch a timer and shut off the cycle after 20 minutes? (The Regular White Rice cycle runs about 45 minutes, but there is a Quick Cooking cycle too.)

  16. A pretty forgiving recipe. I used corn-rice pasta (gluten free), cooked in water instead of stock and adding coconut milk. I also used Romano cheese (all I had). Very creamy. Added some cayenne and other stuff to change up the flavor. Finally I put in some frozen peas (no gourmets live here!) for a green veg. And it turned out well! When I use the true ingredients I think it will be amazing and SO convenient.

  17. People keep asking why there’s no water in the recipe. Seriously guys. Do you not know what stock is!?

  18. Silly question but I love Mac and Cheese and I always make it in big batches because my sister and brother love it too. Will this be the same if it’s doubled?

  19. Is this too much liquid? I have a Tiger rice cooker and use the plain rice function. But by the time most of the liquid evaporates, the cheese has curdled!

  20. I tried this twice. The first time I followed the recipe and it turned out great. The next time I tried using evaporated milk instead of whole milk. Big mistake! Turned out bad.

  21. Korean Macaroni and Cheese with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar - Taste With The Eyes Taste With The Eyes • where the image is meant to titillate and inspire the cook says:

    […] Taste with the Eyes: Korean “Mac and Cheese” with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar Weelicious: Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese FN Dish: Food Network Chefs’ Takes on the Gooiest Mac and Cheese […]

  22. […] Taste with the Eyes: Korean “Mac and Cheese” with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar Weelicious: Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese FN Dish: Food Network Chefs’ Takes on the Gooiest Mac and Cheese […]

  23. Chefs’ Takes on the Gooiest Mac and Cheese Ever — Comfort Food Feast | ShoutYourSite says:

    […] The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Cream Cheesy Risotto The Mom 100: One Skillet Carroty Macaroni and Cheese Daisy at Home: Squasheroni and Cheese Creative Culinary: Smoked Gouda with Bacon Macaroni and Cheese The Cultural Dish: New England (Lobster) Mac n’ Cheese The Wimpy Vegetarian: Curried Cauliflower and Greens Mac ’n Cheese Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cauliflower and Veggie “Mac” & Cheese Red or Green: Mac & Cheese with Ham and Jalapenos Swing Eats: Super Creamy Crab Mac-N-Cheese with Scallions (gluten-free) Taste with the Eyes: Korean “Mac and Cheese” with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar Weelicious: Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese […]

  24. […] Taste with the Eyes: Korean “Mac and Cheese” with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar Weelicious: Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese FN Dish: Food Network Chefs’ Takes on the Gooiest Mac and Cheese […]

  25. Curried Cauliflower & Greens Mac and Cheese: #ComfortFoodFeast | The Wimpy Vegetarian says:

    […] Taste with the Eyes: Korean “Mac and Cheese” with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar Weelicious: Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese FN Dish: Food Network Chefs’ Takes on the Gooiest Mac and Cheese […]

  26. […] Taste with the Eyes: Korean “Mac and Cheese” with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar Weelicious: Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese FN Dish: Food Network Chefs’ Takes on the Gooiest Mac and Cheese […]

  27. Hi!
    Silly question: did you add water to cook the pasta?
    I don’t know if I can do it without water in my rice cooker.
    Tks!

  28. Interesting idea. Now I have an old school “National” brand rice cooker from Japan. It’s likely older than I. Would this still work? It has the one switch and that’s it.

  29. I made this stove top because I didn’t have a rice cooker and it came out amazing! Takes a total of 10 minutes start to finish. I stopped buying boxed mac and cheese because this is so easy and tastes great! Thank you for the recipe!

  30. i made this last night and my older son loved it and very specifically requested that when i make mac n cheese again, i do it exactly like this ^^. Thank you Weelicious!

  31. Wow, THANK YOU/ i was just thinking i didn’t want to slow cook a small batch of mac n cheese/ trying it now!

  32. This recipe turned out really great. I used a mix of sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese. Also added sun dried tomatoes. It’s important to watch it in the rice cooker and I don’t keep on warm or the noodles will continue cooking and will become soggy. Kids loved it.

  33. Oh my goodness, thank you! My rice cooker doesn’t have a timer setting. It’s automatic. I guess I’ll have to wing it in the first few times to get the timing right. My six year olds and I will be making this for lunch tomorrow. Seriously, great idea. Thanks very much for posting this!

  34. I do it in my multicooker Redmond 4502 – it is really good. The same recepie is in cooker book of Redmond which is much better.

  35. When you use low fat dairy than what the recipe calls for you will always produce a runny or soupier product than what you’re expecting. That’s why the recipe says WHOLE milk. Dairy products that aren’y ‘whole’ in their content (ie. low fat) will not have the chance to bind with the starches from the pasta and the fats from the cheese. Just use fattier milk next time and you’ll get the result you want. If you use organic or locally sourced whole milk you’ll be getting a healthier meal overall anyway.

  36. Did you use elbows the first time? Maybe it was the bowtie I think bowties have a different texture and they are bigger than elbows i made this tonight with elbows and it came out great my picky 15 month is eating it now! Or maybe you put to much liquid on accident? Do you have a different rice cooker now? times do vary in each cooker hope this helps!

  37. I made this successfully about a year ago, but my then 1-year old did not like cheese (shocking!). Now he’s starting to like it, so I thought I’d try it again. I used large bowtie pasta and 1% milk and it turned out soupy and the cheese was not creamy. What did I do wrong?!

  38. […] always wanted to find a good recipe for homemade Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I made this one and loved it, but it didn’t work well with gluten-free noodles. They turned to mush. […]

  39. I made this last night in my 3 cup Zojirushi (NS-LAC05). Followed the instructions exactly except I used a combination of medium and extra sharp cheddar and guyere cheese. I also used a “quick cooking” setting on the rice cooker. It turned out great! Will be definitely making it again.

  40. I’m sorry for my ignorance, but there is no water in the recipe. How exactly are we cooking the pasta?

  41. […] is nothing outrageous). My usual meal rotation was getting boring too.  I’ve already made Rice Cooker Mac-n-Cheese, Chicken Tacquitos with Avocado Lime Sauce, and Banana Bread Cake.  For the most part they have […]

  42. […] it within the oven, throw it within the rice cooker and do not provide it a second notion. This fast recipe will will let you worry about more pressing food […]

  43. […] putting it in the oven, throw it in the rice cooker and don’t give it a second thought. This quick recipe will help you worry about more pressing food […]

  44. […] putting it in the oven, throw it in the rice cooker and don’t give it a second thought. This quick recipe will help you worry about more pressing food […]

  45. […] putting it in the oven, throw it in the rice cooker and don’t give it a second thought. This quick recipe will help you worry about more pressing food […]

  46. I’m not a Mac and Cheese fan but my daughters and current wife is. (Ex is too). But they love this recipe.

  47. I have the same rice cooker and wanted to know if u use the quick function or which function on the menu to cook this? As they have multiple function to choose from for different rice

    Thank u

  48. Hi Catherine! I love all the food on your blog so I’m actually bringing the recipes to work to cook with my group (we are 17 people). I want to triple the recipe. Can I put it all in one rice cooker or do I need to find additional rice cookers and divide it among three rice cookers? Many thanks.

  49. This is the second time I’ve made this. The first time didn’t come out so good, but this time it did. Yum! I may never make Mac and cheese the old fashioned way! A bit of advice, as mentioned in another post, unplug if rice cooker goes to warm so that you can then place it on cook again. And check often! We don’t like a crusty bottom, so I stirred often. So glad I tried this again!

  50. Outstanding! Terrific call to cook until crust on the bottom. It added a level of complexity that was perfect. I subbed in GF quinoa/corn elbows, and might have cooked step one just a fewer minutes less, but it holds up well. Really a surprisingly easy and delicious dish.

  51. Love this! Quick question: I don’t have a rice cooker but would it work if I used my slow cooker/Crockpot?

  52. Hi, this recipe is really great, I love Western cooking! can I ask, do u melt the cheese or what? Sorry if this question sounds really weird, im not familiar with mac and cheese, but i’d love to try it

  53. i love how easy it was to make homemade mac n cheese. my family and i had it for dinner. i added vegetable broth to the mix. very tasty. my son loved it too. thank you!

  54. I keep my rice cooker on the brown rice setting, but it shouldn’t matter because it doesn’t change the heat. Try adding a small handful of extra cheese just before serving!

  55. Help! What am I doing wrong? Everytime I attempt this recipe, it comes out kind of curdled looking. What setting is your rice cooker on (or does that not matter?) Thanks!

  56. This is the perfect dinner recipe for our babysitter to prepare! Thanks for another wonderful creation!

  57. You could use vegetable or beef broth instead! You can use water if you prefer, but then it won’t be quite as flavorful.

  58. […] Receita de Macarrão com Queijo Veja a receita aqui […]

  59. I know this is an old thread but I saw you on the Chew yesterday making the ‘green’ Mac and Cheese. Could I purée the spinach with the milk and add that to this rice cooker recipe?
    Thanks for all the great tips and ideas.

  60. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! I doubled the recipe. Used the white rice/regular/sushi setting and checked on it every 5 minutes or so. Overall it did take me longer than the recipe. I let almost all the broth be absorbed by the rotini before adding milk/cheese. My cheese combo was half sharp cheddar and half quesodilla, and I added a bag of frozen mixed veggies and leftover slow-cooker BBQ chicken towards the end. Thanks so much!

  61. […] to make in the Rice Ninja too. Zojirushi has a recipe for a whole wheat cake, Weelicious takes on macaroni and cheese, and Bits of Tastes makes chicken with ginger and Chinese five spice. People are more than a little […]

  62. This was delicious! I added diced butternut squash at the start of step #2 and it cooked nicely. I wish I had stirred throughout as it got a little browned after 20 minutes.

    Use a separate timer if you have a 1 button cooker. Also, I let it cook on “warm” after adding the milk. Yum!

  63. Wow — Delicious! I was skeptical about this recipe but it seemed so easy that I just had to try it. And, it was AMAZING! I added cauliflower and it added a sweetness that was especially nice with the dish. I will definitely make this again. My 2 1/2 yr old son who is generally a very picky eater ate it all up vigorously!

    I also have a 1-button rice cooker — I had no issues. My only modification to the recipe is that I stirred the ingredients several times during cooking.

  64. I made this from the new book Weelicious and it came out very soupy. Also, the cheese/milk curdled but I have a cheap rice cooker with one button that switches to warm when the weight of the pot gets light enough that it knows the water has absorbed/evaporated as steam. I tested it with 2 cups of rice and it boiled for 35 minutes! So I boiled the cheese. Not sure if I should just switch it to warm after the initial 15 minutes and add the cheese/milk to keep it from boiling. Not sure when I’d add the veggies, though. At the beginning? Maybe frozen veggies would help, but then I am not sure if the pasta would cook long enough. Also, what if I want to use the little noodles that only take 7 minutes to cook (and warn you not to overcook) vs. the 11 needed for regular pasta? Is there a modified version of the recipe for that?

  65. […] first is the Weelicious recipe for rice cooker mac and cheese. Yeah, I know, mac and cheese — not the healthiest thing in the world. But it is healthier […]

  66. Very simple yet yummy recipe. Hmmm! sounds good that my friendly rice cooker made this one.

  67. Thanks you for such a simple recipe. I have a 1 button rice maker – I’ll be sure to read the comments & learn from their experiences.

    I’m thinking mac ‘n’ cheese for dinner tonight sounds awesome!

  68. I haven’t tried that, but good idea!

    It really depends on each baby. Some babies can gum soft foods and love doing that, others just want purees until they have several teeth. Talk to your pediatrician and try out a few soft foods to see what your daughter thinks of them! 🙂

  69. have you ever tried it with whole milk plain yogurt instead of liquid whole milk? cna’t wait to try this with my 10 month old! she has 2 bottom teeth so I will probably pruree it a bit. when did you stop prureeing your baby’s foods? do you have to wait till all their teeth come out? thanks for a great website:)

  70. Of all the kitchen appliances I have bought (and wasted money on) – the best appliance of all (and the most used) is my rice cooker which only cost me $10! I look forward to trying the mac cheese, thank you

  71. Haloo =)Can I ask if I can’t find Calrose rice or California rice, are there any other type of rice that I can replace it with? Sorry, I’m new in this but I relaly love baking and cooking, but I can’t seem to make things go quite right yet. Haha. Awesome blog! =D

  72. Made this with no alterations and it came out great. I had to adjust the times for my rice cooker settings (just turn on or off) but it worked. thank you! I have never had a meal here I have not liked from this site!

  73. […] made rice cooker mac n cheese last night that I found from Weelicious. Actually, my sister-in-law with a child found this site and sent it to me. We both have rice […]

  74. I’m wondering the same thing! I want to bring this for a pot luck because it’s easy and yummy! My boyfriend and I usually finish the whole thing…

  75. My kids LOVED this! However, my 4 kids gobbled it up and cried for more! Can this recipe be doubled?

  76. Used whole wheat elbow noodles and peas and it worked perfectly. Thanks again for another delicious and ridiculously easy recipe.

  77. I am going to make this tonight! I have the same rice cooker and a crew of kids over…now I can keep writing! 🙂

  78. I love the idea of this…we love mac and cheese and never eat it out of a box. I had to fight with my rice cooker…it only has to settings- cook and warm and kept turning off. I just kept unplugging it for a minute and turning it back on. I used whole grain pasta which next time I’ll use regular because it turned out a little soft. It was also a bit salty…but overall turned out good. I’ll def keep trying!!

  79. Wondering if you ever did try freezing this recipe? Was thinking of doubling and freezing tonight! Thanks for your reply!

  80. Do you think this will freeze well? Things get hectic sometimes and it’s niceto make a batch to freeze and pop in the microwave for a quick meal.

  81. Can’t wait to try this. My son loves mac n cheese but will only eat the Kraft one. Hoping he will like this one. I also have the same rice cooker. It’s great. We just set the timer on it first thing in the morning and have rice ready by dinner time.

  82. So,I tried this for lunch today. I have an Aroma 8-cup Rice cooker, with settings for steam, white rice, and brown rice. I used the white rice setting, which worked perfectly with the timing in your recipe. I used regular chicken broth (because I didn’t have low-sodium) and eliminated the salt.
    I used whole milk and a colby-jack cheese mix.

    It turned out pretty good, but the cheese was a little clumpy for my taste.

    I think next time I’ll add in a soft cheese with some cheddar (like maybe some Havarti).

    But, overall, we liked it and will definitely try this again! Thanks for posting this recipe. I love finding new uses for my rice cooker!

  83. I only have a small very cheap rice cooker. It’s great for rice and quinoa. I wonder if it will work for this recipe. I think I’ll try it soon.

  84. Any way you can adapt this if you don’t have a rice cooker? I have a slow cooker or just a pot on the stove.

  85. This was really good! I used whole wheat macaroni and added in frozen chopped broccoli. I used the white rice setting on my rice cooker and it was perfect. Yummy! My 19-month- old daughter loved it, as did I. This is my new favorite way of making mac and cheese. Thank you for all of the great recipes!

  86. […] would say the favorites would be Miso Salmon, Rice Pilaf, Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese (always a crowd favorite), Oatmeal in a Crock Pot, Baked Ziti and PB&J Breakfast Cupcakes. […]

  87. You deserve an award for this, amazing. I would never have thought of using the rice cooker for mac&cheese – thanks!

  88. Perhaps those who are saying it’s soupy measured 2 cups of uncooked pasta rather than putting in a 16oz bag?

  89. I used the bionaturae gluten-free pasta with good results (even though my rice cooker caused me some problems). I have found that brand to cook the most like regular pasta.

  90. It would probably similar, I haven’t made this recipe with gluten free pasta so I wouldn’t be so sure. I suggest following the recipe and watching it. If the pasta cooks fast then you might want to add it in later or if the pasta is still not cooked, you might want to add extra time. Let me know what happens! 🙂

  91. Has anyone tried following the recipe using gluten-free pasta? My son has multiple food allergies and we are avoiding wheat, among other foods. I have been using rice pasta which he loves. The tricky thing is rice pasta gets sort of melted if cooked for too long. Do you have suggestion how to adjust the recipe if using gluten-free pasta? Thanks!!

  92. Dumb questions but does chicken stock verses broth make a difference. I just made this for the second time and it was still soupy…..I used broth instead of stock

  93. I love this all but, a lot is missing such as when you do suimbt $1250 in sales in 30 days, your commission check is $287.50 + 1/2 kit $ back $77.50 +$200 Pamp. Chef $’s + over $570 in products=$1,135 now minus that investment -$155=$980 in 1st 30 days- WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE???Is that worth it to you? I say YES, how about you? Debby

  94. I have never posted here before but I wanted to say THANK YOU for all your fantastic simple recipes. I found this site a few months ago and I visit everyday. The rice cooker mac and cheese is one of our favorites!! Thanks again.

  95. Did you stir all your ingredients well? You may have just had to cook it longer since every rice cooker is different. I would cook it longer next time for the cheese the melt.

  96. Just made this and the cheese didn’t melt very well. It’s a very lumpy consistency. I used the store brand colby-jack mix. Also my rice cooker only has a cook mode and a warm mode. What did I do wrong? Use the wrong cheese?

  97. The burned crispy noodles on the bottom are my favorite!! I’m glad you all enjoyed them 🙂

  98. I made this last night for my 13-month-old daughter. I can’t rave about how she loved it because sometimes she’s really hungry and sometimes not, but we both tried some and thought it was good! My ricecooker has only one heat setting and had burned noodles to the bottom before the first timer went off. I may have to adjust liquid levels for next time (or get a new rice cooker!).
    Thanks for the idea!

  99. Yum! Just found weelicious yesterday and tried this recipe today. Super easy and everyone of course loved it! Mine didn’t come out like the picture though, slightly soupy. I used skim milk and wheel pasta, maybe this is why? My rice cooker only has a “cook” setting, so maybe this contribuited too. I will definitely make again and am thinking that next time I’ll use regular macaroni and see how it turns out. The apple banana muffins are next on my to try list!

  100. Yes. Your prize is: the people’s ovioatn and fame forever , which is the prize from the original Japanese version of Iron Chef. Since they aren’t using it anymore, I’m stealing it and giving it to you.

  101. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe…we have a Sanyo Rice Cooker (3.5 C) that we purchased after living in Japan for 2 years. Great to know I can cook more than rice & oatmeal! Ours does not have a ‘time cook’ setting, so we used the “white rice” setting with superb results. Also – our son is allergic to dairy, so we had lots of luck substituting soy milk for regular milk, as well as using soy cheese shreds. Who knew it would be so easy & tasty!! FYI – we halve the recipe for 2-3 toddler servings. Now, we make 1 batch for the toddler…and 1 all-dairy batch for the parents. Delicious!

  102. I too put it on the brown rice setting, it could have been the 2% milk that did it since it does not have enough fat in it. Try using whole milk next time and let me know!

  103. I have tried at least a dozen of your recipes–all hits (thank you thank you!). Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me last night. I have your rice cooker, but we put it on the brown rice setting and only had 2% milk on hand. Would that explain the soupy mess that came out? (We kept cooking and cooking, but no luck.) Any tips appreciated!

  104. No it is not supposed to cover the noodles. We tested this recipe many times and the measurements are correct. As you cook the noodles, it will par-cook in the first step and in the second step when you add the rest of the liquid, it will fully cook. How was the outcome though??

  105. Is the water/stock supposed to cover the noodles. When I used 1 1/2 cup not all of the noodles were covered. I added more but not all of the liquid was absorbed. I had to drain it before step 2.

  106. oh.. and mine doesn’t let me choose time. i had to set the rice cooker at 60 min which is why i think it was still cold. it worked fine doing steam first and that i could set for 20.

  107. yum! i added frozen butternut squash in step two. i used whole wheat mini shells and 1 1/2% milk.

    my rice cooker is an all in one slow cooker/rice cooker/steamer from crate and barrel. i never used the rice cooker part anymore.. just the slow cooker. so after 15 min of cooking this the pasta absorbed a lot of the broth (water and a boullion cube) but was ice cold. so i switched it to steam (taking the risk i’d be dumping a soggy mess). steamed for 20 min and it was awesome. stirred it. (knowing i was messing with a crust, but didn’t think i’d have one with steam) then switched back to rice cook. it was AWESOME.

  108. Hi Diana, I’m not sure you can cook slow cooker recipes with a rice cooker since the slow cooker uses the high, low, and warm settings and most rice cookers are just made to make rice at their own specific setting. Is there anywhere on the box or directions that tells you what else you can make in this rice cooker besides rice? I’m very interested in finding out because if so, you can make so many other meals in a rice cooker!

  109. I just got the Sanyo Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker & Versatile Cooker (10 Cup) and wanting to use it to cook slow cooker recipes. The Sanyo’s settings are: White Rice, Brown Rice, Quick Cooking, Sushi, Porridge & Soup, Steaming, Cake, Reheating, and Warm. Does anyone know the setting conversion when a slow cooker recipe calls for High, Low and Warm? I’m guessing White Rice for High, Porridge & Soup or Cake for Low, and Warm for Warm, but I’m not sure. I called Sanyo, but they don’t have a clue.
    BTW, the rice cooker made perfect brown rice!

  110. What cook setting do you put your rice cooker on for this recipe? I have the same Zojirushi machine.

  111. I do this in the crock pot regularly – just put everything in all at once, stir well, and turn on low for 2-4 hours (depending on the size and heat of your crock pot). If you like a little crunch on it, turn it to high for about 15 minutes at the end, and you’ll get it.

  112. I’m sure you can, but the cooking time would be much longer, probably around 2-3 hours. I think you would have to cook the pasta separately in a pot and then add it to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients if you want to get it done faster.

  113. Can I make this using a slow cooker instead of a rice cooker? Don’t have a rice cooker…what are your thoughts? Would the crock pot change timing? I’ve never used my crock pot before, hence the questions. Thanks!

  114. The puree would be really thick, I would keep the recipe as is and add 1/2 cup puree in with the cheese and milk, If you see that it is ok, continue to add the other half. Let me know how it goes!

  115. This is amazing! I can’t wait to try this tonight. I’m going to add some broccoli puree. I wonder how much I can add without changing the consistency too much. Maybe 1 cup milk and 1 cup puree?

  116. Thank you for this recipe! I’d love to see more similar recipes. I love cooking in my rice cooker/multi-cooker. Thanks again!

  117. What a great use of a rice cooker – and an enticing way to make mac & cheese – I admit, I love to make it but sometimes it just takes too long!

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