Mac and cheese made three different ways; Instant Pot mac and cheese, stovetop one pot mac and cheese, and baked mac and cheese. It’s all the mac and cheese you could ever hope and dream for!

Whoa carb overload this week! Hopefully we sneak in some greens to balance out all the gnocchi and macaroni. Last week I did a little Instagram story all about these recipes. I asked people to vote on which type of mac and cheese they would like me to cook for them. The choices were Instant Pot, easy one pot stovetop, or baked mac and cheese.

It was a three-way tie. A lot of help you guys are!

While Andy was at school and Jack was napping, I whipped together all three different versions. I did all of them in well under an hour. The part that takes the longest is waiting for noodles to cook.

I did cheat a little bit though. The one pot stovetop version actually became the baked in the oven version. Why dirty another pot? Just kill two birds with one stone, amiright?

First up was the Instant Pot because, well, it only takes 5 minutes of high pressure and a little bit of stirring for that baby to come together. I honestly think that if the Instant Pot had been around back when I met Mike, we wouldn’t be together.

See, the first night Mike and I really noticed we sort of liked each other more than friends, he asked me to make him mac and cheese. Now, we were but simple, poor (and drunk) college students, so I reached into my cabinet and got out the good ol’ Velveeta. It has been true love, pure romance ever since.

But, if I had the Instant Pot, we couldn’t get to know each other as well as we did back then because everything cooks so quickly!

While the Instant Pot came to pressure, I added all the one pot mac ingredients and brought them to a simmer. After about 16 minutes, I added in the cheeses, stirred and one pot magic. Donezo!

Then I dumped a whole bunch of panko breadcrumbs, butter, and cheese on top. Into the oven she went!

I don’t have time for the oven coming to temperature, so I just popped it under the broiler to get that crispy top and edges. The rest is already cooked through and creamy. We don’t want to dry it out by over baking.

And this my friends has been the tale of how I gained 500 lbs. Well, not really, but this has probably been way more than you ever wanted to read about mac and cheese creation.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Yield: 2 1/2 Cups Mac and Cheese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 2 minutes 1 second

Total Time: 12 minutes 1 second

Creamy and easy macaroni and cheese cooks up in the Instant Pot in 5 minutes. Stir in the cheeses and you're good to go!

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup dry macaroni noodles
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 oz cream cheese, room temp
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Add noodles and stock along with salt, pepper, mustard powder, and garlic to the Instant Pot.
2. Secure the lid with the steam vent sealed. Set to "Pressure Cook" with "High Pressure." Use the "-/+" buttons to adjust the time until the display reads 5 minutes.
3. Quick release the pressure when the timer sounds. Remove the lid, add the cream cheese. Mix until melted.
4. Press "Keep Warm" and mix in the grated cheddar. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes until the cheese completely melts. Stir to combine and then serve.

One Pot Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Yield: 3-4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

One pot mac and cheese comes together in 20 minutes with a mix of grated cheddar and monterey jack.

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Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups milk
• 2 cups dry macaroni noodles
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 oz monterey jack cheese, grated
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Add the milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground mustard to a medium oven safe skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. add noodles, reduce to medium/low. Cover with lid. Stir occasionally for 12 minutes to make sure nothing sticks.
2. After 12 minutes or once the noodles are al dente, reduce the heat to low. Remove the lid and add in the cheeses. Mix to combine until all the cheese is melted.
3. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Let cool 3-5 minutes before serving.

Notes

1. For the baked version, reserve 1/4 of the shredded cheese and mix it together with 2 tbsp room temp butter and 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs.
2. After the above step 2, top your mac and cheese with the crumb butter topping. Place the skillet under a high broiler for 5-7 minutes until golden and crispy.
3. Carefully remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before spooning out and serving.