Hamburger mac and cheese made in the slow cooker is a hands-off weeknight dinner that feeds four people generously — nearly 1,500 calories a serving, so it goes a long way. The real differentiator here is caramel coffee creamer in the cheese sauce, which adds a faint sweetness that balances the sharpness of the cheddar without tasting like dessert. If you want something you can set up before work and come home to, this is a solid option.
Before you start
The two things that actually matter here are pre-cooking the beef and pre-cooking the pasta before anything goes into the slow cooker. Ground beef must reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) — brown it fully in a skillet and drain the fat well, because excess grease will make the finished sauce oily and thin. The pasta should be cooked just short of al dente and drained thoroughly; it will continue to absorb liquid over four hours, and if it goes in already soft it will turn to mush by the time the bread crumbs are done.
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the mid-cook stirs: The cheese and milk mixture will separate and scorch on the edges if you leave it untouched. Stir at the two-hour and three-hour marks as the recipe directs — this is not optional.
- Adding all the cheese at once: Dumping the full amount of cheddar and mozzarella in at the start causes the sauce to break and go grainy. Stagger the additions across the cook time so the cheese melts gradually into the liquid.
- Using full-fat milk instead of evaporated milk: Evaporated milk is more stable under long, low heat than regular whole milk. Substituting it with fresh whole milk increases the chance of curdling over a four-hour cook.
- Putting the bread crumbs on too early: They go on in the final hour only. Add them any sooner and they absorb moisture and disappear into the sauce rather than forming a light crust on top.
- Using a slow cooker liner: The original recipe notes that liners cause sticking at the edges — skip the liner and lightly coat the insert with cooking spray instead for easier cleanup without the sticking problem.
Leftovers and meal prep
This recipe stores well, which makes it worth cooking in full even for a smaller household. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within two hours of cooking and use within four days. To reheat, add a splash of milk — about two tablespoons per serving — before microwaving on medium power in 90-second intervals, stirring between each, until it reaches 165°F throughout; reheating on high without added liquid will dry the sauce out and make the pasta tough. For freezing, portion into individual containers and freeze for up to two months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating the same way. The bread crumb topping softens after freezing, so if texture matters to you, add a fresh sprinkle of bread crumbs after reheating and run it under the broiler for two minutes.
Delicious Hamburger Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef cooked
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ½ pound elbow macaroni cooked and drained
- 4 ⅛ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 oz Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 ¼ cup skim milk
- ¼ cup caramel coffee creamer my personal special ingredient
- 2 medium eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chive and onion cream cheese
- ½ cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- Combine spices, garlic, skim milk, creamer, ketchup, and eggs.
- Mix the cheese together in a separate dish.
- Add sour cream to the above mixture and use a spoon to separate it some.
- Combine ground beef and elbow macaroni in a slow cooker.
- Combine the milk mixture and canned milk with the beef mixture.
- Add 2 handfuls of cheese (approximately 2 cups) to the slow cooker and stir.
- Sprinkle a tad bit of cheese on top of the mixture.
- Two hours into cooking (on low), stir the mixture. Then add 1-2 cups more cheese, mix again, and sprinkle a tad more on top.
- Another hour into it, stir again. Then add most of the remaining cheese and stir one last time. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Finally, top with a fine layer of bread crumbs and cook for one more hour.
Notes
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I use a different pasta shape if I don’t have elbow macaroni?
Yes — any short pasta with a similar size and wall thickness works fine. Shells, ditalini, or small penne all hold up well over a long slow cook; just avoid anything very thin like orzo, which will overcook and dissolve into the sauce.
Can I reduce the sweetness if I’m not into the caramel flavor?
Cut the caramel creamer to two tablespoons and increase the skim milk by two tablespoons to keep the liquid ratio the same. The original recipe was tested at both ¼ cup and ½ cup creamer — the smaller amount is noticeably less sweet while still keeping the sauce from tasting flat.
Is it safe to put the raw ground beef directly into the slow cooker instead of browning it first?
No — brown the beef in a skillet to 160°F (71°C) before it goes in, as the recipe specifies. Slow cookers do eventually bring food to a safe temperature, but starting with raw ground beef in a cold insert extends the time the meat spends in the bacterial danger zone and also leaves you with no way to drain the excess fat.
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