Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

I've made a crock pot mac and cheese before and it was decent but my friend at work brought this one and it's YUMMY.  Did I mention that I don't like Mac and Cheese?  Yep, not my favorite but always trying to find a good side for the kids.  And yes, I realize that it doesn't meet my 8 hour cooking time rule I try to live by but sometimes you just have to break the rules.  Cooking time actually worked really well with a family get together, I just started it first.

Here's what you'll need...

Ingredients

• 2 cups Pasta ~ I used Elbow
• 1 cup milk ~ I used skim
• 1/2 cup sour cream ~ I used light
• 2 1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice) ~ I half mild cheddar/half Colby Jack
• 4 T butter
• 1 10 3/4 oz can cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1/2 t dry mustard
• optional 1/4 t Cayenne pepper ~ I like the heat this brings but left it out since little kids were involved.

Instructions

1) Start with a pan of hot water over high heat. Once the water is boiling add 2 cups (about 8 oz) and cook for about 2/3 of the minimum time. Mine said 9 minutes so I cooked for 6 minutes.  You want the pasta to have a little "chew" to it because the crock pot will continue to cook the pasta.2) Combine in a medium crock pot: 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 1/2 cups cheese, 4 T butter cut into several pieces, 1/2 t salt, pepper and dry mustard and one can (10 3/4 oz) cheddar cheese soup. Option of 1/4 t Cayenne pepper.3) Drain the pasta well and combine in the slow cooker. Mix well. Turn on low.4) Stir the pot about 20 minutes into cooking when the butter is melted. Mix very well. Stir again several more times. Just a light stir is good.5) It's done when you are getting some browned cheese on the side of the pot and some light browning of some of the pasta on the edge. About 2 hours.
I doubled it for our family function and it was very well received.