It is best not to use long pasta like spaghetti and fettuccine as they won’t immerse the sauce. The pasta should ideally have deep grooves and ridges, which would help them to hold as much cheese sauce it can. In this recipe, you can use any pasta with a texture like shells, cavatappi, penne, fusilli, or rotini pasta. Pasta - Elbow macaroni is the traditional and most common choice of pasta for this dish, but feel free to try your favorite varieties. Or you can add bell peppers, roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, carrots, or zucchini. Sauce has thickened - You can spoon in a bit of milk and stir until the mixture has loosened up.Īdd more veggies - To improve the flavors and nutrition content, you can add other vegetables like sautéed broccoli and kale. You need to sauté and stir for a few more minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. This will allow the cheese to blend nicely with the pasta. QPR - Make sure to do the quick-release after the pressure cooking cycle is done.Ĭream - Add cream and cheese after the Instant Pot cooking is over.Īvoid lumpy mess - Add a little cheese at a time and mix. The pasta should be submerged underwater in the instant pot while cooking, Smoked Provolone Blend - With its somewhat smoky and earthy flavor, the provolone blends perfectly with the tangier flavor of cheddar cheese.Ĭheese - Use cheese that will melt well, and nothing beats sharp cheddar and mozzarella as they have an excellent melting capacity and lend a smooth texture to Mac & cheese.īroth - Out of broth, no worries.Sharp Cheddar - The cheese perfectly melts into a smooth, creamy sauce and lends an intense, pungent, slightly earthy flavor, elevating the dish superbly.Mozzarella Cheese - With its supple, delicate, and slightly sour taste, mozzarella cheese amps up the flavor and texture of this mac and cheese recipe.The macaroni and spinach recipe can be made gluten-free, provided you choose gluten-free pasta such as pasta made from lentils or corn.ģ-cheese Blend - I have used a blend of – Pasta - As the name suggests, I have used Macaroni for my Instant Pot 3 Cheese Spinach Mac & Cheese. But then it is also possible to use frozen spinach in the fare. Spinach - If possible, always use fresh spinach. Where many mac and cheese dishes only register as ‘cheesy,’ I love that this one has a balance of flavors going on.Ingredient list for Instant Pot 3 Cheese Spinach Mac & Cheeseįollowing are the ingredients used for making this spinach in a mac and cheese meal.
This is a well-balanced mac and cheese – cheesier than it is creamy, but still plenty creamy enough. If you can’t find gruyere, Swiss is a great alternative.
Gruyere brings in some nuttiness that balances well with a sharp cheddar. I’ve always loved the balance of gruyere and cheddar cheese, which is what I’ve used here.
After all, I think we can all agree that mac and cheese doesn’t need to be on a weekly dinner rotation. It takes quite a bit for a really good cheesy sauce, but it’s so worth it. There is a key to making good mac and cheese and that is having the courage to put enough cheese in it. I doubt you could take a bite of the finished product and identify either ingredient, but they do so much for the sauce! The acidity and the subtle hint of spice cut through the richness of the cheese and butter and cream, and they round out all the comforting flavors. Both are subtle, and both serve a similar purpose. No matter what style of macaroni and cheese I’m making (baked, stovetop, or pressure cooker), there are two ingredients I always add – mustard powder and cayenne pepper. A few tablespoons of butter add some richness to the cooking liquid. Instead, the macaroni cooks in water or broth in the Instant Pot and as the starch releases from the noodles, it helps to thicken the sauce. While traditionally the sauce for macaroni and cheese starts with a roux, this one requires no fancy sauce-cooking techniques.