Easy Family Dinner
Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Mac & Cheese
I adore throwing a Halloween party every year but so many of the recipes that I find are sweet things. It’s hard to find an easy family dinner idea that I can incorporate into our Halloween party. Then I thought, my instant pot mac and cheese could easily be made into a Halloween treat!
The Mac & Cheese is an easy family dinner that takes 5 hands on minutes and is ready in about 30 minutes!
Check out my Halloween spider cookies for another crowd pleaser!
Halloween dinner for a crowd!
Mac & Cheese is always a family favorite and this recipe can feed a huge and/or hangry family. It’s an easy family dinner for busy parents!
Through a few trials, I’ve came up with what I think is the creamiest cheesiest quick mac and cheese dish. It also feeds a crowd!
How to
- Pour the box of elbow noodles and the chicken broth into the instant pot. The low sodium broth allows you to control the salt content easier.
- Close the lid and set it to sealing.
- Set the instant pot to high pressure and set the time for 3 minutes.
- Once the instant pot is finished, do a quick release and unlock the lid.
- Stir the pasta and add in the butter until melted. I always aim towards adding more butter.
- Add the cheese and 1 cup of milk. Stir to combine. If the cheese is not melting well, add more milk. If your sauce is too thin, turn on the instant pot to sauté for a few minutes – stir often if you turn it to sauté.
- Add the ground mustard and add the salt and pepper to taste. I typically add about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and very little pepper.
The recipe holds up really well in the fridge! I recommend reheating it on the stove with a little butter and milk to get that initial creamy texture! It actually may be better reheated this way than the original…. SO Creamy and delicious!
The recipe costs less than $10 to make and feeds at least 6 people! You can always add some chicken or bacon bits to make it more substantial for an entire dinner. I also like to add some kale. I know it sounds crazy but the kale really adds a delicious nutty flavor with a kick of protein and a veggie!
Ingredients
- 1 16oz box of elbow noodles
- 2 12oz cans of low sodium chicken broth
- 2-4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 3-4 cups of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1-1/2 cups of milk (the higher fat, the creamier)
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Clear plastic cups
Once everything is combined, I added a little extra milk with some orange food dye mixed in to add to the orange jack-o-lantern color! If you find that your mac is too liquidy, simply put the instant pot on sauté for a few minutes and let the milk boil out. I added a little extra salt to taste here too.
Grab your cups and start drawing faces! This is a fun activity for little ones too. These cups from Walmart were perfect and they made it so I could have people take extras home! Then fill and go! I topped with some bacon bits because I love some bacon mac but feel free to omit.
halloween party dish
Easy family dinner in less than 30 minutes!
This recipe produces about 2 pounds of food…It’s a large meal for a family and is so affordable at less than $10. And it’s so creamy and delicious! It’s an easy family dinner! and fun Halloween recipe!
Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Mac & Cheese Cups
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot
- 1 Pack Clear Plastic Disposable Cups
Ingredients
- 1 Box Elbow Noodles
- 2 12oz Cans Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2-4 tbsp Unsalted Butter 4 tbsp recommended
- 1-1.5 Cups Whole Milk
- 1/4 tsp Ground Mustard
- To Taste Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Pour the box of elbow noodles and the chicken broth into the instant pot.
- Close the lid and set it to sealing.
- Set the instant pot to high pressure and set the time for 3 minutes.
- Once the instant pot is finished, do a quick release and unlock the lid.
- Stir the pasta and add in the butter until melted. I always aim towards adding more butter.
- Add the cheese and 1 cup of milk. Stir to combine. If the cheese is not melting well, add more milk. (Tip: For extra orange color, add orange food dye to the milk)
- Add the ground mustard and add the salt and pepper to taste
- Draw fun Jack-O-Lantern faces on the plastic cups and fill with Mac & Cheese!