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Busy weeknights are back. And that means I have even less time to make dinner for our family of 5. One of my favorite ways to save time on meals is by using my Instant Pot. And, by far, one of my families favorite weeknight meals is this Instant Pot Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese!
Panera Mac and Cheese is one of my families favorite guilty pleasures. But, guess what? It’s crazy expensive! I mean, for the serving size, it just seems ridiculous to pay $8 or $9 for a large macaroni and cheese when you can make 4-6 servings of the same thing for a fraction of the cost.
What you’ll need
The recipe itself is so crazy easy. And it takes very few ingredients.
- 16 ounces (or one pound) of pasta shells
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons margarine
- 8 ounces White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 6 slices White American Cheese
- 1 cup Milk
- Black Pepper, optional
We use the big pasta shells because my kids know that those are the kind that Panera uses. And sometimes I have to ‘trick’ my kids into eating. And whatever works, right?
The process
If you are new to pressure cooking, this is a great recipe to start your Instant Pot journey off with. Instant Pot meals are oftentimes dump-and-start. This one is dump-and-start until the end. After the noodles are cooked is when you mix in the cheese. And then — bam! — done!
The prep time is listed as 4 minutes, but it truly shouldn’t take you that long. You’ll start by adding the pasta, butter, and salt to your Instant Pot. Add 4 cups of water, and then give a good stir making sure each noodle has been mixed with the water.
Close the lid on the Instant Pot, and turn the valve to sealed. Choose High Pressure and adjust the timer for 4 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for your Instant Pot to come to pressure (hence the ‘extra time’ in the recipe). Once the time is up, manually release by pulling the valve to you and opening it. Be sure to open using a towel, hot pad, or long wooden spoon.
You’ll want to remove some of the water from the pot. No need to make sure all is gone, just a bit. Then just add in the shredded cheese, slices cheese, and milk to the noodles. Mix until fully melted and incorporated. That’s it!
The Recipe
Instant Pot Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta Shells
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons margarine
- 8 ounces White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 6 slices White American Cheese
- 1 cup Milk
- Black Pepper, optional
Instructions
- Add to your Instant Pot pasta, butter, and salt. Add 4 cups of water, and then give a good stir making sure each noodle has been mixed with the water.
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot, and turn the valve to sealed.
- Choose High Pressure for 4 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for your IP to come to pressure.
- Once the time is up, manually release by pulling the valve to you and opening it. Make sure to open using a towel or hot pad.
- Remove some of the water from the pot. No need to make sure all is gone, just a bit.
- Add in the shredded cheese, slices cheese, and milk to the noodles. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Serve in bowls, and enjoy!
PIN FOR LATER
This recipe is really nicely written! I love how you get straight to the point. I will definitely be trying this out sometime soon, I love my instant pot and have been looking for more yummy recipes like this! Thank you for sharing!
I have to try this recipe! It looks really delish!
Wow you made me fall in love with this dish, it will be that I love potatoes it will be that it looks super yummy!
Wow super easy recipe. Looks delicious with cheessy. Yum. I am gonna try this for dinner. Thanks for sharing this delicious yummy recipe.
One of my family’s favorite meals is mac and cheese. I like your recipe and will be trying it out soon. I also crisp up some bacon bits and sprinkle it on top before serving.
I seriously need to buy an instant pot, this looks so yummy
I bet this is delicious. I don’t have an instant pot, no room for another kitchen appliance! Sounds great for a busy family!
I love my Instant Pot so much and this copycat mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food to make it in. Delicious!
I love doing copycat stuff. I just did a copycat zuppa toscana from Olive Garden a couple of days ago.
My friends are always telling me how good the Panera mac&cheese is but I have yet to try it. Maybe I’ll just make this one instead!
haven’t ever tried this ever before but it sounds so delicious and tasty one..glad you shared such amazing recipe with us…great work though…
As a huge fan of mac n cheese, this recipe instantly caught my eye!
I love mac and cheese and this recipe for Panera’s copycat mac and cheese is sure to taste delicous. Will try it soon.
This looks so delicious and it is super easy to make as well. The good news is that the kids will love it too. Lol!! I never thought about making Mac and Cheese using the Instant Pot.
It looks so good and I am sure one could not even see the difference between the two.
I am loving the look of this! Looks absolutely delectable!
This looks so delicious! And so easy to make,yum!
I’m going to have to try this for my kids–Panera Mac and Cheese is one of their favorites! If I can make it at home, I’ll save so much money!
Who doesn’t love mac and cheese?! I adore it. Panera’s is wonderful too. I’ll have to make this soon – it’s perfect for fall!
This sounds delicious. I regularly go to panera to purchase their mac and cheese. You make this recipe sound extremely easy. I will be trying it this upcoming weekend.
This looks great! And so easy to make 🙂 Love recipes with only one pot 🙂
This is really great. My son love Mac and Cheese so this is really good.
This looks so yummy!! I’m not a huge fan of mac and cheese but I woud definitely try these 🙂