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My kids used to go through mac & cheese like you wouldn’t believe, so this Mac & Cheese Meal in a Jar has been very handy to have on hand! \u00a0And who doesn’t want a few “comfort” food items in their storage, either for use in an emergency or for a quick-to-fix dinner on busy nights, right?<\/p>\n
The recipe is adapted from one that I got from Crystal at Store This, Not That!<\/a> (previously Everyday Food Storage).\u00a0 I modified it to fit the jar better and tweaked the taste and directions a bit to fit my personal preferences.<\/p>\n But basically, it is pretty much the same as the stuff you get in the blue box at the store.\u00a0 Except this one goes one step further and includes the milk and butter in powder format, so that all you need to do is add water!\u00a0 The meal in a jar is shelf-stable for 5-10 years (as long as you store it properly and check the seal), and it also makes a terrific kid-friendly neighbor gift for the holidays.<\/p>\n If you’d like to give this meal in a jar as a gift, be sure to grab the gift tag cut files from my friend Amy at The Happy Scraps<\/a> – she did such an amazing job designing the labels and gift tags for this project!<\/p>\n As long as they are stored properly and the seals stay holding, these jars are shelf-stable for up to 10 years!\u00a0 I’m hoping they won’t need to last that long because they’ll be irresistible and you’ll want to eat them long before that.\u00a0 But if not, and you do choose to leave them all lonely and unloved on the shelf, at least know that they’ve got your back for several years.<\/p>\n Yes, however cooking time will change (just cook to the al dente stage) and the sauce to pasta ratio may be off a bit.\u00a0 But you can certainly substitute shells, mini shells, ditalli, pinwheels, bow tie, etc. in place of the elbow macaroni!\u00a0 You may need to adjust the amount of pasta you put in the jar – just make sure you leave room for the baggie of powdered items on top!<\/p>\n Stovetop Instructions:<\/strong> To make the meal, remove the ring and gently pry off the sealed lid.\u00a0 Remove baggie and set aside.\u00a0 Bring large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat, and once boiling, add in dry pasta and cook to the al dente stage (about 7-8 minutes for elbow macaroni).\u00a0 Drain pasta, then place back in cooking pot or large bowl.\u00a0 In separate bowl, add contents of plastic bag from jar and 1 1\/2 cups of water.\u00a0 Whisk until smooth (mixture will thicken).\u00a0 The mixture may have a few small lumps or appear a bit grainy (this will work itself out once you add it to the hot pasta).\u00a0 Pour cheese mixture over pasta and stir to combine.<\/p>\n You can do it “blue box style” and just dump the water and powdered ingredients into the cooking pot with the drained pasta, then stir, but I found that it sometimes clumped and I couldn’t get all the clumps stirred out.\u00a0 So I prefer to mix the cheese sauce separately then<\/em> add it to the pasta.\u00a0 But you don’t have to.<\/p>\n Instant Pot \/ Pressure Cooker Instructions:<\/strong> Place dry pasta into the inner pot of your pressure cooker, cover pasta with water until water level is about 2 inches above top of pasta.\u00a0 Place lid on pressure cooker, seal vent, and set to cook on HIGH pressure for 3 minutes.\u00a0 When cook time is over, carefully quick release pressure.\u00a0 Drain pasta and then return it to the inner pot of the pressure cooker.\u00a0 Whisk contents of baggie with 1 1\/2 cups of water in separate bowl until combined and smooth.\u00a0 Pour cheese sauce over hot pasta and stir.<\/p>\n Looking for other meal in a jar options?\u00a0 Check out these other delicious recipes on the blog!!<\/p>\n![\"Mac](\"https:\/\/www.makeaheadmealmom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MacAndCheeseMealInAJar_Final_compressed.jpg\")
<\/p>\nItems You Will Need:<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nHow to Make Mac & Cheese Meal in a Jar<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nQuestions and Substitutions<\/h2>\n
How long are these Mac & Cheese Meal in a Jar meals good for?<\/h3>\n
Can I substitute a different kind of pasta?<\/h3>\n
How do I make the Mac & Cheese Meal in a Jar to eat?<\/h3>\n
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