• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Display Search Bar
Follow me on Facebook!Follow me on Twitter!Follow me on Pinterest!Follow me on Instagram!Follow me on Google Plus!Follow me on BlogLovin!
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Me

Bitz & Giggles

Delicious bitz & tips for a happy life.

  • Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Ninja Foodi
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Salads
    • Main Courses
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
  • DIY & Cleaning
    • Cleaning Tips
    • Beauty & Health Tips
    • Family Fun
    • Printables
    • Pets
  • Holidays
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Teacher Week
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Travel
    • Vacation Tips
  • Resources
    • Blogging Tips
    • Time Management
  • Shop

Ninja Foodi Mac and Cheese

March 13, 2020

1264shares


Ninja Foodi Mac and Cheese – Classic Homemade Mac and Cheese made with pasta, a creamy cheese sauce and cheesy bread crumb topping, all baked to perfection in the Ninja Foodi.

This post may include affiliate links. Please see my disclosure.

What’s up with this weather lately? Last weekend it was feeling like spring, this week it cooled down again and we got more snow and rain and this weekend it’s supposed to be in the low 30s and cloudy. Boooo!

So, what do you do when it’s still not quite spring but you can tell it’s just around the corner? Make A LOT of comfort food! I mean, we have to fit in as much as we can before this snow is gone completely, am I right?

Today, we’re making homemade mac and cheese in the Ninja Foodi! If you’ve never heard of the Ninja Foodi, it’s a slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, air fryer, dehydrator (some models) and can bake, roast and broil too. All. In. One. 

The Instant Pot just came out with their Duo Crisp which is now a competitor to the Foodi, but in my opinion, the Foodi still comes out ahead.😉

Alright, let’s make some mac & cheese!

HOW TO MAKE NINJA FOODI MAC AND CHEESE

To make this mac & cheese, you’ll need:

  • Elbow pasta
  • Evaporated milk
  • Salt & pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Water
  • Butter
  • Velveeta cheese
  • Heavy cream
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Breadcrumbs

Start by adding the pasta to the cooking pot.

Pasta in Ninja Foodi cooking pot

Pour in the evaporated milk.

pouring evaporated milk onto noodles in cooking pot

Add in seasonings.

seasoning and pasta in Ninja Foodi cooking pot

And then the water and stir until mixed well.

pouring water into mac and cheese mixture in Ninja Foodi cooking pot

Set the Foodi to LOW PRESSURE for 2 minutes. NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes and then QUICK RELEASE.

Here’s what your pasta should look like after cooking.

Cooked pasta in Ninja Foodi pot

Add the butter, Velveeta, heavy cream and shredded cheese to the warm pasta.

Ingredients for mac and cheese inside Ninja Foodi cooking pot

Stir until everything is melted and mixed well.

Mac and cheese in Ninja Foodi cooking pot

In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, bread crumbs and shredded cheese.

pouring butter into bowl of cheese and breadcrumbs

Spread the mixture over the top of the cheesy noodles.

cheesy breadcrumb mixture on top of mac and cheese in Ninja Foodi

Now AIR CRISP it at 375º Fahrenheit for 5-7 minutes or until the breadcrumbs begin to brown.

Cheesy crust on top of mac and cheese in Ninja Foodi

Ready to dig in?

Scooping out mac and cheese from the Ninja Foodi

WHAT OTHER CHEESES CAN BE USED IN MAC & CHEESE?

I used cheddar cheese for this recipe. If you like a bit more cheesy flavor, try a medium or sharp cheddar.

Any cheese that melts well is worth a shot! You could try mozzarella, parmesan, white cheddar, gruyere, muenster, fontina, gorgonzola or gouda. 

Spoonful of mac and cheese from the Ninja Foodi

CAN YOU FREEZE MAC & CHEESE?

Yes, you can! I just wouldn’t add the breadcrumb mixture if the mac and cheese is going straight to the freezer.

Allow the mac and cheese to cool completely, then transfer to a tightly-sealed, freezer safe container. Your mac and cheese should keep well for up to 3 months in the freezer.

bowl of macaroni and cheese garnished with parsley

HOW DO YOU REHEAT FROZEN MAC & CHEESE IN THE FOODI?

I normally allow the frozen mac and cheese to thaw first. Transfer the mac and cheese to the Foodi cooking pot, pour a 1/4 cup of milk over the mac and cheese, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and ROAST/BAKE at 350º Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Stir halfway through cook time.

bowl of macaroni and cheese with spoon

WHAT ELSE COULD I ADD TO THE MAC & CHEESE?

If you want more texture, or to add a little protein to your mac and cheese, try throwing in some chicken, ham, bacon or even broccoli!

When you are saving macaroni and cheese to have leftovers, the starches in the macaroni noodles will suck up some of the moisture in the dish. The longer your macaroni and cheese sits, the dryer it will become!

close up of macaroni and cheese

HOW DO I REHEAT LEFTOVER MAC & CHEESE?

The longer you allow your macaroni and cheese to sit in the fridge, the drier it will become. Unfortunately reheated mac and cheese will never taste as good as it does when just freshly made.

While, I love to use my Foodi for most things, when you’re reheating leftover mac and cheese, I recommend just using the microwave.

Add about two tablespoons of milk per cup of mac and cheese you’re heating up and heat in 30-second intervals, stopping and stirring occasionally.

LOOKING FOR MORE NINJA FOODI & AIR FRYER RECIPES?

  • Ninja Foodi Roast Chicken
  • Ninja Foodi Lobster Tails
  • Pot Roast (Air Fryer)
  • Air Fryer Oreos
  • Air Fryer French Fries

Join Our FB Group for Ninja Foodi Fans!

And remember, if YOU are a Ninja Foodi owner, join me over in the new Facebook group! I’d love to have you!

Ninja Foodi Mac and Cheese

bowl of macaroni and cheese with spoon
Print

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

Classic, homemade mac and cheese made with pasta, a creamy cheese sauce and cheesy bread crumb topping, all baked to perfection in the Ninja Foodi.

  • Author: Sara

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces elbow pasta, uncooked
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 cup butter, divided
  • 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 pint heavy cream
  • 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions

  1. Place pasta, evaporated milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and water into cooking pot. Stir until mixed well.
  2. Select LOW PRESSURE for 2 minutes. NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes, then QUICK RELEASE.
  3. Remove pressure cooking lid.
  4. Add 1/4 cup butter, Velveeta, heavy cream, and 2 cups shredded cheese to pasta.
  5. Stir until everything is melted and mixed well.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup melted butter, bread crumbs and 1 cup shredded cheese.
  7. Spread mixture over top of cheesy pasta.
  8. AIR CRISP at 375º Fahrenheit for 5-7 minutes or until bread crumbs begin to brown.

(Visited 20,268 times, 1 visits today)

Related

Share this Post

Posted in: Ninja Foodi, Recipes

Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Jon says

    May 30, 2020 at 4:40 pm

    I was hesitant to try this recipe because it had no reviews, but I am happy to be the first to give it 5 stars! Great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara says

      May 30, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of my newer recipes so I thank YOU for leaving the first review!

      Reply
  2. Sammy says

    September 4, 2020 at 4:47 am

    Oh wow this is amazing! I love my Ninja Foodi and I am always looking for new recipes, do you have a place where I can find all of your recipes?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara says

      September 6, 2020 at 5:12 pm

      Hi Sammy! Under the recipes tab there is a tab for Ninja Foodi recipes. You can also check out my air fryer recipes. Those will work in your Foodi as well!

      Reply
    • Debra Stansfield says

      September 18, 2020 at 5:15 pm

      Did not work for me AT ALL. EPIC FAIL. It was SO watery. I took PC lid off and it was practically all liquid! And, when I added the Velveeta nd other ingredients, the Velveeta wouldn’t melt all the way.

      Followed recipe precisely.

      Reply
  3. Talei says

    September 13, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    I just made this last night, it was so yummy! Thank you! 😊

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara says

      September 14, 2020 at 8:29 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. Samantha says

    October 5, 2020 at 2:40 pm

    I made this for a family party over the summer and got SO MANY compliments on it. My dad said it tasted better than a restaurant, and my mother in law has been begging me to make it again. This will definitely be a go to recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 5, 2020 at 10:30 pm

      I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  5. Jane Rautmann says

    December 10, 2020 at 2:35 pm

    I see in the ingredients list it says 4cups water. I never see what you do with the water
    in the recipe. that might be why the others have said it was epic fail or very watery

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 10, 2020 at 10:05 pm

      Hi Jane, check out the recipe card. The water is added in the first step of the instructions!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Sara!

I’m a Mid-Western girl with a Type A personality who lives to entertain. I believe it’s the special touches that make all the difference when it comes to family, home and a happy life. Read more

Subscribe by Email

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

to stay in the loop on new posts!

Recipes
DIY & Cleaning
Travel
Business Tips
All

Reader Faves

  • Easy Vanilla Mug Cake
  • Easy Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
  • Air Fryer Roast Chicken
  • Air Fryer Parmesan Shrimp

Footer

Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No posts found.

Make sure this account has posts available on instagram.com.

subscribe by email

to stay in the loop on new posts!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.
Recipes
DIY & Cleaning
Travel
Business Tips
All
Follow me on Facebook!Follow me on Twitter!Follow me on Pinterest!Follow me on Instagram!Follow me on Google Plus!Follow me on BlogLovin!
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Me

© 2021 Bitz and GigglesPrivacy Policy
Website Design by Melissa Rose Design
·
Development by Once Coupled