Home Alone Dinner-–an easy Instant Pot recipe for a single serving of the most amazing homemade macaroni and cheese. Perfect if you’re home alone!
Home Alone Dinner
You know the part in Home Alone when Kevin makes himself macaroni and cheese and is just about to take a bite when the clock strikes 9?
Unfortunately, we never get to see him take a bite of his “highly nutritious microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner” because he has to beat up on the bad guys.
And although his plate of mac and cheese does look rather tempting I don’t think it could taste any better than my homemade version! This mac and cheese is perfectly seasoned and makes just enough for 1-2 people. It’s perfect for a main dish or a side dish. It comes together so easily that even an 8-year-old could make it all by themselves.
Enjoy watching Home Alone (a must!) and eating this homemade macaroni and cheese from your Instant Pot this Christmas season.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Water
- Better than Bouillon Chicken Base–or vegetable base
- Elbow macaroni–or rotini or penne
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder–or granualted garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Butter
- Sharp cheddar cheese
Steps
Add water, bouillon, macaroni, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and mustard into Instant Pot.
Cover and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir in the cheese until melted.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve as a side dish or the main dish. You can have a side of chicken with it or some vegetables like roasted or steamed broccoli to add in some nutrition.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3.
- This recipe is makes a small amount (about 1-2 servings). You can easily double the recipe by doubling the ingredients and keeping the cooking time the same.
- I like to shred my cheese off the block because it melts so much more nicely than when it is pre-shredded.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with smoked paprika are Karen’s Campfire Potatoes and Energizer Soup.
More Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipes…
Instant Pot Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese
A copy cat version of Chick-fil-A mac and cheese. It’s a classic macaroni and cheese recipe with 3 types of cheeses made easy with your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot White Cheddar Macaroni
Creamy white cheddar macaroni and cheese made fast and easy in your Instant Pot! No need to worry about a pot of water boiling over. Easy peasy.
Cheeseburger in Paradise
Instant Pot cheeseburger pasta with big mac sauce, cheese, tomatoes and, of course, diced dill pickles! Warning: this stuff is addicting!
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Home Alone Dinner
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 1.5 1x
Description
An easy Instant Pot recipe for a single serving of the most amazing homemade macaroni and cheese. Perfect if you’re home alone!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 4 ounces uncooked macaroni
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add water, bouillon, macaroni, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and mustard into Instant Pot.
- Cover and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This recipe makes about 1 ½ servings.
If you want your macaroni extra cheesy add in extra cheese as per your preference.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Is it ok to replace the cheddar for mozzarella cheese? Just trying to use what I already have:)
you can for sure try it…it won’t have as much flavor but should be fine