Hellobee Boards

@Foodnerd81: can you just prep the components in advance and combine them last minute? Like boil the pasta and toss it in oil and keep it in the fridge, mix up the milk and powder in a jar, and then just mix everything together in a big pot with butter right before it's time to eat? You can keep it warm in the crockpot and occasionally splash a little extra milk in if you think it's getting dry.

For Annie's specifically, I would slightly undercook the pasta. Then I would drain it well and add to it back to the pot with milk, cream cheese and the powder, stir to combine. The cream cheese binds it a little bit better so that when you let it sit, it doesn't separate. I make this for my son's lunch on a regular basis and it's the only way that it doesn't end up as mush if you're not eating it right away.

Then I'd put it in a crockpot on the warm setting.

Do you have an instant pot? We have a mac n cheese recipe that you could make ahead, stick in fridge, then cook in instant pot during the party (all you would have to do is turn it on and it cooks for you). Super gooey and delicious.

@Foodnerd81: I never have, but anytime I am reheating pasta (like baked ziti), I always undercook the pasta.

I would additionally spray the crockpot with nonstick cooking spray, forgot to mention that before.

@LulaBee: id love the recipe if you don't mind sharing. I'm making shells & cheese for my daughters little mermaid birthday party. The only time I made mac n cheese in our ip it was a bust.