A ridiculously easy, dump-and-go side dish that yields creamy, buttery pasta and sweet green peas. By cooking the dry pasta directly in the slow cooker, you get a naturally rich and glossy sauce with almost zero effort.
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Ingredients
- 12 oz about 3 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 3 cups hot water
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 2 cups frozen sweet green peas
- 1 teaspoon salt optional, to taste
Instructions
- Prep Macaroni: Lightly grease the inside of your slow cooker crock if you like easier cleanup, then pour in the dry elbow macaroni.
- Add Water & Salt: Add the hot water and salt (if using) to the macaroni and stir so all the pasta is moistened and mostly submerged.
- Add Butter: Scatter the chunks of butter evenly over the top of the macaroni so they can melt down into the pasta as it cooks.
- First Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes, then open the lid and give everything a good stir, scraping the bottom to be sure no macaroni is sticking.
- Add Peas: Stir in the frozen sweet peas, making sure they’re tucked down into the hot pasta and buttery liquid so they can heat through evenly.
- Finish Cooking: Cover again and continue cooking on HIGH for another 20–30 minutes, stirring once more halfway through, until the macaroni is tender, the peas are bright green and soft, and the butter has formed a glossy, lightly thickened sauce with the pasta starch.
- Rest & Season: Once everything is tender and coated in the buttery sauce, turn the slow cooker to WARM. Give it a final stir, taste, and adjust salt if needed.
- Serve: Serve the sweet pea macaroni straight from the slow cooker while hot, spooning up plenty of the melted butter sauce with each portion.
Notes
Pro Tip: If your slow cooker runs particularly hot and the pasta seems to be absorbing the liquid too quickly during the first stir, add an extra 1/4 cup of hot water to ensure the noodles cook through perfectly without drying out.