Corn mac and cheese is a delicious twist to the popular mac and cheese! Macaroni corn cheese casserole is popular in many parts of North America, especially many parts in the United States and this is a simplified, one pot easy corn mac and cheese casserole that you can quickly and more easily make in the instant pot pressure cooker using frozen sweet corn kernels!
I have also made these delicious, easy and creamy instant pot mac and cheese, baked mac and cheese (no boil) without flour, broccoli mac and cheese, pumpkin mac and cheese in instant pot, one pot mac and cheese on stove top, butternut squash baked mac and cheese etc if you like to try different varieties of mac and cheese recipes!
We add sweet corn to make macaroni corn cheese casserole which makes the mac and cheese more delicious, rich, flavorful and naturally more sweeter.
More easy, delicious corn recipes include cream cheese corn casserole, baked mini corn on the cob in foil, instant pot frozen corn on the cob, cornbread without eggs, microwave corn on the cob, buttered corn in instant pot etc!
You can see a lot of easy, simple and delicious corn recipes here!
This is a very delicious side dish or main dish you can serve for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas etc or you can enjoy it as a really quick yet comforting dinner on regular weekdays or weekends.
Corn mac and cheese is a kid friendly dinner as well and you can easily pack this in lunch box too if you like!
If you like mac and cheese and corn dishes, this corn mac and cheese may be included in your weekly meal plans along with vegetable side dishes, eggs or other proteins for a delicious dinner or lunch.
Tips to make creamy macaroni corn cheese casserole
The macaroni corn casserole we make in the instant pot is really creamy in texture.
To ensure you make the best, creamy macaroni corn cheese casserole, make sure to use the best quality cheese, milk, butter, cream and other ingredients.
In this recipe, I used Mexican cheese which is a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese.
You can also just use sharp cheddar cheese alone or any of your favorite cheese for mac and cheese.
Also make sure to use the cream and butter for the best creamy texture!
Can You Make Corn Mac And Cheese Healthy?
Mac and cheese with corn has nutrients from cheese, milk, sweet corn etc though it is also a calorie rich food with high fat content due to the use of cream, butter and cheese.
If you are trying to make mac and cheese more healthier to fit in with your diet, you might want to reduce the amount of cheese or replace the cheese with plant based options and substitute cream, butter, milk etc with dairy free options.
You can also make it more healthier by adding more vegetables like broccoli, carrots etc or proteins like tofu or lean proteins of your choice.
You can read more about making healthier mac and cheese here.
So here is how you can quickly and easily make creamy, delicious corn mac and cheese in your instant pot!
How To Make Corn Mac And Cheese Casserole In Instant Pot?
To make really easy, quick and delicious macaroni corn cheese casserole in the instant pot, we use the following ingredients.
Ingredients
elbow macaroni shells 16 oz
water 4 cups
frozen corn kernels 12 oz (may add a little more)
milk 1 cup chilled
heavy cream ½ cup chilled
salt adjust to taste
garlic powder 1 teaspoon
shredded cheese 4 cups (I used Mexican blend, you may your favorite cheese for making mac and cheese)
butter 4 tablespoons
Step by step instructions
Place the elbow macaroni shells in instant pot pressure cooker.
Also add salt, garlic powder and water also to the instant pot, stir the contents.
Place the butter on top and also add the frozen corn on the top.
Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook in high pressure for 1 minute.
Once the cooking is done, press cancel and wait for a natural pressure release for 12 minutes.
Once the pressure is naturally released for 12 minutes, carefully do a gradual manual pressure release to release the remaining pressure.
Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid and stir the contents.
Add heavy cream, milk and shredded cheese also to the instant pot.
Mix the cream, milk and cheese with the cooked pasta and corn and the delicious corn mac and cheese or instant pot macaroni corn casserole is ready!
If you are not in a hurry, let the corn mac and cheese sit for another few more minutes so the cheese will nicely blend in with the pasta.
Once it is done, stir the contents again and serve the corn mac and cheese while it is still warm for best results.
Keep in mind that the mac and cheese tends to thicken as it sits for more time.
How to store corn mac and cheese in fridge?
If you are not serving the macaroni corn cheese casserole within few hours of preparation, it is best to transfer the mac and cheese to air tight food containers and store in the refrigerator where it can stay fresh for another 2 to 3 days (depending on the freshness of the dairy products used).
Once you are ready to enjoy the mac and cheese, you can easily reheat the mac and cheese and serve it warm!
Best Way To Reheat Corn Mac And Cheese Casserole
To reheat corn mac and cheese stored in refrigerator, simply transfer the desired portions to microwave safe plates and heat for about 1 minute, and if necessary, stir and heat again for another 30 seconds (depending on how much quantity you are reheating, you may need to check and reheat again after stirring) as needed.
Once heated in the microwave, the food can be very hot so make sure to handle it carefully.
Also make sure to stir the food once it is heated for even distribution of heat and wait for a few minutes before serving as the food can be really hot once you heat in the microwave.
What are the best variations or additions to enhance the flavor of macaroni corn cheese casserole?
This creamy macaroni corn cheese casserole is so delicious on it's own and it has all the flavors from the classic mac and cheese plus the sweet taste of corn!
However, if you want to try adding more things to enhance the flavor or if you want to make it more rich, you can add things like peppers (jalapeno or your peppers deseeded and sliced), dried minced onions, chives, broccoli, bread crumbs, sweet peas, shredded carrots, fried eggs etc and many more.
This is a vegetarian meatless recipe but if you don't want to keep it vegetarian, you may add bacon bits or any proteins of your choice as well.
You can also add sour cream, cream cheese etc if you want to add more flavors of cream!
Also, if you want to make the macaroni corn cheese more flavorful without adding a lot of other things, you may just cook the mac and cheese in vegetable broth or any of your favorite broth for pasta, instead of cooking it in water.
Below you can get the recipe for creamy instant pot macaroni corn cheese casserole in detail.
Corn Mac And Cheese - Instant Pot Macaroni Corn Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 4 cups water
- 12 oz frozen corn kernels may add a little more
- 1 cup milk chilled
- ½ cup heavy cream chilled
- salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 cups shredded cheese I used Mexican blend, you may your favorite cheese for making mac and cheese
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Place the elbow macaroni shells in instant pot pressure cooker.
- Also add salt, garlic powder and water also to the instant pot, stir the contents.
- Place the butter on top and also add the frozen corn on the top.
- Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook in high pressure for 1 minute.
- Once the cooking is done, press cancel and wait for a natural pressure release for 12 minutes.
- Once the pressure is naturally released for 12 minutes, carefully do a gradual manual pressure release to release the remaining pressure.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid and stir the contents.
- Add heavy cream, milk and shredded cheese, mix in with the cooked pasta and corn and the delicious corn mac and cheese or instant pot macaroni corn casserole is ready! If you are not in a hurry, let the corn mac and cheese sit for another few more minutes so the cheese will nicely blend in with the pasta.
- Once it is done, stir the contents again and serve the corn mac and cheese while it is still warm for best results.
- Keep in mind that the mac and cheese tends to thicken as it sits for more time.
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