Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Lentils

Cheesy Mac and Cheese with Lentils! Adding lentils makes Mac and Cheese a bit more satisfying and more nutritious! A wholesome and easy Instant Pot recipe. 

Move over regular Mac and Cheese!! We’ve got a new cat in town! My kids and I are loving this Mac and Cheese recipe with lentils. Because any way I can work those nutritionally dense lentils into my family, the happier I am.

The lentils dissolve during the cooking process and truly go undetected by all. BUT, they add huge iron and fibre values to to this dish.

With all that cheese, I think we can all do with a little extra fibre 😉

You might remember my love affair with lentil recipes … there’s this Moroccan Lentil Risotto (if you’ve never tried this version of cooking lentils I’d highly recommend it), this Sheet Pan Salmon, Lentils, and Asparagus (hello protein gain!), and this Indian-Spiced Lamb with Spinach Lentils, Salsa, and Yogurt (basically total yum in one single blog post).

I have a feeling this InstantPot Mac and Cheese recipe will become a staple for the upcoming back to school session.

Whether that’s in thermoses for lunches or big batch Instant Pot cooking for dinner.

More easy Instant Pot recipe ideas we love:

• Instant Pot Hamburger Soup
• Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
• Best BBQ Instant Pot Pulled Pork
• Instant Pot Yellow Dal

Would you be interested in seeing this recipe as a one pot baked dish? Or a one pot recipe? I’m thinking it would be a great meal prep recipe for those who either don’t have an Instant Pot or prefer to make mac and cheese recipes without appliances.

4.6 from 5 votes

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Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Lentils

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

EASY, delicious, cheesy and wholesome Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Lentils.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy instant pot, instant pot, instant pot recipe, mac and cheese, mac and cheese recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Samantha

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed* well
• 1 lbs (454 gr) dried macaroni noodles
• 5 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt (less if the broth used isn't low sodium)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, old/aged or medium
• 1 1/2 cups (approx. 175 gr) grated mozzarella or jack cheese**
• 1/2 cup (approx. 30 gr) parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

1. Add lentils, noodles, broth, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to Instant Pot and mix briefly. Closed lid and set to sealed. 

2. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Use the manual quick release to release stem. 

3. Add cheeses and milk, and mix until cheese is melted and smooth. 

Recipe Notes

* red lentils tend to stick together when simple rinsed under running water. Use a bowl and swish lentils around in cold water, drain and repeat until water runs clear. Around 3-5 times. 

** mozzarella cheese will result in a more "cheesy" (the cheese will have more pull) appearance than jack cheese will. The flavour is about the same however. 

Enjoy! xo