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I’m pretty sure home canned mac and cheese has saved my sanity a time or two.  Having a yummy, indulgent meal on the shelf that I can dump, heat, and eat on days that I’m sick, super busy with the farm, having a bad day, or whatever it may be has been delightful.  This home canned mac and cheese doesn’t replace the homemade from scratch stuff, but it does hit the spot when convenience trumps slow food.  Especially during harvest when I’ve been running farmers and getting parts and the kids AND the farmers are hungry and I only have two arms and two legs and one body to do it all.  SOMETIMES I need something quick and it sure as heck ain’t going to be that dangerous drive thru food if I can help it. 

Rebel Canning

Now, if your hackles are up and you’re about to lose your mind over me sharing this recipe that I use in my own home, fear not.  I will let the world know that this is rebel canning!  What is rebel canning?  It is canning things that are outside of the recommendations set forth by the USDA, NCHFP, Ball, and whoever else people allow to think for them these days.  Rebel canning simply means you use preservation methods, techniques, and ingredients they never tested, but instead use generational knowledge, personal experience, and so on to can food for your family.

Why is canning macaroni and cheese rebel canning if they can it in the store.   EEEEEEEeeexxxaaccttlllyyyy.  But anyway.  The NCHFP, or National Center for Home Food Preservation, WAS a minimally funded agency tasted to “test” and develop popular recipes that are deemed “safe for canning” to help people who have never canned before learn and understand how to preserve food at home safely.  They could never have tested every single recipe in the entire US of A, but for some reason folks I have deemed the canning police have taken them saying “here’s an approved recipe” as meaning “everything else is unsafe and you will die of botulism.”  A rather insane take if you ask me.  And, no, tons of people weren’t dying of their home canned food years before the NCHFP was formed either.  You can even read up on some of the worst cases of botulism in history and most of them are due to negligence and just plain stupidity.  Unfortunately.  If you are going to can your own food at home, you gotta use common sense.  It’s not hard and it’s not as dangerous as they’re making it out to be.  That’s propaganda, because if we’re all growing and canning our own food, who’s gonna line Del Monte’s pockets?!

This recipe can be considered rebel canning due to all of the ingredients that are put in the jar being unapproved.  This means, if you are not comfortable canning outside the lines of a “tested” recipe, you should not use this recipe.  Because at the end of the day, you will be afraid of what you canned, and you will have wasted your time, energy, and resources to do it.  I urge you to use common sense and critical thinking, because I cannot control anything that you do in your kitchen.  I’m just simply sharing something I do in mine, and that definitely doesn’t mean you HAVE to do it, SHOULD do it, or that I’m forcing anyone to do it.  But we do enjoy some canned mac and cheese here!

What Cheese Sauce Do I Use?

There’s several things you can use here.  You can make your own or you can buy a big ole whoppin’ can of the poison nacho cheese or cheddar cheese sauce.  I’ve done both and, you know, sometimes there’s just something about that poison that makes this kinda good.  BALANCE.  But, most of the time I make and can my own cheese sauce, adding minced chiles to make it nacho cheese sauce, and just use that.  

1

Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce Pressure Canning Recipe

Check out this recipe

Let’s get started!

Equipment You Might Want:

• Stock Pot
• Jar Funnel
• Pint Canning Jars
• Canning Lids & Screw Bands
• Pressure Canner
• Jar Lifter

Ingredients:

This recipe makes about 5 pint jars.

• 4 cups cheddar cheese sauce
• 4 cups milk or chicken broth
• 2 2/3 cups uncooked macaroni 
• Spices/seasonings you enjoy

Step 1:  Prep

Wash pint canning jars and lids in hot soapy water.  Rinse well and set aside on a clean towel for filling.

In a medium stock pot, add cheddar cheese sauce and milk/chicken broth.  Whisk to combine.

Add spices and seasonings you prefer to the sauce and stir to combine.  

Place over medium low heat, and while stirring pretty constantly, heat until hot.  Do not boil or it can scorch pretty easily.

Taste your cheese sauce and make sure it is seasoned appropriately to your liking.  Err on the side of a little heavy since the pasta will be cooking in the jar and will take on some of those spices and mellow them out.  You can also opt to add the spices after you open the jar, which is what I choose to do, because I found the spices were mellowing so much with processing I was adding more anyway and it seemed silly to season it multiple times.

Step 2:  Fill Jars

Only fill jars that will fit in your canner and be processed right away.  Preparing multiple batches at once and allowing them to sit waiting on the canner produces a gloopy, undesirable end product after canning.

Into each clean pint jar, measure out and add 2/3 cup UNCOOKED macaroni pasta to each jar.

Ladle over hot cheese sauce to 1 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and add more cheese sauce if needed.

Wipe rims thoroughly with a clean cloth and add lids and secure with screw bands.

Step 3:  Canning

Place jars of hot pasta and cheese in your pressure canner and process pint jars for 20 minutes at your elevations recommended weight for LOW ACID FOOD.

Once processing time is complete, allow canner to completely depressurize before removing jars to a heat proof surface lined with a clean towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 4:  Storage

Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store preferably in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  Room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to extreme temperatures.  

Shelf life is ’til you eat it.  I aim to rotate jars of canned pasta and/or dairy out every 6-12 months just for best flavor and freshness, but they last far longer if needed.  But that’s why my recipe only makes 5 pints because we don’t eat a mass amount of it and I don’t want a ton of jars tied up in it.

Step 5:  Serving

Dump contents of jar into a sauce pan and heat until heated through while stirring.

Dump contents of jar into a prepared baking dish, top with bread crumbs tossed with butter, and bake at 375F for about 25 minutes until edges are bubbling and top is golden.  Eat!

Annnddddd that’s how you can macaroni and cheese.  Chef boyarr…..whoooo?

Home Canned Macaroni and Cheese Meal in a Jar Recipe

3 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Canning Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 pints

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• stock pot
• jar funnel
• pint canning jars
• Canning lids & screw bands
• Pressure Canner
• jar lifter

Ingredients

• 4 cups cheddar cheese sauce
• 4 cups milk or chicken broth
• 2 2/3 cups uncooked macaroni
• Spices/seasonings you enjoy

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Wash pint canning jars and lids in hot soapy water.  Rinse well and set aside on a clean towel for filling.
• In a medium stock pot, add cheddar cheese sauce and milk/chicken broth.  Whisk to combine.
• Add spices and seasonings you prefer to the sauce and stir to combine.  
• Place over medium low heat, and while stirring pretty constantly, heat until hot.  Do not boil or it can scorch pretty easily.
• Taste your cheese sauce and make sure it is seasoned appropriately to your liking.  Err on the side of a little heavy since the pasta will be cooking in the jar and will take on some of those spices and mellow them out.  You can also opt to add the spices after you open the jar, which is what I choose to do, because I found the spices were mellowing so much with processing I was adding more anyway and it seemed silly to season it multiple times.
• Only fill jars that will fit in your canner and be processed right away.  Preparing multiple batches at once and allowing them to sit waiting on the canner produces a gloopy, undesirable end product after canning.
• Into each clean pint jar, measure out and add 2/3 cup UNCOOKED macaroni pasta to each jar.
• Ladle over hot cheese sauce to 1 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and add more cheese sauce if needed.
• Wipe rims thoroughly with a clean cloth and add lids and secure with screw bands.
• Place jars of hot pasta and cheese in your pressure canner and process pint jars for 20 minutes at your elevations recommended weight for LOW ACID FOOD.
• Once processing time is complete, allow canner to completely depressurize before removing jars to a heat proof surface lined with a clean towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
• Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store preferably in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  Room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to extreme temperatures. 
• Shelf life is 'til you eat it.  I aim to rotate jars of canned pasta and/or dairy out every 6-12 months just for best flavor and freshness, but they last far longer if needed.  But that's why my recipe only makes 5 pints because we don't eat a mass amount of it and I don't want a ton of jars tied up in it.

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