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This Slow Cooker pea macaroni is soft, buttery, and wonderfully simple, with tender elbows and sweet canned peas in a pale green glossy sauce. Everything cooks together with pantry staples—no cream or cheese needed. You’re going to love how comforting and easy it is.
Why You’ll Love It
- Pantry-friendly — made with elbow macaroni, canned peas, butter, water, and seasoning.
- Easy slow cooker recipe — stir everything together and cook until tender.
- Naturally creamy — butter and pasta starch create a glossy sauce without cream or cheese.
- Budget-conscious comfort food — filling, simple, and made with inexpensive staples.
- Soft and tender — especially nice for tender stomachs, sore throats, or braces.
Ingredient Notes
Use plain dry elbow macaroni—the regular kind in the blue box or store brand bag. Nothing against the fancy bronze-cut pasta, but this is not where it earns its keep. Standard elbows cook up tender and give off enough starch to help make that creamy coating.
For the peas, use two 15-ounce cans and do not drain them. I know that can feel wrong if you are used to draining every canned vegetable within an inch of its life, but that liquid is part of the recipe. It helps cook the pasta and carries that unmistakable old-school pea flavor. I prefer regular canned green peas, not peas labeled “sweet peas” if they are very tiny and delicate, though either will work.
Unsalted butter gives you more control over the salt, especially since canned peas can vary. One whole stick may sound like a lot. It is a lot. That’s the point, bless it. It melts into the pasta and makes this dish taste richer than it has any business tasting.
Black pepper is optional, but a generous grind right before serving is very good.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 2 cups water
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) peas, undrained—yes, all that can liquid goes in
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, optional, plus a little more at the table
Instructions
Lightly grease the inside of a small 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with a little butter. You do not need to be precious about it—just rub some around the bottom and sides so the macaroni does not weld itself on there.
Pour the 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni into the slow cooker and spread it into a reasonably even layer. No need to measure every noodle into place; we are making pea macaroni, not building a watch.
Add both cans of peas, including all the liquid from the cans, over the macaroni. Pour in the 2 cups of water and stir gently so most of the pasta is under the liquid. A few elbows may bob up at first. They will settle down once things get going.
Scatter the pieces of butter over the top, then sprinkle in the salt and black pepper if you are using it. Cut the butter into rough chunks because it melts more evenly.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring once or twice during the cooking time. Keep the lid on otherwise—slow cookers are not meant to be checked every seven minutes.
Begin checking around the 1 1/2-hour mark. The macaroni should be very tender, not firm, and the peas should be soft enough that some break apart when you stir. If the pasta is still too chewy, cover it again and cook a little longer, checking every 15 minutes or so. Slow cookers all run differently.
Once the macaroni is tender, give everything a good, thorough stir. The peas will break up into the butter and pasta starch, making a pale green, glossy sauce that clings to every elbow. It may look a little loose at first, but it thickens as it sits for a few minutes.
Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve it warm straight from the slow cooker, keeping it on the WARM setting for seconds.
Variations
The plain pea version tastes most like the past, so try not to monkey with it too much. A splash of milk or a spoonful of sour cream at the end turns out extra creamy. Shredded cheddar melts right in and gives it more of a macaroni-and-cheese-meets-peas situation. Not traditional, maybe, but very good.
A little garlic powder or onion powder can wake it up without costing much. If parsley is growing in a pot outside, chop some over the top.
You can swap one can of peas for canned mixed vegetables if that is what you have. Leftover diced ham, cooked bacon, or shredded rotisserie Chicken can be stirred in near the end just long enough to warm through. Frozen peas are not terrible, but they stay too bright and separate somehow. The canned peas are supposed to soften and sort of disappear into the sauce—that is the whole magic of it.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours, preferably in shallow containers so they cool down quickly. This makes a surprisingly decent leftover lunch for a day or two, although the pasta does soak up more sauce in the fridge. It gets thicker, almost like a soft macaroni casserole.
To reheat, warm only the portion you plan to eat until steaming hot. The microwave works fine; add a small splash of water or milk if it seems dry, cover loosely, and stir halfway through. You can also reheat it gently in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of water.
Do not leave the finished macaroni sitting out all afternoon.
Final Notes
There is a certain kind of comfort that does not come from a perfect meal. It comes from a meal that knows its job and does it without showing off.
This pea macaroni is soft, buttery, inexpensive, and a little odd-looking if we are being honest. It will not win over every person at the table. But for anyone who remembers simple pantry suppers, warm bowls after a long day, and the particular smell of butter melting into noodles—it is more than enough.
Make it when the weather turns gray. Make it when the grocery budget is tight. Make it when takeout sounds tempting but spending forty dollars on something forgettable does not.
And if it is eaten standing at the counter with black pepper on a shirt, well. That is probably exactly right.
Slow Cooker Canned Pea Macaroni
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 2 cups water
- 2 cans peas 15 ounces each; undrained, including all can liquid
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, cut into pieces; use a little for greasing the slow cooker
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper optional, plus more at the table
Instructions
- Lightly grease the inside of a small 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with a little butter, coating the bottom and sides.
- Pour the dry elbow macaroni into the slow cooker and spread it into a reasonably even layer.
- Add both cans of peas, including all their liquid, over the macaroni, then pour in the water and stir gently so most of the pasta is under the liquid.
- Scatter the butter pieces over the top, then sprinkle in the salt and black pepper if using.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring once or twice during the cooking time while keeping the lid on otherwise.
- Begin checking around the 1 1/2-hour mark; the macaroni should be very tender and the peas soft enough that some break apart when stirred. If needed, cover and cook longer, checking every 15 minutes.
- When the macaroni is tender, stir everything thoroughly so the peas break up into the butter and pasta starch, creating a pale green glossy sauce. Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.
- Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed, then serve warm from the slow cooker and keep it on the WARM setting for seconds.