• Turn the Instant Pot on the sauté setting for 25 minutes (although you may not need this entire amount of time).
• Fill the Instant Pot stainless steel inner pot with 3 cups of milk, 3 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Pro tip: For baked mac and cheese the Black way, use milk to coat the macaroni and give it a smooth, silky texture. Perfect for layering on cheese!

• Once the liquid begins to simmer, add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions, stirring occasionally to make sure the macaroni does not clump & stick.
• Drain the macaroni and set it aside.
• Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the empty inner pot and turn it back on the sauté setting.
• When the butter is melted, add the flour, 1 ¼ cups of milk, and seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard and paprika) and whisk until smooth.
• Change the Instant Pot cook setting from sauté to slow cook for 1-hour (although you will not need this entire amount of time).
• While the cook setting changes from sauté to slow cook, allow the ingredients to simmer for about 3 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
• Stir in the cheeses (reserve some for topping when baking).
• Close the Instant Pot with the lid and let slow cook for 5-10 minutes until the cheeses are blended.
• Open the lid to add the cooked pasta and the heavy cream to the inner pot, stirring the mixture to blend evenly.
• Transfer the pasta mixture into an 8-inch cast iron skillet or baking pan.
• Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
• Bake in the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Or bake in the conventional oven for 25 minutes or until mac and cheese is golden and bubbly.
• Optionally, garnish with a sprinkle of dry thyme or 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs.
• Serve and enjoy!