Line your slow cooker with a disposable liner or lightly spray the interior with cooking spray—this makes cleanup much easier and helps prevent sticking. Measure out all your ingredients into small bowls: the uncooked elbow pasta, cottage cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, butter, and the water. Having everything ready before you start ensures smooth assembly without any scrambling.

Add the dry elbow pasta directly to the prepared slow cooker as your first layer. Spread the cottage cheese evenly over the pasta—I like to break it up slightly with a spoon so it distributes more easily throughout the dish. Layer the butter slices on top, then sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over everything. This layering method helps the ingredients cook evenly and allows the cheese to melt gradually throughout the cooking process.

Sprinkle the garlic powder and black pepper evenly over the cheese layer. Pour the 2.5 cups of water carefully over all the ingredients without stirring—the water needs to distribute through the pasta to cook it properly, and stirring now will disrupt the layering. The key here is restraint: resist the urge to mix, as this allows the dish to cook gently and evenly.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 2.5 hours. If you're not using a slow cooker liner, stir the mixture halfway through cooking (around the 1.25 hour mark) to ensure even cooking and prevent the bottom from sticking. If you are using a liner, you can skip this step entirely. The pasta will absorb the water and become tender while the cheese melts into a creamy sauce.

Once the cooking time is complete, give the entire mixture a good stir to combine all the melted cheese, cottage cheese, and tender pasta into a cohesive, creamy mac and cheese. I like to let it rest for just a minute or two after stirring so the sauce can settle and coat the pasta evenly. Serve hot directly from the slow cooker, using the liner to easily transfer to a serving dish if desired.