12 Ways to Dress Up Macaroni and Cheese
So much creaminess, so little time. Macaroni and cheese is seen by many parents as boring kid fare. Au contraire, my friend, au contraire. There are oodles of ways you can dress up mac and cheese. It is the perfect empty canvas for everything from meat to spice to vegetables. Consider the following ideas:
Don't Miss: 10 Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipes.
- Add a topping - Bread crumbs tossed with a little butter, crushed cracker crumbs, crispy fried onions (compare prices), crumbled bacon, crushed potato chips, chopped fresh tomatoes and extra shredded cheddar cheese are great ways to top off mac and cheese.
- Vary the cheeses - Think you have to stick with cheddar? Think again. Try a combination of cheeses. Shredded cheddar, colby and pepper jack give it a Mexican flavor. Gruyere is a great melting cheese and works with everything from swiss to asiago to cheddar. For a bit of extra zip, add a little crumbled blue cheese. And for an Italian flavor, try a mixture of grated parmesan, roman, provolone and parmesan.
- Make it spicy - Add some finely-chopped pickled jalapeño peppers, chipotle peppers or diced green chiles for a Mexican flavor. Or for a Buffalo style mac and cheese: Add 1/4 cup of Buffalo wing sauce and some blue cheese. Or just stir in a tablespoon or two of horseradish mustard depending on how hot you like it.
- Bring on the meat - Stir in browned andouille sausage, cooked and crumbled bacon, browned ground beef, cooked hot dogs, cooked meatballs or chopped cooked ham. Or top with pulled pork or pulled BBQ chicken.
- Make it green - Pesto, boiled broccoli, cooked spinach or kale or any kind of cooked greens add color, flavor and a bit of nutrition.
- Add some veggies - Add frozen peas and carrots, caramelized onions (cook sliced onions in 2-4 Tbsp. of butter over low heat until golden brown), sautéed red or green bell peppers, browned mushrooms, chopped roasted red peppers from a jar, steamed butternut squash or boiled cauliflower.
- Make it Greek - Use a combination of gruyere and feta cheeses. Stir in chopped, pitted kalamata olives, sautéed chopped red onions and 1 Tbsp. of Greek seasoning.
- Add garlic - Add 3-4 cloves of minced roasted garlic.
- Make it taco night - Stir in 1 pound of ground beef browned with 1 packet of taco seasoning. Use shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. Top with shredded lettuce and chopped fresh tomatoes.
- Add tuna - Go back to the 1970s and make a retro classic by adding a can of drained tuna and a handful of frozen peas to your favorite mac and cheese recipe.
- Go red - Add a few tablespoons of ketchup, chili sauce or cocktail sauce.
- Make it smoky. Use a smoked mozzarella, smoked gouda or smoked cheddar in combination with one or two other cheeses for a subtle flavor kick.
