Sick of plain mac and cheese

[Corinne]

Tomatoes.

Salsa.

 

[FraidKnot]

How about homemade mac and cheese? It really isn't that hard. It can be as simple as grating some cheddar (or even Velveeta) or tearing slices of American cheese in some just al dente macaroni and add some butter and milk though half and half or cream works well too (salt and pepper of course). Stirring until melted and combined.

Exactly. I've never quite understood boxed mac & cheese. The reason for this is the steps are exactly the same. Think about it. For either one, you still boil the pasta and drain it. You still add butter & milk and cheese (albeit powdered cheese in the boxed mix) and stir it all together. With either one you can then just eat it or you can place it in a lightly greased casserole, top with some breadcrumbs and bake it until bubbly and lightly browned on top. (I prefer mine baked.)

I'm not a food snob. I've always made mac & cheese the way my mom does using Velveeta (about 8 oz., cubed). I buy the large block of Velveeta (or the store brand, which will lead me to a new thread!) and wrap the remainder well in plastic wrap. Velveeta has the same half-life as plutonium

But seriously, I just never found the boxed stuff to be of any interest.

Either way, for add-ins, I'll stir in any one of these: diced ham, crumbed crispy bacon, cooked broccoli florets. I'm sure there are many more things I'm just not thinking of at the moment. I don't, however, like tomatoes in mac & cheese.

Ah! Just thought of something else I occasionally add. Diced smoked sausage rounds or some of those 'Lil Smokie smoked cocktail sausages cut in half.

Fraidy

 

[miniman]

We always make home made as well - it was one of the first meals my sons learnt to cook. We usually add in cherry or sliced tomatoes and sausage.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Home made always!

Extra Sharp cheddar

Cayenne Pepper...you will love it!!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Sauted ground beef or Italian sausage with mushrooms, onion and garlic.

Ohhhh Yeahhhh! Polish sausage is another winner.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[YT2095]

Pepperami sausage the very thin sort, sliced into half cm peices added to the sauce at the last minute, then a sprinkle of smoked paprika on the top is always nice
ham chunks or bacon, with a little Mustard powder in the dry mix works too.
Tuna with plenty parsley added and parmesan slivers ontop is also good, but add the salt water the Tuna comes in to the pasta liquid you`re boiling it in.

(tell me to shut up whenever you like)...

I`m a great beleiver in the old Jalapeno as mentioned above also.
try cooking the pasta in Beer instead of just plain water.
Sundried tomatoes or even the ones in olive oil are a nice addition.
Spinach is also great, but more as a comfort food as it doesn`t look too fantastic.
ever tried adding Pineapple chunks? trust me, it works well if you get the ballance right

I`ll shut up now :P

 

[StirBlue]

Mac & Cheese

Thought mac & cheese was a side dish (except for kids of course). Thinking outside the box is a good idea. I really really hate the stuff! Putting good things in it just stretches how much more you will have to endure. I might eat some and enjoy it if I had a good sausage on my plate or a hot toasted sandwich.
If I had to eat the stuff or had a big fan who has to have it and wants everyone to enjoy it with him, I would make a rich sauce with cream and butter and the cheese would depend on the pasta. I would definitely make noodles with flavor!

 

[kickchick32]

PEAS! Only the frozen or fresh kind.

 

[JDP]

A little gorganzola is always welcome in my Mac and Cheese

JDP

 

[luv2cook69]

Ooooo I never thought of trying cooking the noodes in beer. I'll bet it tastes like Welsh Rarebit. My husband loves the stuff. I may have just found tonight's dinner.

 

[ella/TO]

My Grandma's recipe.....which means there are no measurements....just wing it: Broad noodles, boiled until al dente. drain...Grate a good hunk of strong yellow cheddar cheese. Saute some onion until soft, add a can or two of tomato soup. Add the grated cheese, saving some for the top.(quite a bit.) Mix all together. Put into a buttered casserole dish, finish with the extra cheese on top. Bake 325-350 until the cheese has become crunchy on top. Deelish....something our grandchildren always wanted when they visited as tots, and....they still like it.

 

[kitchenelf]

Ooooo I never thought of trying cooking the noodes in beer. I'll bet it tastes like Welsh Rarebit. My husband loves the stuff. I may have just found tonight's dinner.

Cooking the noodles in beer???? I bet that is VERY good!!!!!!!

 

[kimbaby]

crumbled bacon and mushrooms... added are good also.

 

[StirBlue]

I have been known for robbing the box of it's cheese packet for other stuff like taco meat and refried beans. I've used it for vegetables and baked potatoes. I've made salad dressing with it and perked up tomato soups. I've used it in sour cream dips and added it to my carmelized onions.
What to do with all those noodles? chicken soup, vege salad, etc. Sometimes it just hot buttered noodles.
I keep it as a staple and sometimes serve it as mac & cheese. It's a good side for hamburgers and doesn't crowd potatoes.

 

[Snoop Puss]

I've never made boxed macaroni cheese, in fact I've never seen it here in Spain. Here's a fancified version not to say over-complicated but nevertheless pretty good version of m and c: souffléed macaroni cheese:

Souffleed Macaroni Cheese from Delia Online

If you bake the boxed stuff in the oven to brown, maybe you could do something similar by adding an egg yolk or two to the macaroni cheese, whipping up the egg whites and then folding them in gently. The soufflé effect works quite well, certainly light and fluffy.

 

[Shunka]

Add sliced kielbasa, a small drained can of sauer kraut, and some tomatoes to your mac-n-cheese before baking it. You can even throw in some saute'd onion and mushrooms too; this is very good!!

 

[candelbc]

Well, here's some of the things I have added:
- Tuna AND Green Peas
- Bush's Baked Beans (Sounds Crazy, but very good)
- Hamburger (Crazy, I know).

Another thing I like to add for texture is crushed potato chips. Just personal preference.

-Brad

 

[kimbaby]

Well, here's some of the things I have added:
- Tuna AND Green Peas
- Bush's Baked Beans (Sounds Crazy, but very good)
- Hamburger (Crazy, I know).

Another thing I like to add for texture is crushed potato chips. Just personal preference.

-Brad

actually I like cheese "burger" Mac and cheese its great...

tuna is good too

never had baked beans...

 

[BreezyCooking]

Although this isn't really "mac & cheese", it was (& still is) a family staple for years. I don't know the proper Czech spelling, but phonetically my parents called it "Fleetchkee".

My parents made it all the time after we had a holiday smoked ham. Basically, just cooked egg noodles, cheddar cheese sauce (basic white sauce with lots of grated cheddar added), & diced cubes of leftover smoked ham. Everything stirred together, piled into a baking dish, sprinkled with some seasoned dry bread crumbs, & baked until heated through & the top was brown & crusty.

 

[stargazer021]

Canned mushroom soup ( in place of the milk).