How do you jazz up your mac and cheese?!
Answers: I like to add sea salt and truffle oil with some sauteed veggies. (I know that sounds prissy, but its very good!)
When I make mac and cheese I sometimes brown bacon and onion. And I sprinkle this on the top of your mac and cheese! It is awesome!
I like to add meat to mac & cheese - whether it's ham, chicken, Ground Beef, sausage, or whatever. Makes it more of a meal when paired with a green salad. The kids love it too!
I like mixing up the type of cheese (mozza with parmasan, or really anything!), or even a couple handfuls of frozen veggies! Another one the kids really like is tuna (just drain a can and toss it in!)
bacon
Add a can of tomato sauce. Yummie
Spicy Macaroni and Cheese
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno chilies, to taste or 1 to 2 tablespoons of chipotle in adobo
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups milk
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, juice discarded and tomatoes chopped and drained well
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 cups coarsely grated Monterey Jack (about 8 ounces)
2 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar (about 8 ounces)
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1/4 pound)
In a large heavy saucepan cook the onion, the garlic, the jalapenos, or chipotle in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, stir in the flour, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the milk in a stream, whisking constantly, and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir in the tomatoes. Simmer the mixture for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the macaroni for 6 to 7 minutes, or until it is barely al dente, drain it well, and in a large bowl combine it with the tomato mixture. Stir in the Monterey Jack and the cheddar and transfer the mixture to a buttered 15 by 10-inch shallow baking dish or 3-quart gratin dish. In a bowl stir together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan, sprinkle the mixture evenly over the macaroni mixture. Bake the macaroni and cheese in the middle of a preheated 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until it is golden and bubbly.
i add ham and broccoli then top with the prepackaged fried onions that you use on green bean casserole. Add the fried onions about 10-15 minutes before done baking.
salt, pepper nice and simple
cut up some ham into bite size chucks, and add to it
Ketchup and hot sauce
I have a tried and true recipe for baked macaroni and cheese. To make it an actual meal, I've added lobster and served with a salad. The cassarole recipe is all mine, but I got the lobster idea from a restaurant. It's delicious.
I boil my mac with whole cloves of garlic and then add garlic powder, pepper and sea salt to the cheese mixture.
I add dry mustard, sliced jalapeno peppers (in the jar), paprika or I whip up a raw egg in the mixture. The egg makes it fluffy. I have also added sourcream before too. It gives it a creamier texture.
There are a couple of things you can do. To start, I use whole milk in the bechamel sauce. I also like to use a mix of different cheeses. Use EXTRA sharp cheddar, swiss, parmesan, and jack cheese. And I like to add a little bit of nutmeg and about a generous amount of mustard powder. It gives a depth of flavor that is so delicious paired with the cheese. After the sauce cools a little, temper a couple of egg yolks into the sauce. Don't forget the salt and pepper though. Mac and cheese really needs salt and pepper to taste right. Then, when you go to bake it mix in chunks of crumbled cheddar cheese and of course buttered breadcrumbs on top. When it's done baking and you serve it the crumbles of cheese get stringy and it's divine. This recipe is not for the faint of heart! It's delicious and very fattening. But, eaten once in awhile in small amounts is great.
Try adding tomatoes, spinach, bacon, tuna, or crab/imitation crab.
Top it with salsa if I am in a spicy mood, add ham or sausage if I looking for an easy meal (served with salad of course),
I don't ....... some things (comfort food) should be left to be made as is, and mac and cheese is one of them. Although I do not use little elbow macaroni, I use Barilla's Capenelli Pasta