21 Rich Recipes for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (2024)

FAQs

What to add to macaroni and cheese to make it taste better? ›

Brown the Butter

Browned butter is the secret ingredient to multi-dimensional flavor in both baked goods and savory dishes. It adds richness and depth of flavor to boxed mac and cheese—and all it takes is a few extra minutes on the stovetop.

If your mac and cheese tastes bland, it's either because it's under-seasoned, you didn't use flavorful cheese, or you didn't use enough cheese. Try adding a little more salt first, because that might fix it.

What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

Cooked Enriched Pasta (Water, Elbow Macaroni [Semolina (Wheat), Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid]), Milk, Water, Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread (American Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Water, Whey, Sodium Phosphate, Contains Less than 2% of ...

They have more texture.

Unlike the original noodles, which can turn into a mushy mess once their cooked, shapes tend to hold their rigid structure. My guess is that because of the way they're made, the center of the pasta doesn't cook evenly with the outside, leaving you with a pleasant bite.

Sour Cream

There are a couple of reasons this is such a good substitute. For one thing, since sour cream is thicker than regular milk, it doesn't thin out the cheese sauce as much. That means that you can add more sour cream and still get a creamy finish.

Top it with breadcrumbs

You can add extra cheese and breadcrumbs and finish the thing in the oven for something you might actually bring to a potluck, but even a quick saute or spin in the toaster oven, of panko bread crumbs and olive oil tips boxed mac and cheese into a meal worth actually setting the table for.

But if you like a casserole texture, the eggs would help hold it together. I have before, yes. It gives it more of a baked casserole taste/texture, which I really like. Yes, I have used a recipe that called for eggs in the mac & cheese.

How to elevate your mac and cheese? ›

Spices: A little garlic powder and onion powder goes a long way in making this the best easy mac and cheese ever! Definitely don't skimp on these. You could also add a bit of paprika, black pepper, or even a splash of hot sauce if you want to amp up the flavor even more.

Sauce too thick? Stir in a splash of milk and mix until the sauce has loosened up. (This is also a great trick for reheating mac and cheese - if you're microwaving leftovers and the sauce seems to have dried up, stir a splash of milk or half-and-half into the pasta to bring the sauce back to life!)

Dry mustard, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper: Mac and cheese is all about the cheese, after all, so I chose this combination of seasonings to really enhance and highlight the cheddar. Dry mustard powder has a sharp flavor that pairs so well with the cheese, and smoked paprika lends an irresistibly smoky note.

Cayenne, Nutmeg, Black Pepper, and Dry Mustard

Simply add ½ teaspoons of cayenne, black pepper, and dry mustard with a dash of nutmeg to a mixture of 1 egg and 1 cup (0.24 l) of heavy cream. Pour this spice mixture on top of your traditional mac and cheese recipe before baking.

Melt butter with garlic very slowly to avoid burning the garlic. Season with parsley, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss until well coated with butter. Increase the heat to medium and cook until pasta is heated through and has absorbed some of the butter.

Adding yeast extract to cheese products can enhance the overall richness and aftertaste thanks to the flavor components; and can intensify the Old Cheese flavor by using certain yeast extract products containing characteristic peptides.