Macaroni and cheese is a popular comfort food that is creamy and satisfying, but sometimes you might want a little more flavor. There are many easy and tasty things that can be added to macaroni and cheese to make it taste better.
With these easy additions, you can take your mac and cheese to a whole new level, whether you want to add more taste, texture, or your favorite ingredients. This article, will explain easy things to add mac and cheese.
Easy Things To Add To Mac And Cheese
Here are the 14 easy things to add to mac and cheese.
1. Breadcrumbs
The most conventional addition to macaroni and cheese is golden, crisp panko. This combination has been proof of time because of the textural contrast between the soft pasta and the rich, buttery breadcrumbs.
Grilling macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs on top is possible whether you use prepackaged or homemade macaroni and cheese. Still, we recommend adding extra milk to prevent the dish from drying out once placed under the grill.
2. Truffle
You have probably seen truffle mac and cheese on the menus of numerous upscale restaurants. It is one of the most common ways to elevate mac and cheese to a luxurious and decadent status.
Truffles are mycorrhizal fungi, which means they grow underground and make friends with the roots of plants around them. Truffles are very hard to find and hard to grow because they have to be picked by hand.
However, this should not put you off truffle mac and cheese. Most of us may be unable to afford fresh truffles, but there are still methods to replicate their characteristically rich, earthy, and intensely heady flavor.
3. Broccoli
Fresh broccoli with crisp stalks and soft florets goes well with creamy mac and cheese. It adds color, taste, and texture to a dish that would be bland without it.
Broccoli is especially effective in baked macaroni and cheese: Cut your broccoli into small florets and combine it with your macaroni and cheese, ensuring that the broccoli is adequately covered by pasta before baking.
4. Shredded Chicken
If you think that creamy chicken and pasta are a match made in heaven, you will like macaroni and cheese with soft, juicy chicken.
This is not only a great way to add nutrition to your meal, but it’s also a great way to use up leftovers: Any leftover chicken breasts or legs (boneless is best because it’s easier to cook) can be turned into a tasty and filling meal for the whole family.
5. Roasted Cauliflower
Nothing beats a smooth, creamy macaroni and cheese with charred, sweet, and crispy roasted cauliflower peeking out from behind the cheese. This meal promises to be melt-in-your-mouth, velvety, powerful, warm, and gently sweet, a step up from conventional English cauliflower cheese on a Sunday dinner menu.
Due to the presence of cauliflower, this macaroni and cheese should be baked until golden and steamed. Before baking, blanch the cauliflower for a divinely crunchy and firm taste that retains the classic cauliflower creaminess.
6. Kale
We do know, we do know. When you hear the word “kale,” you might think of massaged kale salads, Buddha bowls, or kale shakes. This leafy green vegetable is known as the best supergreen, which is a name that is well-deserved.
It can make your immune system stronger, protect your health, improve your skin, help you control your blood sugar, and lower your risk of getting sick.
Still, there’s no reason to just eat veggies and smoothies. Kale is one of the best things to add to macaroni and cheese, and it’s also a great way to eat nutrient-dense veggies without giving up taste or the comfort food feeling.
7. Bacon Bits
We’re going to surprise you: macaroni and cheese with bits of bacon can be made without meat. Who would’ve thought? Most of the pieces of pork are vegan. A common ingredient is ground soy with different flavors that make it taste and feel like the real thing.
If you don’t mind extra cooking and want to add rich, meaty, salty flavor to your macaroni and cheese, use chilled, thick-cut bacon. It needs to be crisp, so put it in the oven for 20 minutes. When it’s done, let it cool and then break it up into small bits.
8. Hot Sauce
Although spicy sauce may be too intense for a dish like macaroni and cheese, scientific evidence suggests otherwise. Casein, one of the fundamental components of all cheeses, actively works to dull the intensity of capsaicin.
This indicates that heat will not overpower your macaroni and cheese. It will instead create novel flavors. While numerous brands of hot sauce are available at the supermarket, we recommend coupling it with a cheese that can withstand the heat, such as gouda or aged cheddar.
9. Spinach
Creamy, luscious macaroni and cheese combined with delicate green spinach will make it easy to consume your vegetables. Once the spinach has been cooked, children and adults will enthusiastically consume it. Cooking spinach causes it to shrink, so you should use more than you need.
What initially appears to be an impossible quantity of raw spinach that you could never consume will quickly reduce to a manageable amount rich in nutrients.
Like other vegetables, spinach loses a significant amount of nutrients when cooked; however, since you will consume far more stewed spinach, it remains an essential source of antioxidants and vitamins.
10. Extra Cheese
You anticipated its arrival. After all, only some dishes are not enhanced by adding cheese. You’ve been missing out if you’ve prepared homemade macaroni and cheese with a basic cheddar. Even if it’s nostalgic, if you’ve been making macaroni and cheese with only Velveeta, you’ve been losing twice as much.
11. Mustard
Have you ever contemplated what to bring to a barbeque or what to prepare for dinner? This dish is appropriate for any occasion. Depending on who you ask, pulled pork is a classic Southern comfort food (or celebratory) typically served with mac and cheese.
The tender, slow-cooked meat is incredibly flavorful after being prepared with barbecue sauce, mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, and seasonings.
The pasta can absorb the meat’s liquids and sauce by combining these two classics into one dish by topping mac and cheese with pulled pork. Excellent, right?
12. Pesto
Pesto alla Genovese is a traditional Italian sauce typically served stirred through pasta, drizzled on fresh pizza, or distributed over sandwich bread. Classic basil pesto combines fresh basil with copious quantities of garlic, salt, roasted pine nuts, earthy olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.
The ingredients should not be prepared to preserve their flavor and freshness (via Go Pesto)—the brand proceeds by stating that bottled sauce can withstand higher temperatures.
If you use fresh pesto, stir it into the macaroni and cheese just before serving so the residual heat can warm it, or use jarred pesto and prepare it alongside the macaroni and cheese.
13. Green Beans
Green bean casserole and macaroni and cheese, to be specific. The two? The highest quality. Given the legendary stature of both dishes in American cuisine, we’re surprised that mac and cheese baked with green beans is less prevalent.
The traditional addition of mushroom broth to green bean casserole will be omitted in favor of green beans, black pepper, and fried onions. Green beans may be consumed fresh, tinned, or even frozen.
14. Lobster
Typically, you wouldn’t associate mac and cheese with the word decadence, but in this instance, it’s the most apt descriptor. We recommend making homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch, roux, and all for this recipe. The buttery lobster merits the finest macaroni and cheese because it is an elegant and refined dish.
Add these simple and delicious ingredients to your macaroni and cheese for a creative twist. From succulent bacon to fresh herbs, the options are virtually limitless. Experiment with various combinations to create a signature mac and cheese dish that will satisfy your taste senses.
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