I’m not really into the Kraft powered cheese, but other than that l, I like any type, either home made or boxed. My only addition to make it special is chopped bacon and Hatch green chiles.
Does the link above work for anyone? Doesn’t work for me.
Weird, it worked when I shared it (link is from a 2009 blog post so I always check!) But now it’s not working for me either.
Wondering what you consider a sweet curry powder. Like chutney?
I checked and it’s working for me (Windows 11, Chrome) so maybe there was/is an intermittent issue. And ZipperJJ is right, a good panko topping is a supreme addition to almost any baked mac dish. Though I once went too far (well, for my waistline) and made deep fried panko rolled mac and cheese cubes. Darn those were good.
I have been eating Great Value(Wal-Mart’s store brand) mac n’ cheese for years. The box with cheese powder pouch you add milk and butter to.
I have tried the box with the cheese sauce pouch but it is way to salty for taste.
I mostly eat it with no additions but sprinkled liberally with black pepper.
My favorite is Buffalo chicken mac n cheese. Mac n cheese topped with small pieces of breaded chicken in hot sauce. Plus diced celery and blue cheese crumbles. Quaker Steak & Lube used to have the best but alas, they changed it then dropped it.
I never make home made mac n cheese. Me and the grandkids like Kraft Deluxe the best. There are several varieties and they are all good. But good old Kraft Mac n Cheese in the tall box is just fine also, just different.
Well, for all of those who love a plethora of toppings, but don’t want to do all the prep work of homemade, I suggest you swing by this place if you’re ever up in Colorado Springs (or go to the local equivalent).
It’s actually a kinda hole-in-the-wall place, and it isn’t the best mac 'n cheese I’ve ever had, but some fun combos when you’ve got the craving but not a lot of time.
Works for me – “World’s best Mac and Cheese recipe”.
I’ve always made mac & cheese on the stovetop; wife bakes it. No real preference for macaroni brand, though I do really like the gluten-free pasta my wife uses. I like it with peas and/or tuna or ham.
Works now. Looks like a good recipe.
Try ziti or rigati noodles. More sauce gets inside. It especially good in baked styles of mac n cheese.
It’s hard to pick an outright favorite, but I grew up with the first one, which I love, and Colleen’s and Pimento M&C are solid contenders, as is Caprese…
Southern Macaroni and Cheese
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Cook the macaroni in salted water until tender; drain off the water. Blend flour and salt in melted butter. Add a dash of pepper. Add the milk, and cook until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly.
Add cheese, stir until cheese is melted. Pour over the macaroni and stir thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.
(double the recipe for more than 2 people)
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Colleen’s Macaroni and Cheese
1 box elbow macaroni
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 small can mushrooms, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small jar pimentos
1.5 pound grated cheddar cheese
cheese crackers (cheese-its) crushed
Cook and drain the macaroni, mix with all ingredients except crushed crackers, which you sprinkle on top before baking. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
Cook in 2 quart casserole dish.
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Pimento Mac & Cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 pound extra-sharp cheddar, shredded (4 cups)
2 ounces cream cheese
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 (4-oz) jars pimentos, drained, patted dry, & minced
Adjust oven rack to middle and heat 375°. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in dutch oven; add Mac and 1 tbsp salt and cook 5 minutes; drain, set aside
Add butter to empty pot, melt; stir in flour, mustard, 3/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt, cook until fragrant & bubbling ~ 30 secs. Slowly whisk in milk and cream, bring to a boil. Reduce to medium low, summer until thick enoug to coat back of a spoon
Remove pot from heat. Add 3 cups cheddar, cream sheese, hot sauce, and Worcestershire and whisk until cheese is melted. Add pimentos and macaroni and stir until macaroni is thoroughly coated in sauce. Transfer to 13 x 9 baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheddar. Bake until edges are lightly browned and filling is bubbling 18-20 mins. Let rest 20 minutes before serving.
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Caprese Macaroni and Cheese
1 lb. cavatappi
1 stick Unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. flour
5 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
4 c. shredded mozzarella
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan
4 tomatoes, sliced
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, sliced
1/4 c. Italian bread crumbs
Balsamic glaze, for drizzling
Preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 9”-x-13” baking dish. In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 stick butter. Stir in garlic then sprinkle over flour and cook until slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in milk and whisk until combined. Season with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Let simmer until starting to thicken, about 5 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and whisk in mozzarella then 1 cup Parmesan. Continue whisking until smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and transfer to prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle Italian bread crumbs on top then cover the top with tomato slices. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper.
Bake until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with basil and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
I’m with wolfpup. I don’t make mac and cheese. (My husband and daughter don’t eat anything that contains cheddar-type cheese.) I prefer the creamy style to the drier baked stuff. And i while a little mustard or nutmeg may well be lurking in an excellent mac and cheese, i don’t want “stuff” in it. No lobster (although that’s okay), no meat, and please God, no peppers or truffles. Either of those will totally ruin the dish for me, to the point that i won’t eat it. A little black pepper can be good, though.
That instant pot recipe sounds good. Maybe I’ll try it. But i didn’t really want that much mac and cheese, so I probably won’t.
Regarding commercial, boxed macaroni and cheese, for years, I would eat Annie’s Shells and Cheddar. Though now that’s too heavy to eat regularly.
IMO, the best macaroni and cheese the baked variety.
You start with a nice béchamel sauce (an unsalted butter/flour roux plus milk/cream).
It should have a mixture of a couple choice cheeses, generally grated Emmentaler and Sharp Cheddar at somewhere around a 50/50 or 60/40 probably with the Emmentaler in the majority but hey, knock yourself out.
And it’ll have some nutmeg, black pepper, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce.
Make your béchamel (on the stove), then blend in the shredded cheeses and spice-type things (not on the stove), boil a nice macaroni to slightly less cooked than al dente (it’ll cook more in the oven), blend that lightly and gently with the cheese sauce, then bake it for a spell (maybe 30-40 minutes around 375 degrees). You can make a little Panko-based topping to put on before baking.
This is not a recipe, just kind of the starting point for any proper (IMHO) mac & cheese.
Vaderling likes velveeta shells and cheese mixed with a can of chili and a can of corn.
I’ve added broccoli to velveeta shells and cheese, green beans do NOT go into mac and cheese.
There is a restaurant in Depoe Bay Oregon called Tidal Raves. They have a mac’n’cheese with…I can’t remember if it was crab or clams, but I remember that it was delicious. I tried replicating it a few times and finally settled on a mix of heavy cream, brie and cheddar for the cheese sauce(I used shrimp for mine). It was really good but turned hard as a rock in the fridge over night.
Here’s my contribution in a mac & cheese thread from last year:
It’s all about the roux. Start with equal parts butter and flour (maybe some chopped bacon/lardons and finely chopped onions or mushrooms, definitely lots of garlic, cooked thoroughly in the butter before adding flour). Make sure the flour is cooked all the way through without burning, this is key.
Once flour is cooked begin adding milk (mixed about 3:1 with bone broth and/or white wine) ensure roux thickens before adding more milk. After all milk is added and sauce is at a low simmer add the cheese. The other key is there needs to metric f*ckton of cheese, strong flavoured cheddar is best but a mix is best (any strong flavoured hard cheese). Keep some cheese for topping. Once cheese melted in sauce add mustard, chopped fresh parsley and Worcestershire sauce.
While cooking sauce put on the macaroni. When both sauce and pasta done drain and mix with sauce.
Don’t even thinking about stopping now. Baked is sooo much better than stove top. Put the pasta and sauce in buttered pan. Put last of cheese on top. Bake at 425F for 20ish minutes or until nicely brown.
For actual ratio of ingredients I use this BBC recipe with more cheese (i don’t use Parmesan as I’m not a huge fan)
Maybe it’s not a common descriptor, but I picked it up recently from curry blends like:
… it is exchangeable (to my taste) with most generic curry blends from major distributors. The key is that it has very little to no heat.
ETA: I feel scrutinized, noting that I’m talking spice blends with someone going by the moniker Dr. Paprika! 
I used to love good old blue box Kraft with pureed jalapenos.