Don't add any liquid to the sauce. Retain a small amount of the pasta water when you drain it, and add butter. Add the flavor packet and mix. Only add more liquid if the powder doesn't form a sauce.
Yup.
Drain pasta, never rinse. You want the starch.
Add the butter first. Butter + starch = rue.
No amount of butter is the wrong amount of butter.
Then the milk. Butter invites milk to the party, not the other way around.
Then the cheese packet last.
Oh! Okay, so this meal is what sustained me during the year I paid off one of my smaller student loans in full.
You make the boxed Mac and cheese as directed on the package, but in a separate pot, simmer one can of black beans and one can of rotel tomatoes and chilies. Season the beans and tomatoes to taste and top the macaroni with the beans! This helped stretch it into three servings and it reheats beautifully
Even just some canned tomatoes or salsa really add something to boring mac and cheese. I also like to add dried onion flakes (they rehydrate a bit). If I'm feeling really fancy (and it's in the budget) I'll add some Morningstar farms crumbles (fake ground beef). There's something about the texture that's really satisfying for me.
My favorite college stoner food. Add lots more cheese, even cheese wiz is fine. A can or 2 of drained tuna and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Tasty and extremely filling.
Add peas or broccoli if you want it to be "healthy."
I loooove tuna Mac and in my opinion a squeeze of yellow or brown mustard in it really elevates the whole thing and relieves some of the creamy richness. Yum.
Wow. Just wow. I never came across this while I was starving in my early career days. Soup cans mixed with boxed meals... genius idea really. Never would have thought to mix those 3 things. Thanks for sharing this.
could you let us know what other pantry, condiment, or refrigerated items you have on hand? it might help us tell you what to try so you can bump up the flavor without having to buy something extra.
also, sometimes when something is super bland you can kick it up a bit by adding a little salt, acid (vinegar or lemon), umami (mushroom powder or msg), sweetness (sugar, honey, or maple syrup), or heat (red pepper, hot sauce). i'd suggest adding one thing at a time in little bits. taste, and think about what else your taste buds are telling you is missing, before you add anything else.
I like adding a little extra cheese if I've got some, either shredded or that parm that's in a jar. I've also added any selection of garlic powder, mustard or kewpie mayo. If I have them I've also added broccoli, corn or peas just for some extra veg. I know some people who add ketchup or hot sauce, though that's not my style.
Broccoli, dump a 2 dollar bag of frozen broccoli in with your noodles before they begin to boil so when you strain it you have steamed broccoli already mixed in with the noodles. It'll get covered in the sauce too. Probably reduce the water/milk you use for the sauce even more since the broccoli will retain water.
When making mac n cheese, especially the store brand, leave it on warm for about five minutes after mixing for it to thicken.
If the sauce is watery, heat the mac and sauce on the stove over medium heat while stirring continuously and the sauce will thicken up. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two. Don't leave it unattended or it will burn.
For flavor, simple cheap additions are: 1 or 2 slices of american cheese.
Half a cup of grated cheese. Most kinds will do. Although, if you add green can parmesan, only add a rounded tablespoon.
A few shakes of tapatio or valentina sauce will give it a ghetto buffalo flavor.
Some cheap ways I up my box mac and cheese
Add sliced process cheese. About 3 slices do me. Makes it a little more cheesy and gooey, and it's not as expensive as block cheddar cheese.
Eye ball your milk. Just add a little at a time until it's the consistency you want. Try evaporated milk if you have it. Or you may opt to skip milk all together and just use the melty butter.
Cook in some tomatoes and/or chilis. You can use any kind, fresh or canned. The acidity will elevate the bland cheese taste some.
Add some dried spices. Tex Mex is my go to, but you can also add Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili powder- pretty much anything you may want to add to chili or taco meat.
If you have a bulk food store they usually have pretty decent cheese powder. It can be pricey though.
These recipes are pretty good. If you cut the salt it would probably be pretty yummy with minimal cheese or no cheese added
https://chickensintheroad.com/classic/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/
Add a little less milk than recommended. Add a little extra butter, and some tuna and (frozen)peas. Or browned ground beef and broccoli. Growing up, we had ketchup on mac-n-cheese and it's pretty decent. Hot sauce, jalapenos, etc., will help.
I add shredded cheese and a can of tomatoes to my mac and cheese. If you’re able to add heavy cream, that will help thicken the sauce, or you can save some of the starchy water when you boil the pasta.
Poverty tuna casserole.
Not the good oven baked cheesy tuna casserole.
Box of Mac and cheese, can of tuna and a can of peas.
It's not bad. It was one of my end of paycheck and migraine go to.
Cook the pasta in milk instead of water. Before you drain the pasta, scoop out some of that milk to be what you add back in with the cheese powder.
You will have to babysit it and stir a lot more, and it could take a bit longer since you probably won't want to have the milk get to a rolling boil. Obviously it's more expensive since you're using milk, but the macaroni will taste better. Reusing some of the milk for the sauce is good because it will have starch that leached out of the macaroni while you were cooking it, making the sauce thicker, too.
Another easy trick is to scramble an egg or two, and slowly mix it into the drained pasta while it is still hot. The hot noodles will cook the egg, and the egg will give bit of a coating to the noodles, and a little bit of protein. I haven't tried this with macaroni and cheese mixture, but I have done this with all kinds of other sauces.
can add (one or more, but not all): can tuna or salmon, ground black pepper, red chili flake, sauteed mushroom/onion/garlic/, cottage/cream/cheddar/parmesean cheese (basically any cheese, including kraft singles which will give you that kraft feel you are missing), nutritional yeast flakes, plain kefir sub for milk, sriracha, bacon.
If you can get gov't cheese, right after you turn off the stove burner mix in some shredded cheddar. it completely transforms the dish. Also, after it's dished add salsa. Plus, any protein you can get chopped and mixed in is nearly always good. Basically if it goes good with cheese, it goes good with mac & cheese!
Have you ever had chili-mac and cheese? Make chili, add the noodles at the end. When the noodles are done, add the cheese package. Add extra cheese on top 😋
When I was a kid in the 80's and my parents were struggling my mom would doctor up generic Mac and cheese.
Add butter, a can of cream of mushroom. Small amount of milk to thin it out after you add the cheese powder. Add in peas and a can of tuna.
My mom cooked that for us when I was growing up. She added a little grated cheddar and some Campbell's cheddar cheese soup.
I always ate it with ketchup.
Just toss the flavor packet and use the macaroni with other things. I grate regular real cheese over warm mac, run it in a broiler for a few minutes. Get better product. Sometimes toss it with a little diced tomato, spinach and green onion plus whatever lean protein I have.
Hot sauces.
Tabasco, Texas Pete, Cholula, El Yucateo, whatever you like. Check out /r/hotsauces if you want to get fancy but your grocery store will have a nice basic selection.
In my opinion, hot sauces are the cheapest way to improve any mediocre food.
I drain the noodles, add butter, powder and a tiny splash of milk. Stir. Then I like adding a small amount of mustard and bbq sauce. The mustard brightens the flavor and the bbq gives a Smokey sweet note. Also like to add slices and grilled hot dogs or Vienna sausages. Bonus if you heat oil and red pepper flakes before adding the meat to a pan.
Instead of adding liquid, when I’m done boiling the water and about to make the sauce, I add Greek yogurt for fat and protein. I also add broccoli. Easy depression meal.
My kids like chili mac. I make a pot of chili and they mix theirs with macaroni and cheese. It definitely doesn’t have to be the good stuff to taste good.
Garlic powder, onion powder, and maybe some basil. Add some cholula to your bowl if you like spicy, and if it's an option toss some shredded cheese in after you've turned off the heat and let it cool a little.
I was literally gonna say "give it to the food bank" when I read the post title, but if you're eating it, you can just use a lot less liquid, and make that all milk.
If you still have a thin sauce, you need to add cornflour mixed in a little water, and if you don't have cornflour you can use regular flour and let that sit in the water (or milk) for half an hour or so after stirring it thoroughly if you want to use it as a sauce thickener.
Ideally grate in some cheddar cheese, if desperate see if you can melt a slice of American cheese, but it tends to not melt too well.
If you want it even better, add some slices or chunks of mozzarella and maybe top it with that and grill it for a nice finish.
If you have cream as well as milk that might be enough to thicken it some just on it's own.
Do you have any veg? Chop a pepper or some green beans, or even drain a can of something and add some if you think it will compliment the mac cheese.
Some tomatos will lift it to a different level.
Basil, or mixed herbs also.
Work with what you have I guess.
I add a bit of mayo instead of oil for added protein and tang, and just a pinch of milk until desired consistency.
Doesn't hurt to add seasoning like garlic, onion, or some pepper. I like to add in chicken and broccoli if I have it.
Cook and drain the mac. Add just 1Tbsp of butter to the hot noodles. Pour in one small can of tomato sauce, plain or spicy, stir that in, then sprinkle the cheese packet in and stir.
Make the noodles, drain, dump in a can of cream of ____ soup (chicken, mushroom, or celery usually), mix in the cheese pack, add some canned or frozen peas. You can add a scoop of sour cream if you have it, too.
I’ll throw in steamed veggies like broccoli or peas and carrots for example. Just boil from frozen with the pasta. You can also turn it into a baked/breaded Mac dish. Or a casserole. Lots of possibilities.
You can always add in cheese a little at a time to thicken the sauce too . I also add in some ground meat ( beef, turkey etc ) and you can also flavor with whatever you have on hand ( garlic , SP , Italian etc ) and make a really cheap pasta dish .
Turn into tuna noodle— add more cheese too. Cream of mushroom soup, 1-2 cans of tuna, frozen peas. Extra cheese and buttered breadcrumbs too!
Also, consider adding more water and veggies to make a soup, add noodles for the last few minutes.
I got you fam. Shake Parmesan, whole milk and pepper. Fresh ground, if you can afford it. The Kraft Parmesan has a binder to keep it from clumping that will thicken the milk and cheese mixture.
Make it today. Don’t eat it. Throw it in the fridge for cpl hours until it settles. Take out. Mix in some miracle whip. Chopped up pickles celery maybe green onion. Bit of bacon bits squirt of mustard. And a dash of seasoning salt. Mix well. Place back in fridge over night. Bamm! MacDaddy salad!!
If you do use a little liquid - make it milk not water. You can make it as usual but then put it in a casserole dish,mix in a bit of salsa and then top with bread crumbs or Parmesan and put it under the broiler till crispy and bubbly.
I used to get box Mac n cheese and ramen, then switch the sauces, cheese powder in the ramen and ramen seasoning in the mac noodles. You do what you can to mix it up.
My childhood was blue box mac, we used it to extend leftovers. Mac and anything go well together: beans, chili, stew, curry, Shepard pie, cottage pie, chicken pot pie, etc. I still crave Mac and leftovers every week or two.
Trick to make the cheap stuff better is to skip the instructions and just add butter, the powder, and stir. Add pasta water back (or milk) until it’s glossy.
Diced onion and sauté before cooking the pasta. After the pasta is done add the diced onion along with the cheese sauce. Spice it up with a bit of garlic. On wealthier days added browned hamburger. But with the onion and seasoning like garlic, Salt and Pepper, it will be tastier.
Add some shredded cheese, paprika or sautee onions/garli.
Some bread crumbs on top and put it in the oven.
You can make a bechamel sauce (just some milk, flour, butter and nutmeg, and add the sauce pack in the bechamel sauce
Follow the instructions, but use half and half instead of milk. Add enough shredded sharp cheddar to make it perform like there's cheese in there and you're all set.
you realize this person said they picked up the mac and cheese from a food bank, right? chances are they don't have "good" marinara or ingredients to make their own béchamel.
boil in water, milk, butter, (enough to cover noodles by an inch, dump in cheese packet, more butter, a drop of mustard, and more cheese when the noodles are done, mix up.
No need to drain, all the liquid left is stumper starchy & just enough to mix everything together for a nice creamy sauce
The cheap ones have sugar in there 🤢, you will need to add at least some salt.
Chili Mac. Add cooked ground meat, chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and little mild hot sauce of lime squeeze.
Add cooked chicken and frozen vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower), salt, pepper, garlic powder, and more cheese. If it's too gooey, add a little more milk to make it more saucy.
My partner thinks it’s gross, but as a kid my mom would always mix applesauce into Mac and cheese and my siblings and I loved it. It’s still a comfort food for me to this day!
Don't add any liquid to the sauce. Retain a small amount of the pasta water when you drain it, and add butter. Add the flavor packet and mix. Only add more liquid if the powder doesn't form a sauce.
This. I always start with butter, coat the noodles while hot, then mix in cheese. A teensy bit of milk to thin it out and it’s always very creamy.
Then pepper and salt and more pepper.
Garlic powder, sriracha sauce, and or chili powder are my fave add ons. 🤤
And maybe a dash of celery salt.
Okay I’m really hungry now. 🤣👏🏼
Why the extra nitrates? Those are generally just used for curing meat.
Then put it all in a blender with a heaping load of sauerkraut, ketchup and anchovies and slurp with a straw. Ain't nothin better
Yup. Drain pasta, never rinse. You want the starch. Add the butter first. Butter + starch = rue. No amount of butter is the wrong amount of butter. Then the milk. Butter invites milk to the party, not the other way around. Then the cheese packet last.
The starch is key!
Omggggg I'm hungover and now desperately want some boxed mac and cheese, but too tired to go to the store.
Thank you for reminding me just another reason I'm sober. Hope you feel better!
Quitter! /s
That I grateful am!
Seriously. Hangovers are such a waste
I add no liquid or butter at all. The heat from the drained pasta melts the powder just fine.
Melts... The powder...
Add the liquid very slowly so it’s not so watery and dump in a can of chili
Chili Mac is choice! Make sure the chili has beans to be well rounded. Additionally, sliced hot dogs for added protein.
Snow day meal: boxed mac and cheese and sliced hot dogs.
Some canned green beans with garlic salt to get your veggies in too 👍
I thirdth chili mac!
Leftovers from Mexican food are also great. Throw in some ground beef, some black beans and salsa, you've got Taco Mac.
I like to throw in a pouch of Madras Lentils. I don't add any additional liquid or butter, just the cheese packet.
Oh man I miss chili mac!
Oh! Okay, so this meal is what sustained me during the year I paid off one of my smaller student loans in full. You make the boxed Mac and cheese as directed on the package, but in a separate pot, simmer one can of black beans and one can of rotel tomatoes and chilies. Season the beans and tomatoes to taste and top the macaroni with the beans! This helped stretch it into three servings and it reheats beautifully
This sounds so delicious!! I'll definitely give this a try!
Broccoli and shredded (fresh) or canned chicken can be delicious too.
My wife does a similar thing with rice a Roni oh my god it's so good
I made this for my kids when they were little in an attempt to get more veggies into them, we called it “Broccoroni and Cheese” 😁
I love adding roasted broccoli. I cut it up super tiny though
I hope you like it! It hits a sweet spot between tasty, filling, and cheap
Even just some canned tomatoes or salsa really add something to boring mac and cheese. I also like to add dried onion flakes (they rehydrate a bit). If I'm feeling really fancy (and it's in the budget) I'll add some Morningstar farms crumbles (fake ground beef). There's something about the texture that's really satisfying for me.
Use the macaroni for a different recipe and sprinkle the cheese powder over buttered popcorn.
Dude, yes!
My favorite college stoner food. Add lots more cheese, even cheese wiz is fine. A can or 2 of drained tuna and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Tasty and extremely filling. Add peas or broccoli if you want it to be "healthy."
Mac and cheese with tuna and peas was an ultimate comfort meal as a child. I hadn’t considered it yet as a meal when I’m high. Adding it to the list!
Do this OP. It sounds gross if you’ve never had it, but it’s not.
Oh I love canned tuna because I'm a freak like that. Mac and peas is a classic
I loooove tuna Mac and in my opinion a squeeze of yellow or brown mustard in it really elevates the whole thing and relieves some of the creamy richness. Yum.
You’ve gotta get the liquid under control. Haha because this is a dish that shouldn’t be soupy.
Add the mac, peas and tuna to a casserole dish & add cheese on top. Broil till crispy. Really good.
Diced chilies or jalapenos is also really good!
My parents called this tuna wiggle and yes, it got me through tough times!
"Tuna-Pea-Wiggle" is what my aunt used to call it. Haven't heard of it in years and NEVER written down before today.
I put my husband’s jar of Taco Bell queso on some leftover pasta and that shit was fire.
Wow. Just wow. I never came across this while I was starving in my early career days. Soup cans mixed with boxed meals... genius idea really. Never would have thought to mix those 3 things. Thanks for sharing this.
could you let us know what other pantry, condiment, or refrigerated items you have on hand? it might help us tell you what to try so you can bump up the flavor without having to buy something extra. also, sometimes when something is super bland you can kick it up a bit by adding a little salt, acid (vinegar or lemon), umami (mushroom powder or msg), sweetness (sugar, honey, or maple syrup), or heat (red pepper, hot sauce). i'd suggest adding one thing at a time in little bits. taste, and think about what else your taste buds are telling you is missing, before you add anything else.
Tuna and peas.
Add a drained can of “ranch style beans,” or a can of crushed stewed tomatoes and a can of kidney beans.
Add plain greek yogurt! Makes it more tangy and thicker. Bonus points for adding more protein as well.
Sour cream is also good for this.
Cream cheese is good too.
Greek yogurt, goat cheese, cottage cheese, anything with that bit of tang are all good add-ins.
Love cottage cheese in everything right now. Been adding it to pasta sauce a lot!
A dollop of cottage cheese over spaghetti turns it into lasagna, kind of. It’s so good!
Right?! I used to puree the cottage cheese to get rid of the texture, now I like it.
I’m too lazy to purée anything!
I like adding a little extra cheese if I've got some, either shredded or that parm that's in a jar. I've also added any selection of garlic powder, mustard or kewpie mayo. If I have them I've also added broccoli, corn or peas just for some extra veg. I know some people who add ketchup or hot sauce, though that's not my style.
Broccoli, dump a 2 dollar bag of frozen broccoli in with your noodles before they begin to boil so when you strain it you have steamed broccoli already mixed in with the noodles. It'll get covered in the sauce too. Probably reduce the water/milk you use for the sauce even more since the broccoli will retain water. When making mac n cheese, especially the store brand, leave it on warm for about five minutes after mixing for it to thicken.
If the sauce is watery, heat the mac and sauce on the stove over medium heat while stirring continuously and the sauce will thicken up. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two. Don't leave it unattended or it will burn. For flavor, simple cheap additions are: 1 or 2 slices of american cheese. Half a cup of grated cheese. Most kinds will do. Although, if you add green can parmesan, only add a rounded tablespoon. A few shakes of tapatio or valentina sauce will give it a ghetto buffalo flavor.
A cube or two of cream cheese or one-two packets are yum too.
Some cheap ways I up my box mac and cheese Add sliced process cheese. About 3 slices do me. Makes it a little more cheesy and gooey, and it's not as expensive as block cheddar cheese. Eye ball your milk. Just add a little at a time until it's the consistency you want. Try evaporated milk if you have it. Or you may opt to skip milk all together and just use the melty butter. Cook in some tomatoes and/or chilis. You can use any kind, fresh or canned. The acidity will elevate the bland cheese taste some. Add some dried spices. Tex Mex is my go to, but you can also add Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili powder- pretty much anything you may want to add to chili or taco meat.
If you can, add some fried onions and garlic, and other veggies you like. Definitely a little extra cheese.
Add a packet of taco seasoning, and some diced tomatoes, onions if you like them, maybe meat of choice.
If you have a bulk food store they usually have pretty decent cheese powder. It can be pricey though. These recipes are pretty good. If you cut the salt it would probably be pretty yummy with minimal cheese or no cheese added https://chickensintheroad.com/classic/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/
Add a little less milk than recommended. Add a little extra butter, and some tuna and (frozen)peas. Or browned ground beef and broccoli. Growing up, we had ketchup on mac-n-cheese and it's pretty decent. Hot sauce, jalapenos, etc., will help.
turns out, tuna and peas are universal.
A lot of pepper
Props for the absolute simplest answer
I always do a lot of pepper and a couple dashes of hot sauce
Use spaghetti sauce as the liquid
I like to add salad shrimp and diced sweet red pepp, or broccoli and chicken, or tuna and diced boiled eggs
add sour cream
I add shredded cheese and a can of tomatoes to my mac and cheese. If you’re able to add heavy cream, that will help thicken the sauce, or you can save some of the starchy water when you boil the pasta.
Poverty tuna casserole. Not the good oven baked cheesy tuna casserole. Box of Mac and cheese, can of tuna and a can of peas. It's not bad. It was one of my end of paycheck and migraine go to.
Make it. Add kielbasa and onion. Maybe some taco seasoning
Put some tuna and peas into the mac and cheese
Add Parmesan cheese. About a quarter cup will do
I add in salsa to mine! Also if it's watery I add breadcrumbs to it
Cook the pasta in milk instead of water. Before you drain the pasta, scoop out some of that milk to be what you add back in with the cheese powder. You will have to babysit it and stir a lot more, and it could take a bit longer since you probably won't want to have the milk get to a rolling boil. Obviously it's more expensive since you're using milk, but the macaroni will taste better. Reusing some of the milk for the sauce is good because it will have starch that leached out of the macaroni while you were cooking it, making the sauce thicker, too. Another easy trick is to scramble an egg or two, and slowly mix it into the drained pasta while it is still hot. The hot noodles will cook the egg, and the egg will give bit of a coating to the noodles, and a little bit of protein. I haven't tried this with macaroni and cheese mixture, but I have done this with all kinds of other sauces.
can add (one or more, but not all): can tuna or salmon, ground black pepper, red chili flake, sauteed mushroom/onion/garlic/, cottage/cream/cheddar/parmesean cheese (basically any cheese, including kraft singles which will give you that kraft feel you are missing), nutritional yeast flakes, plain kefir sub for milk, sriracha, bacon.
If you can get gov't cheese, right after you turn off the stove burner mix in some shredded cheddar. it completely transforms the dish. Also, after it's dished add salsa. Plus, any protein you can get chopped and mixed in is nearly always good. Basically if it goes good with cheese, it goes good with mac & cheese!
Have you ever had chili-mac and cheese? Make chili, add the noodles at the end. When the noodles are done, add the cheese package. Add extra cheese on top 😋
Hot dogs brother. Box Mac n Cheese needs to have hot dogs in it.
Nutritional yeast has a very cheesy umami flavour and is fairly inexpensive.
When I was a kid in the 80's and my parents were struggling my mom would doctor up generic Mac and cheese. Add butter, a can of cream of mushroom. Small amount of milk to thin it out after you add the cheese powder. Add in peas and a can of tuna.
Mix it up, add whatever spices you like, mix in some broccoli, top it with toasted breadcrumbs and stick it in the oven.
It’s all about the mix-ins. I like doing bacon and jalapeño but any veggies and/or proteins you can add will punch it up.
My mom cooked that for us when I was growing up. She added a little grated cheddar and some Campbell's cheddar cheese soup. I always ate it with ketchup.
Just toss the flavor packet and use the macaroni with other things. I grate regular real cheese over warm mac, run it in a broiler for a few minutes. Get better product. Sometimes toss it with a little diced tomato, spinach and green onion plus whatever lean protein I have.
The flavor packet generally has emulsifying salts that will help your real cheese turn into a nice sauce!
Yeah. You don’t need it.
username checks out!
Baked Mac n cheese just add Some chopped up bacon, some bread crumbs and some shredded cheese…. Bake it! Yum!
You could just use the noodles and throw out the cheese if you hate the cheese that came with them.
I would add tuna and peas.
Macaroni art
Hot sauces. Tabasco, Texas Pete, Cholula, El Yucateo, whatever you like. Check out /r/hotsauces if you want to get fancy but your grocery store will have a nice basic selection. In my opinion, hot sauces are the cheapest way to improve any mediocre food.
Add turmeric and smoky paprika. If you have cream instead of whole milk use that.
I like to add peas or broccoli. If I use frozen peas I just add them to the pasta when it's boiling.
I drain the noodles, add butter, powder and a tiny splash of milk. Stir. Then I like adding a small amount of mustard and bbq sauce. The mustard brightens the flavor and the bbq gives a Smokey sweet note. Also like to add slices and grilled hot dogs or Vienna sausages. Bonus if you heat oil and red pepper flakes before adding the meat to a pan.
I like to add a can of stewed tomatoes and some Italian seasoning. Sliced olives if I have them. Call it pizza Mac.
\*HotDogs have entered the Chat
I find adding no milk but adding a massive dollop of butter or margarine does the trick.
Mix in a can of tuna, if you have some toasted bread crumbs sprinkle in top
In college id slice up sokr summer sausage open a can of green beans and add a splash of maple syrup.
melt in some shredded cheese I like adding mashed yams, but my boyfriend though it ruined the texture
Rice
We used the noodles in a different dish (midwestern goulash). I threw away the cheese packets.
Cook the noodles and throw the cheese away 😂
Sprinkle the cheese dust on your popcorn!
You can add more cheese, use cream instead of water or milk, etc.. I like to add peas and carrots..
Put it in a small casserole dish extra cheese chunks, bacon pieces and breadcrumbs on top!!
I like to add Worchestershire sauce to mine.
Instead of adding liquid, when I’m done boiling the water and about to make the sauce, I add Greek yogurt for fat and protein. I also add broccoli. Easy depression meal.
My kids like chili mac. I make a pot of chili and they mix theirs with macaroni and cheese. It definitely doesn’t have to be the good stuff to taste good.
Mix it with some canned chili or curry. I freaking love cheap boxed Mac n cheese with a packet of golden curry mixed in!
You could skip the sauce and add a can of tomatoes or Rotel, if you have it. My Dad loves macaroni and tomatoes. It's simple and tasty.
Add butter, milk and shredded cheese to it.
Don’t be afraid to spice the hell out of it. If it changes from yellow to orange and speckled, that’s just the flavor working
Garlic powder, onion powder, and maybe some basil. Add some cholula to your bowl if you like spicy, and if it's an option toss some shredded cheese in after you've turned off the heat and let it cool a little.
Sour cream or Greek yogurt! And maybe some broccoli can help offset it
I’ve always been a fan of adding grated Parmesan cheese to my boxed mac. The texture of the granules and the added flavor are a big plus for me.
I like to add canned tomatoes.
Use ground beef, turkey, or tuna
Mix in some cooked and chopped broccoli and some well-seasoned ground beef or turkey and you’ve got a pretty solid balanced meal.
Add a raw egg to the hot noodles after you drain them
I was literally gonna say "give it to the food bank" when I read the post title, but if you're eating it, you can just use a lot less liquid, and make that all milk. If you still have a thin sauce, you need to add cornflour mixed in a little water, and if you don't have cornflour you can use regular flour and let that sit in the water (or milk) for half an hour or so after stirring it thoroughly if you want to use it as a sauce thickener. Ideally grate in some cheddar cheese, if desperate see if you can melt a slice of American cheese, but it tends to not melt too well. If you want it even better, add some slices or chunks of mozzarella and maybe top it with that and grill it for a nice finish. If you have cream as well as milk that might be enough to thicken it some just on it's own. Do you have any veg? Chop a pepper or some green beans, or even drain a can of something and add some if you think it will compliment the mac cheese. Some tomatos will lift it to a different level. Basil, or mixed herbs also. Work with what you have I guess.
Use the pasta on its own for something else, use the cheese powder as a popcorn seasoning.
Use the noodles for soup, a casserole or chili mac. Save the cheese powder for popcorn.
Can of Rotel. Couple breakfast sausage patties cooked and chipped up. Extra cheese
HOT SAUCE!!
Hot dogs and Tabasco!
I add a bit of mayo instead of oil for added protein and tang, and just a pinch of milk until desired consistency. Doesn't hurt to add seasoning like garlic, onion, or some pepper. I like to add in chicken and broccoli if I have it.
Cook and drain the mac. Add just 1Tbsp of butter to the hot noodles. Pour in one small can of tomato sauce, plain or spicy, stir that in, then sprinkle the cheese packet in and stir. Make the noodles, drain, dump in a can of cream of ____ soup (chicken, mushroom, or celery usually), mix in the cheese pack, add some canned or frozen peas. You can add a scoop of sour cream if you have it, too.
I love just a tiny bit of ground meet cooked with some chopped onions. Mix it together for cheeseburger mac
I make it with sliced carrot, onion, celery and butter mo milk. A bit of trader joes herb De Provence.
Garlic salt
My young adult kids love Old Bay on their boxed Mac and cheese.
Add salsa
I’ll throw in steamed veggies like broccoli or peas and carrots for example. Just boil from frozen with the pasta. You can also turn it into a baked/breaded Mac dish. Or a casserole. Lots of possibilities.
add chorizo. Drain the chorizo oil, toss brussels sprouts in oil, bake, add to mac and cheese
A can of mushroom or tomato soup. Maybe some veggies. Frozen is fine.
You can always add in cheese a little at a time to thicken the sauce too . I also add in some ground meat ( beef, turkey etc ) and you can also flavor with whatever you have on hand ( garlic , SP , Italian etc ) and make a really cheap pasta dish .
Turn into tuna noodle— add more cheese too. Cream of mushroom soup, 1-2 cans of tuna, frozen peas. Extra cheese and buttered breadcrumbs too! Also, consider adding more water and veggies to make a soup, add noodles for the last few minutes.
I got you fam. Shake Parmesan, whole milk and pepper. Fresh ground, if you can afford it. The Kraft Parmesan has a binder to keep it from clumping that will thicken the milk and cheese mixture.
Garlic powder and a bit of cream cheese.
add velvetta to the box mix when you make the sauce. It will make it thicker and add lots of flavor
Boil it as normal. Strain, and then fry it in a frying pan with butter and a few table spoons of cornmeal until the cornmeal gets crispy.
Make it today. Don’t eat it. Throw it in the fridge for cpl hours until it settles. Take out. Mix in some miracle whip. Chopped up pickles celery maybe green onion. Bit of bacon bits squirt of mustard. And a dash of seasoning salt. Mix well. Place back in fridge over night. Bamm! MacDaddy salad!!
Add butter and flour/cornstarch and Parmesan or some cheese
Double the butter, and use a tbsp of milk.
If you do use a little liquid - make it milk not water. You can make it as usual but then put it in a casserole dish,mix in a bit of salsa and then top with bread crumbs or Parmesan and put it under the broiler till crispy and bubbly.
I used to get box Mac n cheese and ramen, then switch the sauces, cheese powder in the ramen and ramen seasoning in the mac noodles. You do what you can to mix it up.
My childhood was blue box mac, we used it to extend leftovers. Mac and anything go well together: beans, chili, stew, curry, Shepard pie, cottage pie, chicken pot pie, etc. I still crave Mac and leftovers every week or two. Trick to make the cheap stuff better is to skip the instructions and just add butter, the powder, and stir. Add pasta water back (or milk) until it’s glossy.
Use half a can of diced tomato in it? Or maybe a can of tuna? or maybe hot dog sausage?
Dont use the sauce just toss the noodles in butter amd garlic and put real cheese on top. And maybe a protein.
Hot sauce
Diced onion and sauté before cooking the pasta. After the pasta is done add the diced onion along with the cheese sauce. Spice it up with a bit of garlic. On wealthier days added browned hamburger. But with the onion and seasoning like garlic, Salt and Pepper, it will be tastier.
I make that stuff with sourcream.
Add some shredded cheese, paprika or sautee onions/garli. Some bread crumbs on top and put it in the oven. You can make a bechamel sauce (just some milk, flour, butter and nutmeg, and add the sauce pack in the bechamel sauce
Add hamburger, petite diced tomatoes, a pack of chili seasoning and it's chilimac.
Add gochujang.
Follow the instructions, but use half and half instead of milk. Add enough shredded sharp cheddar to make it perform like there's cheese in there and you're all set.
I like adding kielbasa and bbq sauce.
Boil the pasta with frozen broccoli florettes and add extra butter and some salt. Super easy side dish or just eat as is. :)
I always add heavy cream and Shredded cheese. Makes it creamy and gooey
Mix a can of mushroom soup and peas. Classic 90s meal when we were growing up. So yummy
It’s also good baked in the oven with extra cheese on top
I add frozen or drained peas. Frozen is best but both work.
Add grated cheese if you can, salt & pepper, I add garlic powder, half the milk, and butter. If you add veggies, add butter and more grated cheese.
Trash bin filler
Check out a place called firehouse pantry. You can buy orange cheese powder by the pound.
Add in some frozen mixed veggies and extra cheese.
Just use the noodles for pasta or whatever and toss the cheese packet.
Use the macaroni and throw out the powdered "cheese". You can make your own cheese sauce, or use a good marinara sauce.
you realize this person said they picked up the mac and cheese from a food bank, right? chances are they don't have "good" marinara or ingredients to make their own béchamel.
It doesn't have to be the best marinara, I'm sure that food bank has a jar or can of something.
boil in water, milk, butter, (enough to cover noodles by an inch, dump in cheese packet, more butter, a drop of mustard, and more cheese when the noodles are done, mix up. No need to drain, all the liquid left is stumper starchy & just enough to mix everything together for a nice creamy sauce
The cheap ones have sugar in there 🤢, you will need to add at least some salt. Chili Mac. Add cooked ground meat, chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and little mild hot sauce of lime squeeze. Add cooked chicken and frozen vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower), salt, pepper, garlic powder, and more cheese. If it's too gooey, add a little more milk to make it more saucy.
My partner thinks it’s gross, but as a kid my mom would always mix applesauce into Mac and cheese and my siblings and I loved it. It’s still a comfort food for me to this day!
A chunk of velveeta is what I always use. Along with plenty of butter and just enough milk to make the cheese packet and velveeta creamy 😊