Jazz up boxed mac and cheese

Upgrade your favorite store-bought macaroni and cheese with these simple tricks.

Sometimes the answer to dinner is boxed mac and cheese. But it doesn't have to be boring! We've got ten ways to jazz it up.

This recipe came from a Kraft newsletter. It's very simple, takes the 'blue box' of mac and cheese and adds just a few ingredients and steps to make it taste a bit more homemade. Note that this calls for the "dinner" Kraft mac n cheese, which is the one with the packet of cheese that you squeeze out, not the standard one with the powdered cheese. If you have to use the standard variety, use 2 boxes and add more milk or sour cream, as it tends to dry out during baking.

Boxed mac & cheese isn’t the healthiest food, but it's cheap. Here are 10 ways you can jazz it up, use it to extend leftovers, or feed a large family.

It’s the key to fluffy biscuits, too.

A no-roux method for faster (and tastier!) macaroni and cheese on the stovetop, made with just 5 ingredients.

Love boxed mac and cheese but want to change it up a bit? No problem! I've got 10 Ways to Change Up Boxed Mac and Cheese for you, including adding ingredients to mac and cheese or adding the mac and cheese to other meals!

Here are seven ways to hack a box of mac & cheese. Find out more on Tasting Table.

Mac and cheese is one of those nostalgic meals, right up there with Rice Krispies treats, that I ate all the time and in many different iterations when I was growing up. I most often ate the boxed variety, and my brother and I almost always opted for the Spongebob-shaped version (something about the shape made it taste better — I can’t explain it!).