I really try to give our kids balanced meals, and they do almost solely snack on vegetables throughout the day, but, man, they love their mac and cheese lunches. I feel better about the Annie’s brand than Kraft, but the environmentalist in me still cringes at the waste. So, these are my two “easy” alternatives for macaroni and cheese.
Method One:
We started buying powdered cheese in bulk from King Arthur Flour. This is exactly like making the boxed mac, except with bulk ingredients. Just cook up the pasta. Add either milk and butter or yogurt. Mix. And then add the powdered cheese. If you’d like to get precise about it, you can weigh and measure from a boxed version, but I just go with what tastes/looks about right.
Method Two:
I love this InstantPot mac and cheese recipe! It’s so gooey and delicious. The bonus part for me, especially when my youngest was a baby, was that I don’t have to keep an eye on boiling water or check in with the pasta while it’s cooking. So, in a big way, it’s actually easier than the boxed version. I also love that I can customize the cheeses (I usually add less than it says.) Instead of evaporated milk, I usually just use regular or try to evaporate it myself or add yogurt or sour cream for extra creaminess.
Method Three:
Lately, I’ve just been making pasta on our stovetop. I mix in pumpkin and pumpkin spice, salt, butter, and cheese, and it is very delicious and fall-y!
The awesome part about homemade macaroni and cheese is that it allows you to handpick your pasta type, whether it’s the shape or using whole wheat or gluten-free and customize your cheeses.
Other mac and cheese ideas:
–Add homemade breadcrumbs to the top!
–Mix in a bit of pumpkin to boost the nutrition a bit.
Gotta love this Brad Montague!