Boxed Mac n’ Cheese: Tonight’s Dinner

Boxed macaroni and cheese? Really? But it’s not that healthy, nor gourmet nor inventive!

Well, it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes food just needs to be comforting, especially on a day with bad weather or after a long work week. One serving of  macaroni and cheese out of the box, or maybe two, won’t kill you but if you still have reservations about it, I have a few ways in which to jazz it up without adding a bunch of fat.

Firstly, you can use low fat butter and skim milk in making macaroni n’ cheese. Sure it isn’t as rich, but it still tastes good and I’ve been using lower fat dairy in my cooking for years. Secondly, do not be afraid to spice it up. Add some black pepper at least (or white), smoked paprika, nutmeg, cayenne…even some garlic powder or minced fresh garlic might be nice to try.

Ok, so it might sound gross but it’s one of my favorite comforting foods of all, thanks to my mother. Cheese n’ Peas is what we call it in my family and that’s simply noodles with cheese and green peas. Frozen peas are wonderful for this since they are frozen at the very peak of their tiny, round, green perfection.  So, adding something green, like peas, broccoli florets or maybe even edamames would be delightful.

Diced tomatoes are also great to throw in and so are cubes of ham. Or, you can add more cheese! Shavings of smoked gouda, sprinkles of Parmesan.  You get the idea right?

You don’t want to try and make your boxed orange stuff gourmet- you just want to add that little something that is going to both improve taste and get some actual nutrition in your meal.

Get creative with your macaroni and cheese. I’d love to hear suggestions!

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