How Do You Jazz up Mac N Cheese?

We add chopped cauliflower. You can't taste it. =D

*ADDED* I forgot to mention that we also add spaghetti sauce and chili powder. =D That's what we're having tonight too. =)

I put broccoli or any veggies and bake it in muffin cups, I call em mac n cheese cupcakes. I goes over so well the broccoli offense is forgotten!

I added scrambled ground beef at times, also chopped ham and broccoli, plus you can use different kinds and combinations of cheeses to make it more interesting and tasty.....I would finely chop whatever cooked vegetables I added........tuna and baby peas would be good too. Yum!

Puree half cup butternut squash or cauliflower and add it in when you add your cheese. He won't be able to taste it but it will definitely give it the healthy kick you are looking for. We also like to add in some frozen vegetables.

hee hee. My 4 year old is OBSESSED with mac n cheese and would also eat it every night if I let her. I also make it myself except on very rare occasions when I am too lazy or rushed and use a box. I do not let her have it as often as she wants either! But things I do to add to it are either chopped up broccoli, or tiny chicken meatballs. My girls don't like it too "jazzy". I saw some of the answers and was surprised, I guess some people's kids are a little more daring than mine!

Peas and ham
Chili Powder, whole canned tomato, tomato sauce, and ground beef (chili-mac)
Broccoli
Bacon and cheddar
Sun dried tomato and crushed bacon
Four cheese sauce
Souffleed/casserole style with bread crumbs baked on top
Velveeta, butter, and milk instead of regular cheese with a rue sauce
Season with garlic and mustard (Grey Poupon)
Sprinkle layer of parmesean reggiano or asiago cheese on top
Meatballs and three cheese sauce
Season with 2-3 Tablespoons of basil pesto or sundried tomato pesto

We put in a pound of cooked hamburger meat & a can of Rotel tomatoes. It's one of my children's favorite meals.

Also a can of drained tuna tastes great in there, even my kids say so.

I like to add Emeril's Essence when I make it myself, and then top it with fresh tomatoes when it comes out of the oven :).

We add Tuna and Peas to ours. Yumm!!

Sometimes I sprinkle with garlic salt to make a slightly different taste.

I add nutmeg for plain mac. Other times I add a teaspoon of mustard powder, and a big splash of worcestershire. My kids don't mind because it isn't spicy but it adds some zip.
If you want to make it healthier we often add 1/2 cup of pureed cauliflower or sweet potato or butternut squash.
My kids always want peas in it.

Either peas, broccoli, tuna and ham are all quick easy additions. Even when you use a box it's NO trouble to throw in a handful of frozen peas or broccoli.

In Fact, anytime you make mac-n-cheese, casseroles or soups always chec your left overs to see if any of them would be a yummy addition

For homemade you can change up the cheese and or the pasta shapes--Wacky Mac is always fun!

ham, veggies, hot dogs, tuna, hamburger

I'm not reading all of the responses you've gotten, but have you ever tried to put a can of diced tomatoes, or better yet a can of Ro-Tel? It adds color, flavor & jazziness all in one! ;)

I either add bacon or hotdogs and peas.

Although this may not be something you would like we actually add salsa to our mac n cheese. Maybe it would make it better if we used homemade salsa.... but it tastes pretty good. I think it gives the mac n cheese a little "kick"

You can put some peas in it or broccoli ... try using different cheeses to mix it up a bit ... good luck.

I am late to respond, but a quick and easy dinner for us is to add ground turkey and corn. I use healthy noodles and velveeta to make my make and cheese.

I always boil the pasta with 2 bay leaves and fresh ground pepper.

I usually don't do much as the kids like it plain and simple.

But I have added: lots of cottage cheese, or I add in chopped broccoli to the pasta the last minute or so to parboil it.

I just serve the veggies on the side. No one else eats it in our family but the kids.

I make what we call western mac. I add ground turkey or smoked sausage, onions, spaghetti sauce, celery, tomatoes and corn to the finished mac & cheese.

I make Mexican mac and cheese. It's a little spicy but my hubby loves it. I came up with it one day out of boredom. If you want it let me know.

haven't read hte rest of hte responses... but... i love to add hamburger, corn, and old elpaso taco seasoning. :) it makes it into a really good hamber helper type thing. :) its my favorite.

Sometimes I add a lil' nutmeg in the cheese and then some breadcrumbs and sliced tomato on top.

I love my mac and cheese just like it is. With a side of green beans and bread&butter.

I know I am late in responding but I do not see this on your responses and I love recipes and to cook. I brown 1lb of hamburger w/ chopped or minced onion and garlic. Drain make mac-n-cheese as driected, mix w/ hamburger and add one can cream mushroom soup w/ one can of milk (may add a little more if need to) add salt and pepper, season salt we add some cajun spice (sprinkle enough for a little kick) stir until bubbly and you have home made hamburger helper! My sons favorite! it even tastes better the next day re-heated! Enjoy!

First off, I use a little Tony's seasoning when cooking it. Don't use so much to make it "hot" since he probably wouldn't like it, just to change the flavor some.

And I add in small chunks of broccoli. Gets coated in the cheese and is sooo yummy :)

My mom likes to put 'leftover' baked ham pieces in it but b/c we (me & hubby) don't always have baked ham available, we use sandwich ham & how we do it is just rip up the ham pieces & put that in when you drain the pasta & do the cheese part & just let it heat up while you're letting the cheese/butter/milk melt & blend. Sooo yummy. Good luck.

It's a pretty easy recipe, not from the box, but not hard either. It's a Pampered Chef recipe that I LOVE called BLT Mac-n-Cheese. It's bacon, leeks (which sounds weird, but isn't) and tomato. Here's the link to the recipe. I hope you enjoy it. My 3 year old eats it (picks out the leeks, but because she thinks it's salad and for some reason won't touch lettuce - ha ha). Let me know if you try it!
http://www.savingwithshellie.com/2008/12/31/recipe-blt-ma...

We have added tuna fish, mushrooms, green peppers & green of mushroom soup to our mac 'n cheese. Sometimes we add all of the ingredients and other times, we only add one or a few. I don't care of tuna fish by itself, but it is delicious in the mac 'n cheese. Sometimes we bake it and sometimes we just do it on the stove top.

Mix in veggies like cauliflower and squash. When it's covered in cheese you can barely taste it/see it and my son devours everything. Also try different types of cheese like white cheese or 4 cheese macaroni. Try baking it, too. That's good for some variety. There's a cheese-veggie bake that my husband's grandmother makes and it tastes like macaroni but it is made with broccoli and cauliflower and it's DELISH! I don't have the recipe but I'm sure you could google it.

I add grilled chicken and broccoli to mine :)

salsa and ground meat

Peas and/or tuna. diced carrots that cook along with the noodles.

my kids love it with ground beef or ground turkey. you can add in peas

For a pot luck dinner once, I did a 3-cheese mac and cheese and mixed in some chopped chipotle in adobo (a little goes a long way), and sprinkled garlic bread crumbs on top - it was a HUGE hit with both the kids and adults. I'm pretty sure I got the recipe on epicurious.com, if you want to search for it.

Ok, so here is our jazzy mac n cheese ... we add Pesto Sauce, fresh spinach a touch of light mayo and shredded 2% mexican blend cheese and sometimes gluten free chicken sausage

We like Kraft for this one: When you are cooking the noodles add the spinach about one or two min before they are done cooking so have a lot of water and a larger pot, you can pre bake the chicken sausage and add later. Mix the noodles and spinach after draining but not rinsing with a dollop of mayo, the cheese package and milk, (mayo replaces butter here) we like a LOT of pesto sauce the chicken sausage if you like and the shredded cheese. We also add warschesecer sauce, red pepper flakes and cracked pepper AFTER we give our son his portion. This is something you can have fun with ... chili is also a good add on to mac n cheese! Just a can of chili and the mac n cheese (we like velveeta for this).
You can also add a can of Veg All and goldfish ... we like to top it with a hot dog that has been sliced into "octopus legs" leaving about an inch at the top ... boil the legs so they look like an octopus and use ketchup/mustard for the face!

Yes tuna and peas or hamburger! And crush up kettle or tim's cascade original chips on top then add crumbled bacon, it's like the yummiest Mac and cheese casserole ever :) an I like white cheddar too!

Edamame - gives the mac & cheese a nice crunch, also has a yummy taste (my 4 yr old and 2 yr old both LOVE edamame). You can buy it shelled or cook it and squeeze out of the pods yourself.

Langosteen - Trader Joe sells bags of frozen langosteen - basically tiny lobster tails. Much cheaper than lobster though and a great way to glam up your mac & cheese! I thaw the langosteen and then saute quickly in a little bit of butter and garlic, then add to the warm mac & cheese & stir.

Also I always add a little garlic powder to any pasta I make the kids for a little extra flavor. They love it.

i put carmelized shallots and feta cheese on top!

It sounds kind of gross, but the kids love it! Make a can of sloppy joe mix as directed (so...add one lb of ground beef or turkey!), it in the mac and cheese, and then serve on toast!

Or pour the sloppy joe mix in the center of the mac and cheese (think bulls eye affect) and serve in bowls.

MMM mac & cheese! We have added frozen veggies (mixed bag)- we just throw them in with the noodles to cook! they are delicious, and a great way to sneak in some "health" food.

Also, ground meat (we use lean beef or bison) makes a yummy "cheeseburger macaroni".

Lean spam (hey, i like spam so shush!), grilled chicken or turkey meat, hot dogs, italian sausage... mmm.

Tuna fish is really good too! I suspect crab, salmon, or grilled shrimp would be delicious! hmm- I ought to try that!

I also like to add a little mustard OR ranch dressing to alter the flavor. We like spicy foods in this family, so a dash of habenero sauce or sriracha is delicious too!

anything that goes well with cheese on a sandwich will probably be yummy in mac and cheese! Get creative and try it!

-M.!

My daughter loves "tuna mac & cheese". I use Velveeta Shells & Cheese lol I add a can of tuna, can of peas, and sometimes some broccoli. She loves it & it's so easy to make, all in one pan : )

Throw a can of chili con carne over the top for Chili Mac, one of our camping favorites. Use white cheddar and parmesan in the cheese sauce. Make mac and cheese, pour into a 9x13 pan, top with buttered bread crumbs or shredded cheddar and broil. Use bow tie pasta, thin strips of ham or bacon, white sauce and parmesan added before serving.

I make a baked mac and cheese that is awesome. My kiddos like it too.

1 lb pasta
1 can diced tomatoes
1 sm onion
1/2 stick butter
1 block velveeta

Cook pasta al dente. Sautee chopped onion in butter till cooked through. Add can of diced tomatoes - add juice too. Sautee for about 5 mins. Cut velvetta in smaller blocks and melt into onion/tomato mixture. Pour melted cheese onto cooked pasta and mix. Grease 9x13 pan, add pasta, top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 for about 20 mins. YUMMY!!

My fav combos are bacon/tomato and chicken/broccoli.
I like to bread my chicken and then bake in the oven, I also liked grilled.
Ocassionally I will throw in black olives and parmesan cheese (real).