What's a good way to make macaroni and cheese?

Question

Is there anything that's good to add to macaroni and cheese? I'm thinking of putting ham in but what's something you like putting in your mac?

Answer 1

ham is great or hot dogs.....

also broccoli is good

sometimes i top mine with bacon

And the best topping on earth is Frenches Fried  Onions

Answer 2

roasted garlic

sauteed shallots or very mild Vidalia onions

cooked and crumbled bacon

ham is good, too

tomato dices

BEST EVER MAC & CHEESE

1 head of garlic, roasted

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound Cavatappi pasta

½ pound sliced Applewood smoked bacon

1 ½ cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

8 tablespoons butter

¼ cup minced shallots

½ cup flour

1 quart whole milk

6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  To roast garlic: Slice ½ inch off the top of the entire head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap garlic head tightly in a square of heavy foil and roast until tender — about 45 minutes. Remove garlic pulp by squeezing garlic head. Smash cloves with a fork to form a paste.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions.

4.  Cook bacon completely. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Crumble bacon when cool.

5.  To make topping: Combine breadcrumbs, crumbled bacon, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Set aside.

6.  Preheat oven to 375°.

7.  Sauté shallots over low heat in reserved bacon fat for one minute. Add remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and continue to sauté shallots in butter and bacon fat until translucent.

8.  Add flour and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Stirring constantly with a whisk, add milk and roasted garlic paste.

9.  Cook until sauce is thickened (coats the back of a spoon). Remove sauce from heat then add salt, pepper, nutmeg, Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

10. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle topping to cover entire top. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until sauce is bubbly and topping is browned. Enjoy!

--Laura Macek, Emeril’s Good Morning American Mac & Cheese Competition WINNER

Answer 3

You could add hot dogs, tuna, hamburger, most any type of meat, peas would be good, too.

Answer 4

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups good quality shredded cheddar cheese

1. cook macaroni according to package directions and set aside

2. in a sauce pan add butter and flour and cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring....(it will form a paste)

3. add the salt, pepper, milk and cream and bring to a boil, then simmer until it thickens (7-10 minutes) Always stirring constantly

4. add cheese and blend until melted

5. Remove from heat and stir in the macaroni

6. Tranfer to a baking dish, and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top.

7. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees until the top is browned

Answer 5

Hambooger

Answer 6

BAKED IS THE BEST !

    * 4 cups (1 pound) elbow macaroni

    * 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

    * 4 cups milk

    * 1/2 medium onion, stuck with 1 clove

    * 4 cloves garlic

    * 1 bay leaf

    * 3 sprigs fresh thyme

    * 1 teaspoon dry mustard

    * 2 cups grated Cheddar, plus 1 cup in big chunks

    * 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

    * 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella

    * Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

[edit] Steps

[edit] Recipe 1

   1. Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until done, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and toss it with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.

   2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

   3. Coat a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter and set it aside. Put the milk into a saucepan and add the clove studded onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and mustard. Warm over medium low heat until the milk starts to steam, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the flavors infuse while you make the roux. In a large pot over medium heat add 2 tablespoons butter and the flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 to 3 minutes; don't let the roux color. Strain the infused milk onto the roux, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thick.

   4. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 the grated Cheddar, 1/2 the Parmesan, and 1/2 the Mozzarella; stir until it is melted and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour this over the macaroni, add the chunks of Cheddar, and mix until well blended; put this into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheeses evenly over the top. Bake until the top is golden and crusty, about 25 to 30 minutes.

[edit] Recipe 2

   1. Boil water with 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of butter in large pot.

   2. Add 1 lb. of elbow macaroni and stir frequently to prevent sticking.

   3. Cook until almost done.

   4. Drain through a strainer.

   5. Stir in 1 pound of shredded Colby jack cheese, 1/2 lb. of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 4 tablespoons of salted butter and 3 cups of whole milk.

   6. Stir thoroughly.

   7. Place mixture into a greased (with butter) corning ware or Pyrex dish.

   8. Top with 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and bake uncovered in oven at 400 degrees for forty minutes.

   9. Remove from oven and let sit to set for at least thirty minutes.

  10. Serve and enjoy!

Answer 7

my grandma makes the BEST mac n cheese: canned milk, velveeta  mac n cheese noodles, and block cheese cut in squares...and there ya go just wait till its all done and stir

Answer 8

NANA'S TOMATO & CHEESE MACARONI

Printed from COOKS.COM

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2 cups macaroni

1 quarts tomatoes

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp celery seed

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions. Spoon 1/3 of can of tomatoes into a well greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix the remaining tomatoes with spices. Stir in the macaroni, combine well, and pour into an oven-proof casserole dish. Top with grated cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

***OPTIONAL*** stir in 1/2 c cheese with tomatoes & spices for extra cheesy mac.

Submitted by: Shannon

Answer 9

southwest mac and cheese

2 1/3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni or cavatappi pasta (8 ounces)

1 cup Old El Paso® salsa (any variety)

1 1/2 cups milk

1 can (14.75 ounces) Green Giant® cream-style corn

1 can (11 ounces) Green Giant® Mexicorn® whole kernel corn with red and green peppers

8 ounces process cheese product loaf, cubed

1. Mix all ingredients except cheese in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat.

2. Cover and simmer 10 to 14 minutes, stirring frequently, until macaroni is tender. Stir in cheese until melted.

Answer 10

if you want some home made mac n cheese, get some noodles (pick your favorite) i like shells. use about two to three cups of noodles and get them to cooking. boil the water, get em good and ready. once you do that, i like to use the shredded cheese bags, like the kind you can use to make mini pizzas, the best i had was a kraft three cheese blend. get the noodles drained, then add to the noodles about a half a cup to a cup of milk(depends on how runny you like your sauce) then sprinkle in the shredded cheese, while mixing the noodles and milk and cheese together. the cheese will melt as it gets mixed up, and once you get it all mixed up, you can add a couple hotdogs, minced up into tiny pieces, how fine you want is up to you.  

Answer 11

onions

ground beef

chicken

hotdogs

ham

sausage

pork chops

leftover steak

leftover roast

canned tuna fish

various spices

i have put all these thing into macaroni and cheese, (separately)... and cooked before adding of course.

Answer 12

Mac & cheese, yummy.  Ask any two cooks for a receipe & you'll get three answers.  As for additions try these:

onions & celery, (saute first)

Ham

Spam

Hot dogs

any kind of smoked sausage

canned tuna

my daughter likes to add chopped apples, but that's not one I like.

Answer 13

go to www.foodnetwork.com..use the search engine. lots of recipes for it.