Looking to take your boxed mac and cheese to the next level? In this video, Nicole shares three creative ways to upgrade this classic comfort food. From the savory Mac & Cheese Cowboy Cups to the hearty Broccoli Bacon Chicken Mac & Cheese Casserole, and the indulgent Breakfast Mac & Cheese, these recipes will transform your pantry staple into a delicious, crowd-pleasing meal.
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00:00I'll give you one clue about what we're doing today.
00:03Boxed mac and cheese.
00:04I'm gonna show you three ways
00:05that we can turn this shortcut into something special.
00:08Sometimes you just need a little starting point
00:11when it comes to being creative in the kitchen,
00:12and everyone loves mac and cheese,
00:14so why not start there?
00:16First thing I'm making are mac and cheese cowboy cups.
00:21These make a great dinner that your kids would love,
00:24but also a perfect little party appetizer.
00:27We all know how it starts.
00:28Dump the boxes in some boiling water.
00:30While our pasta cooks, I've got the second part to it,
00:34which is the taco meat.
00:35So this is just some ground meat
00:37that I've seasoned with a taco seasoning packet.
00:39Once the meat is cooked with your taco seasoning,
00:41you just wanna add in some red onion.
00:43I wanna add this afterwards
00:44because I still want it to have some crunch to it.
00:46And then also a can of Rotel,
00:49and I'm adding in the juice too.
00:50It's always good to have a few convenience products
00:53in your pantry.
00:54You wanna cook it at least two or three minutes less
00:56than what it says on the package,
00:58because we're going to cook it again.
00:59You don't want it to be mush.
01:01The ingredients are always the same.
01:03Milk, butter, and the packet.
01:05Come on back, come on back.
01:07You just wanna add in your butter.
01:08Now, 50 to 100% more butter than what it calls for.
01:12It's gonna deliver more flavor.
01:14And then your milk.
01:15If you want like a richer mac and cheese
01:17to your boxed mac and cheeses,
01:19you could do half and half,
01:20but at least whole milk for me.
01:24There's that color.
01:28And that right there is what we call nostalgia.
01:36The smell, the look, and the taste.
01:39And we're going to combine the two.
01:43Amp up that taco flavor.
01:45Smells good already.
01:48Our cheese is gonna act as our glue,
01:50hopefully to hold this all together.
01:52Also, hopefully create a little crust around the edges.
01:55All right, grease your muffin tin.
01:58And then you wanna like make a little hole in it
02:00so it can hold our good stuff later.
02:03All right, so you wanna work to really press
02:05the mac and cheese around the cups
02:07just so they hold together.
02:08And then this goes into the oven at 400 degrees.
02:11You want it pretty hot because everything is cooked.
02:13We're just trying to crisp it up a little bit
02:15and then we'll finish it off.
02:17It's gonna be a good one.
02:19Mm-hmm, told you.
02:22If the little cup closed up a little bit,
02:24you can just, look how good those look.
02:27Ooh, these need to sit a minute.
02:29That way they will hold together better.
02:30If I just try to pull them out when they're this hot,
02:33they're gonna fall apart.
02:34So they do need to cool a little bit.
02:36But this is the fun part.
02:37If you were serving this for dinner,
02:38you could just put these out with the toppings
02:40or if you're doing it for an appetizer,
02:42go ahead and top them in the fun kind of taco-y way.
02:45All right, I like a little sour cream.
02:47Some pickled jalapeno.
02:49And then finally, a little cilantro.
02:52You could also do some hot sauce or taco sauce.
02:55And those are our little taco cups.
02:58Of course, you can eat these with a fork
02:59or just go all in.
03:03Mm, there's so much going on.
03:06You are not concerned at all
03:08that this started with a box of mac and cheese.
03:10You know what I mean?
03:11You just need to do it.
03:12For my next trick,
03:14have you ever had mac and cheese for breakfast
03:16or breakfast for dinner?
03:17You're about to.
03:18So I'm gonna brown off just some breakfast sausage.
03:21Going straight in.
03:24The ultimate one-pan meal.
03:29As you add this in, scrape up the flavor off the bottom.
03:32And then as this cooks,
03:34the macaroni is going to absorb that liquid.
03:36It's gonna get really rich and creamy.
03:38And then wait till you see how I finish it off.
03:39Once it comes up to a simmer, just occasional stirring.
03:43This takes less time to cook the mac and cheese this way
03:47rather than waiting on the water to boil
03:49and then adding your macaroni in.
03:51Let's turn it into breakfast.
03:53All right, I'm gonna turn the heat like probably off.
03:56Stir in some of that real cheese.
03:59And now we're gonna give it some shakshuka vibes.
04:02Gonna create little wells in here.
04:04Crack some eggs.
04:05I'm gonna take a little more cheese
04:07and just kind of put it around just to make it pretty.
04:11Just a little bit of salt on the egg.
04:12Put it right into the oven
04:14just to cook it until there's white set.
04:17Oh, that's heavy.
04:20That looks like breakfast slash dinner
04:22and I love breakfast for dinner.
04:25I'm gonna finish it with a little green onion.
04:28Crack a pepper on those eggs.
04:31And I can't help myself.
04:35That's a breakfast, a brunch.
04:39I don't know that I've ever mixed eggs
04:40with my mac and cheese, but I'm into it.
04:46Mm.
04:51That sausage, that hot sauce, egg adds a little richness,
04:55especially when that yolk kind of hits that mac and cheese.
04:59I cooked off some bacon for the final thing.
05:02This is the ultimate.
05:03This is how you turn this into dinner.
05:07I'm calling this one
05:08Loaded Bacon Ranch Mac and Cheese Casserole.
05:13These are really like my go-tos,
05:15but I'm gonna keep it consistent and go with this,
05:18but I am doing the white cheddar shells
05:21just to fix it up a bit.
05:23The box says cook eight to 10 minutes.
05:27I'm gonna start with five
05:28because it's gonna get a second cook.
05:31Gonna chop up my bacon.
05:33I'm going in with some white and yellow sharp cheddar.
05:36Use whatever you've got
05:37or whatever you wanna use here, okay?
05:38This is really gonna just boost the flavor.
05:41Also gonna add in some green onions.
05:43So, if you have any leftover rotisserie chicken
05:46or whatever, that's also going in, okay?
05:49It's all going in.
05:50Also gonna use a little bit of cream cheese.
05:52You wanna be sure it's softened.
05:55And our prep is done.
05:56About to drain the pasta.
05:57In with the noodles.
06:00Also in with the cream cheese.
06:02In with our packets.
06:05Butter.
06:05Oh, and milk.
06:06Using those packets really just make the process easier.
06:10There's no, like, technique to it.
06:13I'm gonna go in with most of our cheese.
06:15I'm gonna save a little bit for the top.
06:17Our green onions and our bacon.
06:19Going in with about two cups of chicken.
06:21It's called chicken bacon ranch.
06:24Get that going.
06:28Come on, that looks like dinner.
06:30Some sour cream.
06:32Dinner's about to be served.
06:34Spray.
06:36I love a casserole that has that crunchy,
06:38like, breadcrumb topping.
06:40So, I'm gonna do that.
06:42Add some melted butter to the breadcrumbs.
06:44Cracked pepper.
06:47Your family is going to devour this.
06:49I'm gonna put this in at 400 degrees,
06:51so pretty high heat.
06:52Again, because everything's cooked,
06:53we just want everything bubbly and crisp, you know?
06:57Dinner's about to be served.
06:59Things like this are my guilty pleasure.
07:02Like, I don't know.
07:03I don't know what to do with this.
07:04It's my guilty pleasure.
07:05Like, I love a casserole like this.
07:10Just has it all going on.
07:11I just love it.
07:14A thousand percent, I, or anyone I cook this for,
07:18would not know this started from a box.
07:20We added so much other stuff to it
07:23that it really freshens it up.
07:24Does not, you know, taste anything artificial.
07:27All tastes real rich, creamy, salty.
07:31Get that crunch from that top.
07:33And the broccoli still, like,
07:34has a little bit of fresh crunch to it.
07:36Restaurant quality mac and cheese, straight out of the box.
07:39I know what my kids are having for dinner tonight.
07:45I think we nailed it.
07:45From breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, whatever,
07:49you can make a whole lot from a simple shortcut.
07:52You've seen how I hacked the Mac.
07:54What's your favorite thing to do to upgrade mac and cheese?
07:57Let me know in the comments below.
07:59Always love learning new tips.