Macaroni and cheese with flavor? (cayenne pepper, crab, minced onion, baked)

[clevergirl67]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

Does anyone have a grownup Mac and cheese recipe with lots of flavor?

I don't use a roux; instead I use Mexican Velveeta and Neufchatel as the base, then add shredded smoked Gouda and Gruyère. To me, plain roux is what makes mac & cheese bland.

Then before I mix in the cooked pasta (cavatappi not quite al dente in salty water), I liberally add fresh ground black pepper and Cavender's seasoning. I let the noodles cook the rest of the way while in the sauce.

At the end when I'm ready to serve (this recipe is not baked, it's very creamy), I have fresh chopped colored bell peppers on the side for sprinkling on top for a zesty crunch.

[burdell]

I'm curious if anyone ever uses Muenster cheese in Mac & ? I make a sandwich on sourdough with Mesquite smoked turkey, Muenster cheese, roasted piquillo peppers, olive tapenade, Dijon mustard and grill it. I like the way the Muenster melts on the sandwich so I'm curious how it'd be with Mac.

[jlawrence01]

Three things add flavor:

Crumbled blue cheese
Teaspoon of dry mustard or Dijon mustard itself
Cheyenne pepper

[harry chickpea]

Add a vote to mustard, however it gets added. It does something the heat from hot sauces doesn't.

[jaxrivers]

Hard to say without seeing the recipe.

Also if you haven't had it all these years just making it for the first time, maybe your palate has changed.

Try Chik Fil A and see if you like THEIRS. Then you know it's the sodium. (I just had it after dental work for the first time)

I tried Wawa and it was yuk.

I would NEVER EVER add stuff like blue cheese, jalopeno, hickory, garlic hot sauce etc because to me that's not Mac and Cheese.

I guess maybe onions wouldn't be horrible.

Maybe you just need more salt. And EXTRA sharp. I use practically no salt in my food and won't even do a taste of Velveeta it tastes so salty to me So everyone's different.

I make my grandmothers baked, which uses evaporated milk, a roux and cheese that's it. And uses the bare minimum of water for the macaroni.

Serious EAts and Alton Brown have the most simple all stove top verson:

6 ounces (170g) elbow macaroni
Salt
6 ounces (180ml) evaporated milk
6 ounces (170g) grated mild or medium cheddar cheese, or any good melting cheese, such as Fontina, Gruyère, or Jack

[elnina]

M&C doesn't have to be plain or bland.
Adding more seasoning helps, and/or chopped vegetables (spinach, broccoli, carrots, bell pepper etc. also for the color).

I had great M&C with roasted onions and bacon bits...

Brown butter mentioned here - a real game changer for many dishes:
https://www.southernliving.com/food/...-cheese-better

You can also add some dinner leftover, nicely chopped...

See if a little smoked flavor will do it - add smoked Gouda.

Experiment with adding an egg:
https://eriestreetpub.com/how-adding...he-next-level/

Or feta cheese (warm, melting feta cheese is delightful!)

Try it and report back

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

I made some once with hickory smoked cheddar that came out pretty good.

Oh, that sounds amazing!

[elnina]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Add a vote to mustard, however it gets added. It does something the heat from hot sauces doesn't.

Yes! As long isn't the neon yellow sort

[tnff]

Never been much of a mac and cheese fan because it's very bland by it's nature. But among those, the only ones I've liked have been baked with a nice brown crust on top and side, almost like a Detroit style pizza edge. It's that "brown food tastes good" thing I think.

[Lodestar]

I like to serve it with a sprinkle of fresh, cracked black pepper on top. Looks good and adds that little something.