


Bone broth gives the mac and cheese plenty of umami Quick Tip: To give your boxed mac and cheese some added protein, stir in cooked chicken, ground beef, tofu, plant-based meat, or greek yogurt. Stinson recommends broccoli for mac and cheese purposes, but summer or winter squash, cauliflower, bell peppers, and peas also make excellent additions. This also allows you to clear out your vegetable crisper to reduce food waste," says recipe developer Taylor Stinson of The Girl on Bloor. "My favorite way to upgrade boxed mac and cheese is to add vegetables to make it a more nutritious option and to add fiber, which will make the dish more filling overall. The addition of vegetables to cooked mac and cheese will bring both a satiating boost and a pleasant textural crunch to the dish. Include vegetables for a nutritous crunchĪdding vegetables is a great way to add texture and use up leftover seasonal produce. Also, adding kefir to your boxed mac and cheese can add an extra thickness and a great sour taste," says Harper.

"Fermented organic kefir is packed with lactobacillus probiotic bacteria, and studies have shown this particular strain to have a wide range of digestive health benefits. Swap out regular milk for tangy kefirĪccording to editor Alicia Harper of ProbioticReviewGirl, replacing cow's milk with kefir (a type of milk made from fermented cow, sheep, or goat milk, which has a similar texture and flavor to very thin yogurt) delivers on both the health and the flavor front. But if you want even more cheesiness, go ahead and add another tablespoon. If the single tablespoon gets you the thicker and richer mac and cheese you crave, feel free to stop there. Stir until it's incorporated into the sauce and macaroni. "Start by adding one tablespoon of cream cheese," says founder and food blogger Michelle Adenle of My Morning Mocha. To lend a creamier texture and a hint of acidity to your boxed mac and cheese, look no farther than cream cheese. Stir in a tablespoon of cream cheese for a smooth texture and flavorful zing '//var node = document.getElementsByTagName('script') Gads.src = (useSSL ? 'https:' : 'http:') + Var gads = document.createElement('script')
