How to Make Kraft Mac & Cheese Better? [12 Ideas]
Kraft Mac and Cheese is an instant pasta brand that produces all kinds of mac and cheese variations. There are microwaveable packs, blue packs, and premium varieties. The best thing about Kraft Mac and Cheese is that you get a finger-licking cheesy dish in under 10 minutes. The only thing you need to do is to boil the macaroni and add the powdered sauce. Your dish will make itself for you, with your only assignment being to stir. However, Kraft Mac and Cheese, although already tasty as they are, may not be everyone’s cup of tea, as even the best things could use some improvement. So, how to make Kraft mac and Cheese better?
Adding butter, milk and cheddar, herbs, spices, heavy cream, oil and garlic powder, bacon bits, shredded chicken, mushrooms, onions, and hot dogs, and applying a different technique could improve Kraft Mac and Cheese to a great extent.
Even a great idea, such as Kraft Mac and Cheese, could use some sprucing up. As enjoyable as Kraft Mac and Cheese, why not make it even better? In the following paragraphs, I will give you some ideas on what you can add to your Kraft Mac and Cheese to make it unforgettably delicious. At the end of the article, I will share with you my personal best Kraft Mac & Cheese hack. Enjoy!
Herb Butter
When we are talking about improving pasta, any kind of pasta, and especially Kraft Mac and Cheese, adding butter is the first thing you need to rich for. Kraft Mac and Cheese are very juicy and creamy, but they may lack some fattiness, which makes them feel drier.
Therefore adding some butter to the instant sauce is an excellent idea to bring out the flavors. However, herb butter will make pasta creamy, as well as improve its taste.
Start with half a stick and try the taste. Adjust the quantity as you like it the best, but don’t go overboard.
Milk and Cheddar
The milk is unnecessary, as you will be adding the cheddar directly to the instant sauce, but it is desirable to have some extra creaminess. I recommend you grate the cheddar in warm milk and let it melt.
Once the mild and cheddar mixture homogenizes to the greatest possible extent, pour it into the powdered sauce and mix well. Add the macaroni inside the extra cheesy sauce and enjoy the result.
Herbs
If you want to improve the taste, but aren’t in the mood to put in a lot of effort, simply add some herbs to the water where you make the macaroni. Since the cooking time is short, you won’t feel much of the herbal taste rubbing off onto the macaroni. So, add the herbs to the water and let them boil for about ten minutes before you add the macaroni.
Cook the macaroni for the recommended time and watch them receive an irresistibly seductive herbal dimension. You can use whichever herbs you like best, but I would advise you to use dried oregano and basil.
Spices
When your sauce is nearly done, add some black pepper, salt, and curry to the mixture two-three minutes before you take it off the stove. Mix everything well and let it rest for about five minutes before adding the macaroni.
You will be amazed at how much these three spices can change and improve the flavor of Kraft Mac and Cheese. If curry is too strong for you, substitute it for turmeric.
Heavy Cream
If you like the taste of your Kraft Mac and Cheese, but you would like some extra creaminess without tampering with the flavor, go with heavy cream.
As little as half a cup can make all the difference in making your Kraft Mac and Cheese as smooth as silk. Pour the heavy cream slowly and constantly stir so that it reaches every nook and cranny of the Kraft Mac and Cheese.
You will get a delightful consistency, resembling a restaurant-quality creaminess, in just a few minutes without leaving your home and emptying your pocket.
Oil and Garlic Powder
You can go with fresh garlic as well. In a saucepan, heat up some oil and add the garlic powder inside. The oil and garlic powder combination will give your Kraft Mac and Cheese a Mediterranean dimension, enhancing the rest of the flavors already included in the dish.
Once you mix the oil and garlic, add the powdered sauce to the pan and stir, adding some extra elbow grease because the sauce will curdle if you are not careful. If you make everything right, which is not that hard anyway, you will undoubtedly enjoy your Kraft Mac and Cheese more than expected.
Bacon Bits
This idea list would be complete if I left out the good old bacon bits. Just throw a handful of bacon bits in the sauce and let them do their magic. Although they seem dry and crispy, the bacon bits still have some fattiness to contribute to the Kraft Mac and Cheese.
The bacon bits’ smoky flavor is a welcomed addition to the Kraft Mac and Cheese. The extra meatiness of the dish will delight you with each surprising bacon bit as you clean your plate.
Shredded Chicken
No matter what dish you want to enrich, you can never go wrong with shredded chicken. Whether you shred a drum or a piece of chicken breast, you will make the right decision. Add the shredded chicken to the pan while making the sauce, and let the meat soak up the sauce juices.
The chicken flavor will also imprint on the sauce, so even if the meat quantity is not very large, your sauce will still be rich and meaty.
Mushrooms
Even though very particular in taste, aroma, and texture, mushrooms are a surprisingly versatile type of food. Therefore, if you want to give your Kraft Mac and Cheese an earthy and rich flavor while intensifying the rest of the flavors.
Chop some mushrooms, any kind you want. You can use fresh, dried, or marinated mushrooms as well. Sizzle them in oil before adding the powdered sauce, mixing everything well. Even a mushroom crème will do nicely.
You will definitely enjoy the result, as mushrooms tend to not only give flavor but also style to the dish they are in.
Onions
Working great anywhere from salads to heavily cooked dishes to fast food and pizza, onions will fit excellent in your Kraft Mac and Cheese story. Sizzle some onion rings in hot oil before adding the powdered sauce.
The sizzled onion rings will also cook with the sauce, contributing not only in taste but in texture. They will thicken the sauce consistency and significantly enrich the overall texture of the dish.
Hot Dogs
There’s nothing as wholesome and warm as little hot dog circles in your mac and Cheese. Slice them in medium thick circles and let them fry before adding the sauce. The hot dog circles will release meatiness and fattiness into the sauce that won’t go unnoticed.
Technique
There is a trick to making your Kraft Mac and Cheese non-sticky and more delicious, even if you don’t add anything.
After you cook and strain the macaroni:
- Bring them back to the water you cooked.
- Spill about three-quarters of the macaroni water and add them inside.
- Stir them well and let them sit there while you make the sauce.
Add the macaroni and water to the sauce. Stir and mix everything well again. You will be amazed at how well your Kraft Mac and Cheese will turn out by using this simple technique.
Improved Kraft Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Kraft Macaroni and Cheese box
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp dry oregano or chives
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp ham bits or salami bits
- 3 tbsp grated Gouda cheese
- 3 pieces pickles
Instructions
- Cook the mac and cheese following what it says on the back of the package for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Drain the pasta. Stir in heavy cream, butter, cheese sauce mix from the box, dry oregano, grated Gouda cheese, sliced pickles, and ham bits.
- Mix well and serve!
