How to Improve Your Boxed Mac and Cheese

I’ve eaten my fair share, mostly out of convenience and budget. Short of making homemade mac and cheese, it had me wondering: Could I bring the boxed stuff up a notch?

What inspired this thought was the mention of Trader Joe’s French Onion Macaroni & Cheese (which you can find in their freezer section) in a meeting. Could simply adding caramelized onions to my box of Annie’s make that big of a difference?

So, I tried both. I know, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

The Trader Joe's version was pretty good, but there was a feeling in my brain that adding my own caramelized onions would be better than this frozen version.

I had some leftover caramelized onions, made using Lan Lam’s superquick method in her Caramelized Onions recipe, so I added them to my white cheddar Annie’s. They definitely elevated the humble mac, and added the wonderful sweetness that comes with them.

Now that I had gotten a taste of next-level boxed mac and cheese, I couldn’t stop. My first instincts were to add in some frozen veggies, pieces of leftover rotisserie chicken, cream cheese, or maybe some toasted breadcrumbs.

But I knew that our experts on staff would have some more great ideas. Here are some of their suggestions.

• “I love boxed mac with chopped broccoli and tuna salad all mixed in together.” — Amanda Luchtel, Test Cook, Cook’s Country
• “It will come as a surprise to no one that I add bacon or sausage to mine. I once made mac and cheese with Impossible brand sausage, and it was quite delicious.” — Morgan Bolling, Deputy Food Editor, Cook’s Country
• “My hubby and I have enjoyed adding in crispy pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil/parsley at the end. I also sometimes stir in smoked salmon and capers. This combo is best with white cheddar.” — Carmen Dongo, Test Cook, Books
• “My son sometimes stirs in a little canned chipotle in adobo, or sometimes just chipotle powder, for a spicy, smoky version.” — Scott Kathan, Deputy Editor, Cook’s Country
• “We always add real cheese to our boxed mac and cheese. We also often sauté garlicky spinach and stir it in. Also, blistered cherry tomatoes make a nice addition!” — Steph Pixley, Deputy Food Editor, Books
• “Flat Iron Pepper Co. pepper flakes or Trader Joe’s Ghost Pepper flakes are my #1 go-to regardless of the recipe. If I am feeling low effort, just mixing in some Boursin cheese makes it 10 times better. I also love microwaving cut and peeled butternut squash then blending it to a puree and mixing it in for a sweeter, more autumn mac and cheese, then topping it with chili crunch.” — Emily Rahravan, Assistant Editor, Books
• “Stir in a dollop of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt at the end. It makes it tangy and supercreamy.” — Brenna Donovan, Associate Editor, Books
• “I had leftover keema from recipe testing, and the results were amazing. Also, you could melt butter in a skillet, add your favorite spice blend, add panko, and toast. Then sprinkle over top.” — Lan Lam, Senior Editor, Cook’s Illustrated
• “My standards are chopped browned hot dogs or kielbasa stirred in and butter-toasted panko on top. Sometimes chopped drained kimchi stirred in too!” — Jessica Rudolph, Associate Editor, Cook’s Country