When people think about comfort foods from their formative years I would be comfortable saying almost all of them will say macaroni and cheese. And if they were one of the lucky ones, homemade macaroni and cheese! I’m not talking fresh made pasta made by hand, or anything. More like boxed macaroni, but with homemade cheese sauce instead of the cheese mix from a box.
I’ll Have Some Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Please
I have a few different comfort foods from my youth that bring huge smiles to my face and make me do the happy dance in my chair when I make them, like chili, tuna casserole, fried chicken, burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, gyros (I know, odd, but it works for me), tacos/nachos, and mac & cheese, of course! Many of my comfort foods were not homemade and utilized a lot of canned, boxed, and processed ingredients.
Of course, now that I’m older I know it’s best to make things from scratch. Does it surprise anyone to know I’ve Googled, found and enjoyed some great mac & cheese dishes? Yeah, I didn’t think so. If you’ve been around here long enough, you know I’m always trying new versions of my childhood favorites – especially with my future chef daughter!
It’s time head to the kitchen.
Creamy Baked Macaroni & Cheese
When thinking about your favorite childhood dishes, the creamier and cheesier the better! The Chunky Chef’s baked version definitely hits the spot. I think it’s the half and half, along with the Gruyere Cheese. Yum.
Homemade Mac and Cheese
I love the addition of fresh garlic in Love and Lemons pasta dish, plus the pecorino cheese really adds a little something special on top of the cheddar and gruyere cheeses.
Best Baked Mac & Cheese
Mel’s Kitchen Cafe’s baked mac and cheese recipe uses Monterey Jack cheese, plus a little dried mustard one of my favorites: parmesan cheese!
Four Cheese Mac ‘n Cheese
Four different cheeses go into the cheese sauce, plus a bit of parmesan on top! Oh For the Love of Food’s four cheese macaroni and cheese also includes heavy cream, too. You’ll love this one if you’re huge fan of all the cheeses!
Baked Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
Everything’s better with bacon, right? Especially dishes with cheese, and pasta.
Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese
Busy all day, and want a slow cooker option for some creamy, dreamy pasta swimming in cheese sauce? You’ll get it with Creme de la Crumb’s slow cooker recipe.
Cheeseburger Macaroni and Cheese
The Gingered Whisk’s cheeseburger macaroni and cheese combines all the good things about your favorite kind of burger with all the best parts of mac ‘n’ cheese! And, we all know I love all things ginger!
Spinach Mac & Cheese
When you want to add a bit of green to your pasta dish to help offset the indulgence of the starches and cheeses, throwing in a bit of spinach is a fantastic option! I adjust this recipe from Two Kooks in the Kitchen a bit, though. Frozen spinach is nice, but I prefer to use fresh spinach that I cook off with some onions and garlic. It adds a bit more flavor!
Greek Mac & Cheese
If you want aa little extra zing along with adding spinach, you can add Feta and make Scrummy Lane’s Greek Mac & Cheese.
Gluten Free Mac ‘N Cheese
Can’t do the whole gluten thing? Not a lover of spaghetti squash to replace pasta in pasta dishes? No worries, Let Them Eat Gluten Free Cake’s baked dish allows you to use gluten free pasta of your choice so you can enjoy your favorite comfort food your own way.
Whichever recipes speaks to you from this list, you’ll thoroughly enjoy it. And if you decide to make either of the spinach ones, consider cooking off fresh spinach instead of using frozen spinach. It makes such a huge flavor difference and is totally worth the couple of extra minutes to make it (plus you won’t have to remember to defrost it).
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