10 ways to make homemade mac & cheese

If your family is anything like ours, we love macaroni and cheese. Having three boys, you can never go wrong with mac and cheese!  Although we’ve switched to homemade macaroni and cheese, we always find new ways to make it. I wanted to share 10 ways you can make homemade macaroni and cheese to add a little variety to your family’s dinner life.

Homemade Crockpot Mac & Cheese

Add cream cheese, cheddar cheese, 2 cups of milk, salt and pepper to a crock pot and allow it to melt. Cook a box of elbow macaroni and cheese on stove and add to the crock pot. Mix together and allow it to cook for about an hour while everything melts together. This is one creamy and delicious meal.

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese + Sausage

One of my favorite meals growing up as a child was macaroni and cheese and hotdogs. Of course, we’re finding out how unhealthy hotdogs can be, so we add hormone free sausage to homemade macaroni and cheese.

Homemade Five Cheese Mac

Typical macaroni and cheese only has one or two types of cheese with it. I always grab at least five different varieties from the grocery store. I cook the macaroni on the stove top, grab a baking pan, and layer macaroni and five different cheese. Add a cup of milk to allow the macaroni and cheese to stay moist as it bakes. Of course, we bake it to allow the cheese to get golden brown!

Homemade Mac & Cheese with Ham

If you love homemade macaroni and cheese already, try adding small chopped up pieces of ham to it. This is truly a delectable way to enjoy your favorite meal with a twist.

Cork Screw Noodles

I always like to change up the noodles we use in our homemade macaroni and cheese. Instead of using traditional elbow macaroni, I try to use cork screw noodles every now and again. The kids love it.

Add Broccoli to Homemade Mac & Cheese

If you’re struggling to get veggies into your family’s diet, then consider adding broccoli. All you need to do is steam the broccoli or cook it with your elbow macaroni and you’re set to go. Just add the cheese!

Macaroni and Cheese with Chicken

I love traditional homemade macaroni and cheese, but I like it as a main dish as well. To make it more fulfilling I add cut up chicken breasts to the homemade mac and cheese recipe. It’s truly mouth-watering!

Using Different Colored Noodles

Every once in a while I like to throw my kids for a loop and use different colored noodles in their macaroni and cheese. You can use natural ingredients like spinach or broccoli to give the noodles a slight tinted color. If I do this, I also keep the sauce on the side to keep the meal fun.

Add Red and Green Peppers

My family likes things a little colorful and healthy! That’s when I decided to add red and green peppers and chicken to our homemade macaroni and cheese, very flavorful and healthy.

Traditional Homemade Mac & Cheese

If you’re still trying to master the homemade macaroni and cheese, keep it simple. Cook the pasta, drain pasta, add 3-4 cups of cheddar cheese along with 1 cup or milk and ½ stick of butter. Salt and pepper to taste! We also add parmesan to the top of our mac & cheese to make it cheesier and tastier. To keep the sauce thick in the homemade mac and cheese, try adding a teaspoon of flour, it works wonders.

As you can see, there’s really no need to use a premade sauce full of preservatives that aren’t healthy for your family. Try these 10 recipes to keep your family happy and healthy!

How do you eat your mac & cheese??

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