11 Ways to Make Mac 'n' Cheese

A version for every craving, whether you want vegetables, crunch, meat or even lobster—and every one of them is cheesy too.

By Lynn Andriani

Pin It

Comments

9 of 12

Photo: Kelly Campbell

The Most Nontraditional

Pasta pillows stuffed with a mixture of beets, goat cheese and Parmesan are tasty enough. But Philadelphia chef and Rustic Italian Food author Marc Vetri takes them a step further: He tosses the "plin," as he calls them, with a butter-tarragon sauce and tops them with more Parmesan. The dish isn't baked like a traditional mac 'n' cheese, but it's no less satisfying.

Get the recipe: Goat Cheese and Beet Plin with Tarragon

Published on March 13, 2012

9 of 12

Related Resources

Keep Reading

Penne Pasta Quattro Formaggi with Butternut Squash and Sage

With roasted butternut squash and sage mixed in to the pasta and cheese sauce, plus a sage-breadcrumb topping, this casserole from chef Mitch Rosenthal's book "Cooking My Way Back Home" has a delightful balance of textures.

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Lobster tastes rich and buttery on its own. Pair it with creamy pasta—as chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier do at their Maine and Massachusetts restaurants—and it takes on a decadence we didn't know was possible.

Cheesy Spaghetti Pie

Who says mac and cheese has to be limited to elbows or shells? Chef and restaurateur Marc Murphy, of Landmarc and Ditch Plains restaurants in New York, started subbing in spaghetti and making a pie-shaped version for his children and their friends as an after-school snack. Turns out adults love it, too.

Pit-Smoked Longhorn Cheddar Mac & Cheese Recipe

Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef at Hill Country Barbecue Market, which has outposts in New York and Washington, DC, has figured out a way to marry the flavor of mac and cheese with one of its classic accompaniments: smoked, barbecued meat.