I need to umph up mac n cheese

tjman, Jan 31, 6:38am
any ideas please

shore-trader, Jan 31, 6:42am
Onions, bacon and tomato! I stir through tomato at the end though so it stays firm and does not cook through

tigerlilly16, Jan 31, 6:51am
a spoonful of mustard added to the cheese sauce

fifie, Jan 31, 6:58am
Pre fry chopped bacon, onion, garlic add it to thesauce along with mustard powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper and lots of grated tasty cheese, or a few chunks of cold potatoes in bottom of the dish if you have them drizzled with worcester or garlic sauce before pouring on the cheese sauce and macaroni is good to. For a change sprinkle the breadcrumb and cheese topping with paprika before baking till golden.

rchelley, Jan 31, 7:16am
We melt the butter, add chopped onion and bacon then 1 tsp of mustard powder.Add the flour, then milk and cook until thickened.Add heaps of grated tasty cheese and parmesan, salt and ground black pepper.Mix in partly cooked pasta (we think spirals are the best but use what ever you want).Put into an oven dish and sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs, bake until browned.

clemo, Jan 31, 7:22am
I cook up onion, bacon and tomato and add it to the cheese sauce. The cheese sauce always has a tablespoon(ish) of wholeseed mustard, cracked pepper, a bit of curry and a bit of chicken stock powder. The best bit is the topping. pop a bit of oil and a good knob of butter in a fry pan. Add a couple (or 4) cloves of garlic, crushed and cook for about a minute. Then add fresh bread crumbs and fresh herbs. Cook until toasted. Sprinkle on top of mac cheese and pop in the oven. Mmmmmm. Taste like garlic bread on top!

vtired, Jan 31, 9:42pm
I pan fry bacon, onion and a little garlic until the bacon is just starting to caramelise, make basic cheese sauce but add mustard, black pepper, and a chicken stock cube, heaps grated tasty and edam cheese with a couple tblsp's parmesan and fresh parsley, mix pasta bacon mix and sauce together sprinkle generous amount bread crumbs on top same with cheese and chopped toms, bake 180 30 mins til heated thru and top golden

gerry64, Jan 31, 10:53pm
my old boy loves chopped walnut in his - but he is weird!

madelahaye, Feb 1, 2:51am
All good suggestions^ .except mushrooms lol : P

I'm not usually one for packets, but recently tried a packet of tuscan herb bread crumbs on top other than my usual plain ones mmmm!

darlingmole, Feb 1, 3:01am
anything goes with mac'n'cheese . love it with salami or left over chicken, capers, olives . who cares, the sky's the limit!

petal1955, Feb 1, 6:23am
MACARONI CHEESE

MAKES 4 SERVINGS-----

75 G BUTTER------
1 TSP CRUSHED GARLIC ----
2 CUPS MACARONI---- SPIRALS, SEA SHELLS ELBOWS
2 CUPS BOILING WATER-----
1 CUP MILK-----
2 CUPS GRATED CHEESE-----
2 TBSP FLOUR------
1 ONION FINELY CUT-----
BACON PIECES -------
BROCOLI PIECES-------
RED PEPPER DICED--------
SLICED TOMATOES FOR TOPPING------
CHOPPED PARSLEY------
½ TSP CAYENNE PEPPER
1 TBSP DRY MUSTARD POWDER -----
EXTRA GRATED CHEESE FOR TOPPING

*****IF YOU LIKE A CRISP TOPPING MAKE IT BEFORE YOU COOK THE MACARONI ------
MICROWAVE A MIXTURE OF DRIED OR FRESH BREADCRUMBS WITH 1 TBSP BUTTER AND 1 TBSP CHOPPED PARSLEY AND COOK FOR2-4 MINUTES STIRRING AFTER EACH MINUTE------THEN SET ASIDE-*******

CUT BUTTER IN CUBES ----- PLACE PASTA, CHOPPED ONION,BACON, BROCOLI, GARLIC AND BUTTER IN A LARGE DISH AND ADD BOILING WATER AND COOK UNCOVERED ON MED HIGH POWER
FOR 12-15 MINUTES STIRRING EVERY 5 MINS------- STIR IN MILK ------ COOK FOR 2 MIN TO WARM MILK----- ON A PIECE OF HANDEE TOWELMIX GRATED CHEESE WITH FLOUR, CAYENNE PEPPER AND DRY MUSTARD POWDER AND PARSLEY AND STIR INTO THE HOT PASTA MIXTURE-----AND MICROWAVE ONHIGH POWER FOR 3-4 MINUTES.--------

THEN PLACE THE BREACRUMB TOPPING ON TOP ALONG WITH THE TOMATO SLICES AND GRATED CHEESE AND POP UNDER THE GRILLER TILL CRISPY

baalamb, Feb 1, 6:14pm
I add any type of veges I have - broccoli, peas, corn, grated carrots, zucchinis, usually have at least the same amount of veges as I do pasta - so its more of a 'mac, vege and cheese'.

peaknuckle, Feb 2, 4:36am
I keep it simple - add a dash of curry powder to the cheese sauce :)

lindylambchops1, Feb 2, 6:28am
Add Lee Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce!Delicious!

sew_shell, Feb 2, 6:34am
Rachel Ray adds pureed califlower to hers among other stuff but eeewwwww hate her Mac n Cheeses. I like onion, bacon and tomato on the top yummy

elliehen, Feb 2, 7:09am
A dash of chilli sauce.

co65, Feb 3, 9:10pm
Pkt soups are good for different flavours, just add too sauce

blackbud, Feb 3, 9:13pm
along with the hot mustard in the sauce I put some morrocan spice (greggs) over the top just before putting in the oven, loving everyone else's yummy suggestions too will have to try them out.

tramore, Feb 3, 9:20pm
I will often throw in a tin of fish and it is delicious!

jam-sam, Feb 4, 12:46am
Curry powder. gives it a gorgeous golden colour as well as great flavour.I sometimes mix Thai green curry into it at the last minute and it's delicious.

kinna54, Feb 5, 1:23am
add a touch of cayenne pepper to your cheese sauce,, always use a good tasty cheese or colby, also add a bit of oregano.
I always add the bacon and onions, chopped tomato etc, add your oregano in there.
If making cheese sauce from a roux (butter flour) cook the roux well, so the flour is cooked thru,adding the milk very gradually and whisking well, cooking gentlybetween each milk addition otherwise the sauce will be gritty. Once the cheese is added to your sauce remove from the heat, and use, don't leave it standing, as it can seperate.