Mac And Cheese Is 10x More Flavorful When You Add A Box Of This Pantry Staple

A bowl of warm, gooey mac and cheese is always comforting, especially during the colder months. Whether you enjoy yours plain and cheesy, or with mac and cheese upgrades, such as breadcrumbs or bacon, this dish is sure to warm you up. If you're looking to turn this meal into the ultimate cozy dish, there's one ingredient likely sitting in your pantry that will completely transform your macaroni. While stuffing is typically found on the Thanksgiving table, it also makes a delicious topping for mac and cheese. 

Stuffing is a holiday side dish that consists of ingredients such as pieces of bread, celery, onions, herbs, and spices. While it pairs nicely with a turkey, this dish is the perfect breadcrumb replacement for a flavorful mac and cheese. Not only does it add earthy, savory flavors to your macaroni, but it also adds a nice crunchy element to a cream-heavy dish. You can make the stuffing homemade, or save yourself the extra work and use a store-bought stuffing. Simply sprinkle the stuffing on top of your macaroni before baking, and you'll have a perfectly crisp and seasoned dish.

Adding stuffing to your mac and cheese starts with preparing your stuffing mixture. A made-from-scratch stuffing recipe may seem simple, but there are plenty of mistakes to watch out for. If you're worried about handling too many things at once, a premade stuffing is for you — simply add your stuffing mix to a pot of boiling water with butter and it's ready to go in five minutes. If you do make yours homemade, you can simplify your cooking method by adding the stuffing ingredients to a slow cooker and let it do the heavy lifting for you. For a thick, cheesy final product, undercooking your noodles slightly will help to absorb more moisture from the stuffing while it bakes. Once the stuffing is ready to be added to the mac and cheese, you can layer it on top of your noodles and bake it in the oven until your stuffing looks golden and crispy. 

The stuffing-crusted mac and cheese is flavorful on its own, or you could use add-ins like bacon or sausage for a heartier meal. It's filling enough to be the main course, but it's also perfect to add as a side dish — especially on the Thanksgiving table. This meal deserves to be a comfort food on repeat.