Make Mac And Cheese Extra Creamy With One Tangy Addition

Mac and cheese lovers and home cooks alike often search for the best ways to upgrade this delicious side-dish-slash-entree. There's nothing better than discovering a new hack that takes your mac and cheese to the next level, whether you bake it or have a favorite boxed brand. One ingredient you might not have considered incorporating is Greek yogurt. Known for its signature tang, Greek yogurt is a versatile complement to both sweet and savory dishes, and mac and cheese is no different.

Greek yogurt's fat content and its thicker texture compared to regular yogurt add richness and creaminess to any mac and cheese recipe. It ranges from nonfat to full fat depending on the type of milk it contains. Its natural tang meshes well with cheeses like cheddar and parmesan, which itself can give boxed mac and cheese a homemade flavor. Greek yogurt is tangier than regular yogurt because of the straining process, which eliminates liquids like whey and makes the yogurt more concentrated. The less fat there is to create a buttery taste, the stronger the tanginess, so it's essential to know which kind of Greek yogurt to use and how to best incorporate it into your mac and cheese to achieve your desired flavor and texture.

When making mac and cheese with Greek yogurt, staple ingredients like milk and butter become optional, though you can still use them. Butter, for instance, adds extra flavor and richness. If you use full-fat or whole-milk yogurt for a more subtle tang, adding milk or reserved pasta water makes it thinner for an optimally creamy sauce. Liquids may also help the powdered cheese in boxed varieties blend more smoothly with the Greek yogurt. Though the amount of yogurt you use can vary based on other ingredients, try a 1:1 ratio if you add pasta water or milk, such as a ½ cup of liquid and a ½ cup of Greek yogurt.

Combine your Greek yogurt (and any liquid or butter) with your shredded or powdered cheese in a separate pot, then add the noodles. Keep in mind that Greek yogurt can separate and curdle when overheated, though this is less likely than with regular yogurt. Avoid this by maintaining low heat while stirring your sauce together. You can also add Greek yogurt last, once the pot is off the heat, or temper it by pouring heated milk or water into the yogurt separately before incorporating it into the noodles.

Health-conscious individuals might opt for low-fat yogurt for a healthier take on this comfort food, although Greek yogurt is high in protein, increasing the nutritional benefits. This means you can hit your protein goals even with whole-milk varieties, which generally contain about 15 grams of protein per serving to nonfat Greek yogurt's approximate 18 grams. With this new ingredient in your arsenal, you can elevate your boxed mac and cheese or incorporate it into our three-ingredient baked mac and cheese recipe.