Give Boxed Mac And Cheese A Gourmet Upgrade By Adding This Canned Vegetable

Macaroni and cheese is an easy and simple dinner staple for many American households, and for those looking for a little more flavor beyond the most basic boxed version, it's also highly versatile. There are a lot of different ingredients you can use to upgrade mac and cheese, but there's one in particular that you may have never even considered. Mushrooms add earthy flavor and meaty texture to pretty much any meal they're thrown in, and macaroni and cheese is no exception. Though if you really want to keep dinner on the cheap and easy side, consider adding canned mushrooms in particular.

Yes, canned mushrooms — not canned cream of mushroom, though the soup also makes for some tasty mac in its own way — are a great addition by themselves to mac and cheese. Instead of spending extra time washing, slicing, and otherwise prepping raw mushrooms from the produce section, mushrooms in a can are ready to go straight into your mac and cheese, whether you're baking it in a pan or stirring it in a pot on the stove. The result is an even more filling, satisfying mac and cheese with softly savory flavor plus some added minerals and nutrients, such as potassium and vitamin D. And, since both boxes of mac and cheese and cans of mushrooms have long shelf lives, you can stock up and have an easy dinner ready whenever you need it.

If you're frowning at the thought of dumping a can of preserved mushrooms in your mac and cheese, that could be because you've had some less-than-stellar past experiences with this form of the veggie. Fresh out of the can coated in moisture, mushrooms may not look super appetizing. However, there are different kinds of canned mushrooms, not to mention some easy tactics you can use to make them more appealing. 

To start, a rubbery texture is a common concern with canned veggies in general, but you can mitigate this by draining any excess liquid. And while not needed, you could also give the mushrooms a quick rinse before throwing them in your mac. You may also want to opt for sliced canned mushrooms instead of whole ones since they may retain less moisture and have a less slimy or rubbery texture.

If you prefer a little crisp or char on your mushrooms, you can also pan-fry or saute them quickly before adding them to your mac and cheese. Canned mushrooms are also one of those canned foods that work weirdly well in air fryers. While you definitely don't need to cook them first (since they're already cooked and ready to eat from the can), this will help add a little more texture and make the pieces of mushroom more distinguishable from the pasta. It'll still all taste good covered in cheese though.

In addition to playing around with the canned mushrooms themselves, you can also level up your mac and cheese by adding different cheeses. Sure, the boxed stuff's cheesy powder is classic in its own way, but the earthiness of mushrooms tends to work really well with nutty, robust cheeses like Gruyère or an aged Italian parmesan or Asiago. You may also find the flavors of your mushroom mac more pronounced with goat cheese or another tangy cheese. 

Adding seasonings can make a huge difference as well. Dashes of spices like smoked paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, or freshly ground black pepper can help bring out the mushrooms' flavor amid all the cheese. You can always add in some cooked chicken or other vegetables too, but, honestly, the mushrooms in this dish are really all that it needs.

Last but not least, of course, is how you decide to actually cook your mushroom mac and cheese. A quick stovetop boil and mix is almost always the fastest and easiest way to go, but sometimes few things beat a baked mac. If you do finish your boxed mac and cheese in the oven, adding panko breadcrumbs and finishing with a quick broil will add further texture and indulgence without interfering with the flavors of the mushrooms.