The Canned Vegetable That Makes Mac And Cheese 10x Creamier

It seems everybody has a favorite iteration of that classic comfort food, macaroni and cheese. Some prefer a restaurant version, perhaps from one of one of several chains that make it from scratch. Others might have an affinity for the boxed stuff, or perhaps a tray you get from the freezer aisle (lookin' at you, Cracker Barrel brand – yes, it's the best). But the purists tend to enjoy a solid scratch-made mac and cheese, straight from their home kitchen into their belly. And one of the best things about a homemade iteration is that you can customize it to your heart's content. That includes adding elements you typically don't find in commercial versions, like creamed corn, a canned vegetable that can up the silkiness exponentially.

Now, you can actually make your creamed corn from scratch using fresh corn, especially if you like hunting for the best cobs at the supermarket, but if you're not feeling that (because you are, after all, making macaroni and cheese already), the canned stuff works just as well, with much less effort. Just add one can of creamed corn for every 16-ounce pack of pasta. What it adds, either way, is a velvety thickness to your traditional mac and cheese, as well as a delightful crunch from the corn kernels, and a sweetness that works gloriously well with the savory cheese. It's an easy upgrade, but one that will delight your family and friends.

You could simply combine your mac and cheese and creamed corn and put it in the oven to bake just like that. But to truly kick it up a notch, consider adding a crunchy topping before baking that will add even more texture and flavor to balance out the extra creamy, decadent dish. You can raid your pantry and find many of these ideas, like Ritz crackers, crumbled up, mixed with butter, and dispersed evenly on top of the casserole-like dish. Or use potato chips, or lean into the cheese part of mac and cheese further with crushed Cheetos, hot or otherwise.

Bread crumbs are another popular option; both regular, fine crumbs and the crunchier, flakier Panko bread crumbs have their merits, so it's the dealer's choice, but you can add even more flavor to both by combining them with garlic powder or paprika or even parmesan cheese before sprinkling them over the creamed corn mac and cheese mixture. And to heighten the sweet-savory flavor of the dish even more, consider adding chopped crispy bacon on top, too.

Finally, while herbs don't offer much in the way of texture, they can brighten heavy, creamy dishes like this, so go for some fresh parsley, chives, or green onion. Bonus points if you can snip some off in your garden and bring them inside to use directly on the meal.