How to tart up mac and cheese?

[Deathwillbebutapause]

I use a basic recipe similar to this.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-ever-macaroni-cheese-recipe

Which the offspring deign to eat.

How to make it a bit fancier without altering it too much? Can you shoehorn in veg somehow inside the mac and cheese (I serve it on the side but it's not always eaten)? Can you add bacon somehow? Herbs?

Chuck in some crispy bacon, and maybe some chilli flakes.

Add crispy bacon or diced chorizo when you add the sauce, I also add peas to mine, some black pepper. You could add truffle oil if you want to be really fancy!

Crumble some garlic bread over the top

I add crispy lardons and make the cheese sauce with a whole garlic clove in, then fish it out before mixing with the pasta. Then I top with sliced tomatoes, oregano and parmesan before grilling it.

We add peas, and puréed butternut squash into the cheese sauce. We add crispy onions/ shallots (the kind you get on hotdogs or sushi) to the top, or make breadcrumbs.

You can fry leeks in the butter at the start then continue as normal for veg.

I usually serve with frozen peas which are acceptable here.

Add mustard and plenty of salt (!) for flavour

I had an amazing M&C the other night in a pub. Topped with toasted breadcrumbs and a pile of pulled beef brisket that had a bbq style flavour. It was lush!

Dh puts broccoli, peas, sweetcorn in as well as pancetta or bacon or ham.

I fry chopped up streaky bacon and then add that in sauce with a tin of sweetcorn.

Delia has an old recipe for macaroni cheese with leek and bacon in it , here it is: penne with leeks and bacon. Have to admit I've been cooking it for over 30 years so have bastardised it quite a lot, we put loads more leeks in and less bacon and cheese because Ifind the original Commplete Cookery Course recipe too salty for my taste. But it's a great autumn dish.

I use 3 types of cheeses and layer it then bake it. So make your basic mac n cheese with a strong chedder. Then layer it with mozzarella in a oven dish. Add garlicy bread crumbs and parmigiano on top before baking it.

Pancetta and truffle oil 😄

I often make broccoli or cauliflower macaroni cheese. Just steam over the macaroni, and then mix together with the sauce in the dish. DH also likes to add fried chorizo. Thinly sliced tomatoes laid over the top with a bit of cheese before baking is also nice.

I put leeks Broccoli or cauliflower or a mix of those veg.

Or slices of tomato dotted on top, just a few. Plus a sprinkle of breadcrumbs.

Pulled beef brisket is very nice but salty and vad for you and lots of effort. It's nice in a pub side.

Bacon, sage, leeks, tomatoes and mushrooms

I mostly do a hybrid of macaroni and cauliflower cheese all the time

We do sauted leeks on the bottom, a tin of tomatoes through the sauce and toasted breadcrumbs maybe with some pumpkin seeds on top if wanting to gussy it up.

Ham and pineapple!! (It's an NI thing).

My sister adds bacon and mushrooms to hers.

Crispy bacon in it. Then we fry spring onions to sprinkle over the top of it which is very tasty. We also have sweet corn with it which the kids will eat. Though they prefer it if they are allowed to have just Mac and cheese with the crispy bacon 😊

peas and sweetcorn are good.

I also often cook cubed courgette or carrot (or both) together with the pasta to soften it.
if you peel the courgette it becomes invisible, if that's an issue you have with veg.

Crispy bascon added before you put it in the oven to brown it off, top with crushed ready salted crisps and more cheese.

My dad likes it with halved cherry toms, they get added before baking too.

Andi Oliver's version of Mac and cheese is incredible. I'm not sure why you need so many different dairy products but it just works. It says it serves 4-6 but I find it serves 6 as a main and nearer 10 as a side with some curry and rice and peas.

www.theguardian.com/food/2023/apr/16/andi-oliver-interview-pepperpot-diaries-caribbean-recipes

I don’t like Mac and cheese unless it’s this one that dd made us once, we have it often now, it’s absolutely bloody delicious. We just have greens on the side.
https://www.mob.co.uk/recipes/mobs-french-onion-mac-and-cheese

My kids love this one https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/butternut-macaroni-cheese

Also this one which is a bit different, https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/southern-style-mac-n-cheese

I fry up some red onion to caramelise it, and some bacon lardons. Mix in with the macaroni. Shove into an oven dish, top with layer of tomatoes, layer of cheese and bake for 20 mins