8 Classic Comfort Foods Revamped

Kraft made serious coin from my family. We ate spaghetti with Kraft Parmesan cheese and lots of Kraft macaroni and cheese, which came with packets of gooey orange “cheese.”

Even when moms made real macaroni and cheese, it wasn’t much healthier than what the scientists at Kraft concocted.

Here are some ideas for alternative mac and cheese:

• Add cauliflower. Try this mac and cheese recipe from Michelle Obama’s American Grown cookbook.
• Add butternut squash. This recipe gains some lightness by incorporating yogurt and squash to boost the creaminess.
• Make it vegan: How can mac and cheese without cheese taste good? Well, it’s surprising, but this simple vegan mac and cheese recipe is decent and so is this more involved recipe. This recipe uses cannellini beans and sweet potato as a base for a “fake cheese” sauce.
• Occasionally make the real thing, but take it up a notch. Here’s a gourmet four-cheese recipe and a lobster mac and cheese recipe from Ina Garten.