Back in the pre-Kraft days, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and your grandparents walked uphill both ways to school, macaroni and cheese was homemade.
So, if you would like to break out of your usual go-to mac & cheese in a box, then give one of these 15 old-school recipes a try. Who knows? Maybe you’ll ditch the powdered stuff for something a lil’ classier.
This article appeared on USA TODAY College back in March of 2015. We brought it back on National Mac & Cheese Day 2018 to help give you different ideas on how you can celebrate this delicious day.
Photo by Alex Weiner
Check out that mug shot. This homemade mac and cheese was arrested on account of being too delicious.
Photo by Amanda Shulman
With this recipe, you’ll be casserollin’ deep in friends who want a bite of that cheesy goodness.
Photo by Tiare Brown
Make this pizza mac and cheese before you go out, and your taste buds will thank you.
Photo by Nicolle Luftman
This homemade mac and cheese recipe is so easy.
Photo by Parisa Soraya
Make every day Thanksgiving with this fall-flavored mac and cheese.
Photo by Alia Wilhelm
Kraft could never achieve this baked beauty. I mean, when was the last time you Instagrammed your Easy Mac…?
Photo by Amanda Shulman
If you regularly hit up the mythical “gym” and like to troll tags like #CleanEats and #HealthyLiving, you too can enjoy the wonderful world of mac and cheese with this skinny version.
Photo by Kirby Barth
Our world has been overrun by hybrid food monstrosities, from the Cronut to the Sushirrito to whatever this vegetable is. But this majestic mac and cheese cupcake deserves to be crowned the ruler of them all.
Photo by Meghan Walsh
If you frequently complain that you were “born in the wrong decade” and tell everyone you meet that you’re an “old soul,” then this classic mac and cheese is for you.
Beer and sausage? What is this, a frat basement? No, it’s just the frattiest mac and cheese recipe ever, which I think we can all agree is infinitely more enjoyable.
We’ve been throwing it back to the days of pre-Kraft homemade recipes. But this insane fritters recipe will have you eating mac and cheese with your hands, caveman-style.
Did you even know apple mustard cheese was a thing? That’s because you’ve been living within the boundaries of Kraft-offered flavors for all your life. Let this gourmet mac and cheese show you the light.
Photo by Jessica Spivack
So maybe this isn’t as easy to make or as pretty as it looks on Pinterest. But once your attempt at this mac and cheese pizza is in your face hole, you definitely will not care.
Photo by Kirby Barth
Sometimes, all you need to do is keep it simple. If the other recipes on this list are a little too complex for you, this homemade mac and cheese will take you back to the basics.
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This article originally appeared on Spoon University and was written by Tarika Narain. Spoon University is a food network for our generation, where all the content is produced by college students. They cover everything from simple recipes and local restaurants to dining hall hacks and healthy living tips. For more, check out the Spoon University site, or like their page on Facebook.
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