Making boxed mac and cheese is an art. Sure, you can follow the instructions and wind up with a perfectly delicious meal, but it’s even better when you use this combo of pasta and cheese as a blank slate for culinary creativity. 

There are so many ways to customize this classic late-night dinner. You can add seasonings, throw in some vegetables, or even double up on the cheese. To get you inspired, here are six methods for upgrading your mac and cheese from F&W Best New Chefs.

(Yep, even professional chefs make boxed mac and cheese.) 

Give it Korean-inspired flair

“Doctored mac is a special late-night meal in my house,” says 2011 F&W Best New Chef Jamie Bissonnette. As the owner of Somaek, a Korean restaurant inspired by his mother-in-law’s cooking, Bissonnette’s dinners often utilize kimchi — and mac and cheese is no exception. He mixes his macaroni with the packaged cheese powder, garlic powder, crushed seaweed, gochugaru, and sautéed kimchi, then takes it over the top at the end: “When it’s just about done, I throw in a slice of American cheese and an egg yolk.” This creamy, spicy recipe is even better paired with a variety of banchan. 

Punch up the umami

Like Bissonnette, 2023 F&W Best New Chef Eunji Lee infuses her boxed mac and cheese with Korean ingredients. But rather than using spicy kimchi and gochugaru, Lee mixes in Yondu, a seasoning sauce made from vegetables and fermented soybeans. She balances the umami-packed base with grated Gruyère cheese, lemon zest, and cracked black pepper. 

Bring on the butter

Some boxed mac and cheese recipes will tell you to add butter to the cheese powder. “Ignore the butter amount,” says 2023 F&W Best New Chef Isabel Coss, suggesting you double, or even triple, the amount of butter listed in the package instructions. What if your mac and cheese doesn’t call for butter? Add it anyway — at least a stick per box, says Coss. She also suggests adding a hit of spice with crushed red chile flakes or canned chipotle peppers, promising: “You will thank me.”

Throw in some protein

Carlo Lamagna’s children prefer their mac and cheese plain, but he loves making a gussied-up version for his wife, who also enjoys mac and cheese in a pinch, he says. The 2021 F&W Best New Chef’s protein-packed macaroni includes preserved tuna, capers, and freshly grated Parmesan. Think tuna casserole meets mac and cheese.

Add a dash of dashi

2019 F&W Best New Chef Mutsuko Soma leans into her Japanese cooking background by adding a dash of soy sauce and dashi powder to her boxed mac and cheese. It’s a simple addition, but one that amps up the savoriness, making the classic quick meal a whole lot more complex. 

Make it extra fancy

Who said boxed mac and cheese can’t be luxurious? 2017 F&W Best New Chef Diego Galicia goes all out, every step of the way. Rather than cooking the macaroni in water, he boils it in vegetable stock, infusing the pasta with more savory flavor. Then, after adding the cheese packet, he thickens the sauce with cream and adds a splash of white wine. When it’s time to eat, Galicia adds cooked lobster or crab, and tops it all off with shaved truffles. As he puts it, “Why not?”