Mac and cheese variations for the poor person?

You can add any veggies you like. To make it simple add the frozen vegetable mixture (peas, carrots and corn). Bake like a casserole (add meat if you wish). You can add half a package of the hot taco seasoning mix for a macaroni and cheese with a kick. Make a 7 layer dip. Try using hot macaroni and cheese as your base. Then add sliced olives, sliced onions and diced tomatoes on top. Grab some tortilla chips and start dipping. Top with canned chili. Here's a few more ideas: http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1170418,00.html http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1835,150164-233206,00.html

You could also add a can of chopped stewed tomatoes or a can of tomato sauce to the cheese sauce and make an entirely different look and taste. I tend to add catsup to mine on my dish whenever I make it. Here in NJ, mac-n-cheese is often served in restaurants with stewed tomatoes. I can't see why they can't be mixed together. Also - since you're on a tight budget, you might look into one of these two food purchasing organizations - ShareFood and Angel Food Ministries. One runs about $19 per order and the other is about $30 per order (can order more, but that's the minimum). Both are non-profit and there is no income requirement to buy through them. Most of the order is some form of meat (usually poultry with other types added in) with fruits and vegetables to balance it out. In both, you get anywhere from 50% to 100% more value than you pay. Check them out and see if they work for you. They also accept food stamps as well as cash and charge/debit cards. You might just be able to have a few things more than just mac-n-cheese.

Most of my normal add-ins have been mentioned .. though I do not use the box mixes, I use whole wheat pasta, real cheese, and cream cheese in mine. I did find a few sites that might help : www.yelp.com/topic/new-york-mac-and-cheese-add-ins www.seriouseats.com/talk/2007/07/i-add-------to-macaroni-cheese.html ca.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20080205095509AAQv9wt www.frugal-life-and-travel.com/macaroni-and-cheese-meals.html Hope this helps a bit! ~Rachel

Try adding browned ground beef. It becomes a meal in itself. Or add some veggies like brocoli for a little extra flavor. You could also put it in a casserole dish, sprinkle some bread crumbs on the top or add some tomatoes and broil it for a few minutes to make it more like homemade mac and cheese.

I have made dinner before using a box of macaroni and cheese and cutting up hot dogs in it. You could also buy a can of peas and add a can of peas to it. Not expensive and not bad tasting.

ground beef, chili powder, garlic,tomatoe sauce. chili mac

We're often on a tight budget and have a few "emergency" recipes. Whatever you have can be made slightly more interesting with herbs. You could buy whatever veggies you can afford and throw them in. If you have potatoes, you can mix them in too. We're often left with nothing but potatoes and eggs so we make scrambled egg with mushroom and we make potato bakes because we can throw in whatever is around to make it different every time. I would think you could do that with macaroni too.

My boyfriend and I tend to do what we call "poor man's tuna casserole" with mac and cheese when where in a pinch or in a hurry. You simply make the mac and cheese then add a can of tuna and a can of peas and stir!! Also, growing up, I would make dinner for my father by making mac and cheese and adding hamburger meat, green beans or mixed veggies and some spices for a goulash type dish.

Try adding mushrooms and/or cut up hotdogs.