As Winter approaches, so does the need for warm, comforting dinners—and what fits the bill more than mac and cheese? These creamy pasta dishes, from easy one-pot dinners to holiday-ready casseroles, are the perfect cozy answer to cold nights. Try our Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese or our Spinach-Tomato Macaroni & Cheese for a meal that feels like a warm hug.
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Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
This rich and creamy butternut squash mac and cheese has hints of roasted squash whirled into a cheesy sauce flavored with fresh sage for a delicious plant-based meal any day of the week. We call for pre-chopped butternut squash to keep prep at a minimum, but feel free to chop your own or experiment with another winter squash like honeynut or acorn squash in place of the butternut.
Creamy Mac & Cheese with Corn
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Annie Probst
This creamy mac and cheese pops with the sharp flavor of Cheddar cheese combined with sweet pops of fresh corn kernels. Cooking whole corncobs in the sauce brings the flavor of fresh corn to the forefront, but if you’re in a pinch you can add 1½ cups of thawed frozen corn kernels to the mixture before baking instead.
One-Pot Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese with Broccoli
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
This easy one-pot mac & cheese recipe gets an extra boost of protein from chicken. Buffalo sauce adds spicy tang—look for one without added sugar, like Frank’s RedHot.
Spinach-Tomato Macaroni & Cheese
An old-school classic gets a boost of nutrition and flavor from garlicky spinach and tomatoes in this healthy mac and cheese recipe.
Skillet Chili Mac
Poblanos add a kick of heat to this chili mac recipe. If that’s not your thing, swap in green bell peppers to tone down the heat in this easy pasta dish, which mashes up mac and cheese and chili into a seriously satisfying skillet dinner.
Cheesy Chipotle-Cauliflower Mac
You’ll barely notice the cauliflower in this comforting skillet pasta–it’s pureed and mixed into the creamy cheese sauce.
Mac & Cheese with Collards
Dark leafy collards add bold flavor and boost the calcium in this healthy skillet mac and cheese recipe with a crispy topping. If you don’t have collards, kale, Swiss chard and spinach are delicious substitutes.
Mac & Cheese for One
Sara Haas
Making mac and cheese for one person is easy, and it requires just one pot! The key to success is making sure all of your ingredients are prepped and ready before you begin, as everything moves pretty quickly. Also, be sure to use a delicious sharp Cheddar for this recipe so that your mac and cheese delivers all of that delicious cheesy flavor.
Vegan Mac & Cheese
Mac and cheese no longer has to be off the menu if you don’t do dairy. A blend of hearty cauliflower, butternut squash, cashews and nutritional yeast gives this vegan macaroni and cheese the gooey, cheesy texture and flavor of traditional mac, without a bit of dairy!
3-Ingredient Broccoli Mac & Cheese with Rotisserie Chicken
Carolyn Hodges
Transform a box of macaroni and cheese for an easy weeknight dinner. Use frozen broccoli, steamed in the microwave, to cut down on prep time. Opt for chickpea-based macaroni and cheese for a boost of protein and fiber.
Baked Mac & Cheese
Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber.
