There are moments in a foodie parent’s life when the best artisanal, slow foodist intentions can’t compete with a kid (or a parent for that matter) crashing from low blood sugar levels. Dinner can sometimes have a way of ambushing you. Luckily, in most foodie parents’ cupboards there’s usually a box or two of Annie’s microwavable mac and cheese, which at the very least uses organic pasta.
I know, I know, just because it’s organic doesn’t mean it’s hyper-nutritious (I mean, organic or not, mac and cheese is just starch and fat and trace protein) but here are two extremely easy riffs to take it beyond the basic: one leans healthy, one leans haute.
Instant Spinach Mac and Cheese
Stir in finely chopped spinach so that it fully melds with the cheese and coats the noodles with its fibrous, ferrous goodness and cannot be picked up.
Instant Truffled Mac and Cheese
Boost the umami appeal of the mac and cheese with a few drops of white truffle oil, some chopped prosciutto, finely chopped parsley, and a grating of fresh parmiggiano reggiano. I’m telling you, you’d even eat this yourself (with a glass of Barbera d’Alba perhaps?)
Let’s hear your riffs.
—Hugh
I like sliced cherry tomatoes mixed in at the end, so that they are warm but not cooked. And personally, I’d go with a Barbera d’Asti or a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. But we could have a taste test.