Spice Up Your Mac And Cheese With One Saucy Addition

Macaroni and cheese is a glorious creation loved by many. Who can argue with puddles of melted cheese enveloping noodles? When making the best mac and cheese, you want to avoid creating a bland dish, so to give it a little something special, add Buffalo sauce for a mouthwatering, spicy kick. This hot sauce typically features cayenne pepper, vinegar, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and various spices. All of these components come together to form a tangy, salty, slightly vinegary, mild, and buttery condiment, making it perfect for cutting through the richness of mac and cheese. 

Create a full casserole dish of Buffalo mac and cheese by incorporating the spicy sauce with the cheese sauce before mixing it with the noodles. The result is a super flavorful mac drenched in zesty flavor. Another way to impart its yummy flavor is to add cooked shredded Buffalo chicken or hot-sauce-coated chicken tenders on top of the noodles, offering bursts of cayenne and some extra protein. Drizzling it on top of your boxed mac and cheese is an excellent way to experiment with Buffalo flavor before committing to a time-consuming homemade recipe. 

Rest assured, Buffalo sauce isn't the only way to spice up traditional mac and cheese. In fact, there are over 40 ways to make creative mac and cheese with your favorite pastas (and counting). Other spicy inclusions, like chopped pickled jalapeños, give a salty, pungent kick, or use a combination of cheeses that offer a hint of heat, like cheddar and pepper jack, for a creamy and mild spice level throughout the cheese sauce. 

Another straightforward way to amp up heat in mac and cheese is to sprinkle in your favorite spices, such as crushed red chili flakes for powerful specks of spice, smoked paprika for a temperate smoky flavor, or garam masala and cumin for warmness, creating an Indian twist on the classic mac. Bring out the texture and spice level again by topping baked mac and cheese with fiery breadcrumbs. To make spicy breadcrumbs, incorporate crushed red chili flakes (for a Buffalo vibe, go with cayenne pepper) with melted butter and breadcrumbs, leaving you with a zingy-crusted mac and cheese.