Macaroni and Cheese Recipes for Thanksgiving That Might Just Outshine the Turkey
Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and gather with friends and family. But it's also a time to let your best recipe have a moment in the limelight. Whether that's a towering cake, classic pie, or one of these appetizers, what's true is that nothing is complete without some variation of the beloved macaroni and cheese. Ubiquitous across the South in soul-food joints, meat-and-threes, and Mom's kitchen, mac and cheese is a surefire, guaranteed crowd pleaser. It's darn hard to resist pasta covered in oodles of creamy cheese, and we've got 28 Thanksgiving macaroni and cheese recipes to prove it. If you're indecisive, we offer our Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese since it can't steer you wrong. The adventurous (or vegan) may try their hand at Tabitha Brown's version and the wistful, Dad's Mac and Cheese. What can we say? There are options, and you may need to enlist the relatives to make one of each.
Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe: Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese
Crunchy, buttery panko meets sharp white and yellow Cheddar cheeses, plus a sprinkling of fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary for a delicately perfumed and incredibly delicious twist on this classic dish.
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Caramelized Onion Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe: Caramelized Onion Macaroni and Cheese
Caramelized onions are one of the golden tickets to anything delicious in the kitchen. Enter this Caramelized Onion Macaroni and Cheese. Layers of macaroni, onions, and cheese fill up a 13-by-9-inch baking dish before hitting the oven—topped with breadcrumbs, of course.
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Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe: Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese
With overly generous amounts of white and yellow Cheddar, plenty of cream, and a little cayenne and nutmeg, this mac and cheese might be our best-ever recipe. Take one bite, and you'll be convinced, too.
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Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe: Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese
You're three steps away from this beloved classic. Broiling will get you the highly-coveted crispy cheese exterior.
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Roasted Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe: Roasted Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese
It's our classic mac and cheese with the addition of garlic-roasted broccoli. Even the vegetable skeptics will be convinced. There's very little cheese cannot fix.
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Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe: Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese
Four cheeses plus roasted, herbed tomatoes? Yes, please.
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Navi Kitchen Tikka Masala Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe: Navi Kitchen Tikka Masala Macaroni and Cheese
If you're a fan of Indian food, and in particular chicken tikka masala, you'll want to try this Tikka Masala Macaroni and Cheese from chef Preeti Mistry.
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Cajun Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Cajun Mac and Cheese
Throw in a pound of andouille sausage, some bell pepper, and Cajun seasoning for a fun twist on your standard mac and cheese. Sit back and collect compliments when you show up to Thanksgiving dinner with this in your casserole dish.
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Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
The addition of cauliflower lightens an otherwise heavy (but very beloved) Thanksgiving dish. Throw in that dash of hot sauce and call it an evening.
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Macaroni au Gratin
Recipe: Macaroni au Gratin
If you love macaroni and cheese and potatoes au gratin, consider this your ticket to the best of both worlds. It's essentially a gratin but swap the potatoes for pasta and add plenty of sharp New York Cheddar cheese.
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Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon
Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon
You had us at bacon. A lot of it, please.
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Lobster Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Lobster Mac and Cheese
Beautiful, briny lobster chunks peek between layers of gooey cheese and tender noodles. Oh, and did we mention the Gruyère?
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Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
It wouldn't quite be fall nor Thanksgiving without some sort of gourd, so we present this Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. It's a two-for-one and mighty delicious at that.
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Macaroni Pie
Recipe: Macaroni Pie
It's a bird…it's a plane…it's Macaroni Pie. Flakey, buttery, (pre-made!) pie crust is filled to the brim with creamy macaroni and cheese that still manages to hold it all together in a neat slice of pie.
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Macaroni Pudding
Recipe: Macaroni Pudding
Creamy consistency, all the cheese, and a crispy browned top. Yes, please. Save us a scoop. All the scoops.
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Dad's Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Dad's Mac and Cheese
It's not really family gathering unless you've made a treasured family recipe. Lazarus Lynch shares his father's mac and cheese that was always sure to run out.
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Green Chile Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Green Chile Mac and Cheese
If you like to keep things simple and you like a lot of spice, you need to try this Green Chile Mac and Cheese. Whip up your favorite mac and cheese recipe before stirring in a whole can of chopped and drained green chiles.
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Sweetie Pie's Taste-Alike Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Sweetie Pie's Taste-Alike Mac and Cheese
Robbie Montgomery shares her signature recipe—one she's been making for over 40 years at her restaurant, Sweetie Pie's. Now you can have it on your Thanksgiving table. The secret ingredients? Sour cream and a whole lot of Velveeta.
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Skillet Mac and Cheese with Crispy Breadcrumbs
Recipe: Skillet Mac and Cheese with Crispy Breadcrumbs
Super decadent mac and cheese gets a sprinkling of breadcrumbs for texture and contrast. Thanks to the cast-iron skillet, you've got a (basically) one-pot pasta operation.
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Uncle Jack's Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Uncle Jack's Mac and Cheese
Even if you don't know who Uncle Jack is, you can't debate that he knew his mac and cheese. This cafeteria-style recipe will have everyone asking for seconds. There may even be a (polite) fight over the last piece.
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Southern Pimiento Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Southern Pimiento Mac and Cheese
The South's signature cheese gets the royal treatment in our Southern Pimiento Mac and Cheese Recipe. It'll be the talk of the town until next Thanksgiving.
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Tabitha Brown's Vegan Mac and Cheese
Recipe: Tabitha Brown's Vegan Mac and Cheese
The World's Favorite Mom has the mac and cheese recipe for the vegans in the Thanksgiving crowd who are swimming in turkey and gravy. With the help of some dairy-free cheese and butternut squash, even the die-hard mac and cheese fans will be on board.Â
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One-Pot Fresh Corn Mac and Cheese
Recipe: One-Pot Fresh Corn Mac and Cheese
This one-pot pasta gets a fresh, sweet spin with the addition of some corn and scallions.