It's just a box of grain...
The back of the Annie’s mac n’ cheese box makes the absurd suggestion that butter is optional in the preparation of that heady blend of orange powder, milk, and pasta in shapes I can never really make out (some are bunnies, I know).Tonight I discovered that there is a way forward without butter…and it is better! Or at the very least compelling, and different. The secret is fancy, spicy marinara sauce and full-fat sour cream. And some arugula if, like me, you think it makes everything more nutritious and delicious and so keep it on hand for day to day heathen uses.
Note: if you don’t love thick sauce and too much of it, you will not like this. I think it’s like a tangier, creamier vodka sauce (not to malign the original which I adore). Also, prepared this way, the mac n’ cheese is so rich you won’t be tempted to eat the whole box, an absence I’d never experienced previously: where for art thou gluttonous impulses?
Heathen Mac n’ Cheese
- 1 box Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese (get the sharp cheddar version)
- 4 TBSP regular sour cream
- 1 cup pasta sauce (I prefer a spicy arrabbiata)
- 6 oz. arugula
Cook the pasta for 9 mins., adding the arugula in to wilt for one minute before draining. Return the mixture to the pot.
In the bowl you’ll use to eat the mac n’ cheese (to prevent extra dish-washing), combine cheese powder with sour cream and pasta sauce and stir until smooth. Pour sauce over pasta, stir, and serve.
Note #2: A real, delicious mac n’ cheese, served in a skillet or baked, glistening with fontina, gruyere, and Parmesan (best trio for this, hands down), is unbelievably good. This just isn’t that. Do we indict the lowly Mexican pizza for not being authentic? No! Taco Bell is Taco Bell. Mexican food is Mexican food.
Note #3 (also known as Final Note): The leftovers have cooled and look kind of nasty (but are sure to be the perfect modified lumberjack breakfast!). Hence no photo, sorry.
