Ingredients Our 11 Best Macaroni Pasta Dishes By Food & Wine Editors Published on February 21, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Noah Fecks / Food Styling by Drew Aichele / Prop Styling by Ethan Lunkenheimer There are few things more versatile than macaroni. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and is endlessly adaptable in soups, pasta bakes, and salads. Here are some of our favorite ways to cook with macaroni, from a Smoked Salmon Macaroni Salad with Spinach, Lemon and Goat Cheese, to a Lobster Mac and Cheese. 01 of 11 Kentucky Hot Brown Macaroni and Cheese Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen The Kentucky Hot Brown is a classic open-faced sandwich beloved in Kentucky. Here, we took the essential components of a Hot Brown and combined them for an untraditional macaroni and cheese with the soul of the original. Get the Recipe 02 of 11 Southern-Style Mac 'n' Cheese Photo by Noah Fecks / Food Styling by Drew Aichele / Prop Styling by Ethan Lunkenheimer Three different kinds of cheese — extra-sharp cheddar, Colby-Jack, and cream cheese — go into this creamy, savory macaroni and cheese recipe, which also gets layers of flavor from fresh bay leaves and dry mustard. Southern-style mac 'n' cheese is typically made with a milk-and-egg base rather than a roux. Here, the milk component is an infused milk-and-cream mixture reserved from cooking the noodles (which adds even more richness to the dish). Get the Recipe 03 of 11 Smoked Salmon Macaroni Salad with Spinach, Lemon and Goat Cheese © Kristen Stevens This bright and flavorful smoked salmon macaroni salad with spinach, lemon and goat cheese is sure to become part of your cooking repertoire. The salty goodness from smoked salmon really makes this macaroni salad next-level. Get the Recipe 04 of 11 Crab Macaroni Gratin Sarah Crowder A glorious amount of crab meat baked with shell-shaped pasta in a three-cheese cream sauce — tangy white cheddar, nutty Gruyère, and sharp Parmigiano-Reggiano — is no-joke delicious, and trés riche. That’s where the Champagne comes into play in cookbook author Andrea Slonecker's recipe. The tingly bubbles give your palate an ultrasonic scrub between each creamy, cheesy, blissful bite. Get the Recipe 05 of 11 Macaroni-and-Beef Casserole © Alexandra Rowley This hearty cumin-scented casserole has an irresistible cheesy-crisp topping coated with panko breadcrumbs. This dish can also be made ahead and refrigerated overnight before baking the next day. Get the Recipe 06 of 11 Lobster Mac and Cheese Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This decadent lobster mac and cheese has it all. A generous amount of lobster meat and a rich, three-cheese sauce made with fontina, Gruyère, and mascarpone are mixed with pasta, and baked under a crunchy topping of panko and Parmesan. The shells are separated from the meat and cooked with aromatics, wine, milk, and cream, infusing the sauce with a surprising depth of lobster flavor. Get the Recipe 07 of 11 Macaroni Bianco with Ricotta and Fresh Mozzarella Fresh ricotta replaces the need for a béchamel, while fresh mozzarella ensures that there’s plenty of the ooey-gooeyness that you crave from a good mac and cheese. Make this for an impressive yet quick weeknight dinner. Get the Recipe 08 of 11 Muffin Cup Macaroni and Cheese © Kate Winslow These one-bite macaroni and cheese cups are always a crowd pleaser. It's important to let the muffins cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing them from the pan, to make sure they will hold together. Get the Recipe 09 of 11 Macaroni Gratin © Fredrika Stjärne In this recipe, the pasta is cooked in milk before the cooking liquid is cooled down with ice cubes, a technique that keeps the macaroni from drying out. The dish can be served as a main-course pasta for four with a salad or as an accompaniment to roasted meats or poultry. Get the Recipe 10 of 11 Hamburger Helpa Greg DuPree We all know the store-bought mix; this homemade version is even better than the classic, recipe developer and actress Valerie Bertinelli promises. Bertinelli says this dish is a throwback to her childhood and speaks directly to her desire for quick, efficient and delicious meals. Get the Recipe 11 of 11 Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese with Baby Kale Kelly Marshall A quick sauté renders baby kale leaves perfectly tender, allowing them to almost melt into the buttermilk-enriched béchamel in chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls' riff on mac and cheese. For a smooth sauce, make sure all of the dairy is at room temperature. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit