Lifestyle Food Outside the Box: 13 Mouth-Watering Mac 'n' Cheese Recipes Forget what you know about macaroni and cheese – these twists on the comfort food staple will have you dishing up seconds and thirds, and fourths By Kristin Appenbrink Published on November 5, 2014 04:00 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 13 MAC 'N' CHEESE MUFFINS Courtesy Hip Foodie Mom An easy way to serve the dish to a crowd, these muffins from Hip Foodie Mom can be made with your own favorite cheesy recipe. 02 of 13 AVOCADO MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy Two Peas and Their Pod Like bacon, avocado is one of those almost universally-adored foods. So it just makes sense to add it to mac 'n' cheese. This recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod involves both avocado and cheese sauces. Pardon us while we drool. 03 of 13 BACON MAC 'N' CHEESE EGG ROLLS Courtesy Miss in the Kitchen Somehow, food is just better when it's bite-size. Case-in-point: macaroni-filled egg rolls, which are made complete with bacon and barbecue sauce for dipping. 04 of 13 PUMPKIN MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy Kims Healthy Eats How could we leave out the most popular flavor of comfort-food season? This pumpkin mac 'n' cheese from Kim's Healthy Eats is made better with a combo of gorgonzola, extra-sharp cheddar and sage. 05 of 13 GRILLED MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy BS' in the Kitchen Another delicious mash-up for the books: Grilled cheese plus mac 'n' cheese equals the gooey-est, cheesiest sandwich – ever. Thank goodness the brother and sister duo behind BS in the Kitchen invented it. 06 of 13 MAC 'N' CHEESE PIE WITH BACON CRUST COURTESY Macey Foronda/BuzzFeed How do you class up hangover food? By morphing bacon and macaroni and cheese into a savory pie with a smoky lattice "crust". 07 of 13 KALE MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy White on Rice Couple For kids (and adults!) who won't eat their greens, this healthy recipe from White on Rice Couple is the ideal tasty solution. 08 of 13 FRIED MAC 'N' CHEESE BALLS Courtesy Kirbie's Cravings These crispy bites of goodness cook up just like fried chicken, minus the meat. Jennifer of Kirbie's Cravings recommends adding crumbled bacon or jalapeños to really pump up the flavor. 09 of 13 CAPRESE MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy Cooking Classy Elevate your mac and cheese with this Italian-inspired dish from Cooking Classy. Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil make for a fresh take on the usual cheddar variety. 10 of 13 MAC 'N' CHEESE PIZZA The Gunny Sack Carb-lovers, this is the recipe for you! While this version from The Gunny Sack calls for boxed pasta, you can easily swap in your favorite recipe. 11 of 13 BREAKFAST MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy The View from Great Island Who says you can't have mac and cheese for breakfast? This delicious recipe from The View from Great Island calls for a baked egg in the center of each individual portion. Of course, it wouldn't be a breakfast recipe without bacon, too. 12 of 13 PESTO MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy Oh My Veggies There are two reasons to love this pesto mac and cheese from Oh My Veggies: First, this pesto is perfected with fontina and Parmesan cheeses. Second, the addition of broccoli is an added nutritional bonus. 13 of 13 MEXICAN MAC 'N' CHEESE Courtesy Give Me Some Oven The addition of black beans, corn, avocado and tortilla strips gives this recipe a decidedly Mexican flair. The green chiles, cilantro and cumin rev up the flavor, too!