Outside the Box: 13 Mouth-Watering Mac 'n' Cheese Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How do you class up hangover food? By morphing bacon and macaroni and cheese into a savory pie with a smoky lattice "crust".

For kids (and adults!) who won't eat their greens, this healthy recipe from White on Rice Couple is the ideal tasty solution.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!