Spicing up Old Flavors

Typical. You didn’t budget out your punches for the week. It is Wednesday and you’re left without any more meals. You’re poor. What to do?

I’ve been there. Something tells me we’ve all been there. Mac and cheese could be a good option… but that’s so bland. Maybe some ramen? Nah, also too bland.

Or are they?

Given a little creativity, things like microwave mac and cheese and ramen noodles can be spiced up into meals greater than your local dining hall can serve up.

If you’re feeling gutsy, try this Easy Mac tuna casserole: combine 1 serving Easy mac, ½ cup frozen peas, and 3 oz cooked tuna packed in water. Cook the peas and the easy mac and combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Now your meal has vegetables and protein. Mom would be proud. Your creation may not look like this, but I'm sure it'll be tasty.

A simpler option for those lazy readers: simply add in a teaspoon of garlic salt and microwave mac and cheese is transformed! You’ll never eat something that delicious on campus. You can play around with what other spices you have to get delicious combos, but something tells me you don’t have many spices. We’ll move on.

Ramen… noodles with a lot of salt. These are a gift from God at the end of a long night of partying, but don’t seem as fun and delicious during the day. That is, until you TRANSFORM them.

Start out with one bag of oriental flavored ramen. A simple way to spice this up is to add in scallions and mushrooms. You could even sauté a chicken breast with some soy sauce and add the chicken in for more protein in the meal.

Another fun idea is to cook a packet of beef ramen, drain the sauce, and serve with marinara sauce instead. The beef flavor will still be in the noodles, but you’ll also get the rich flavor of the tomatoes.

There are more great recipe ideas for Easy Mac here at Kraft Foods. For those of you who have more ramen leftover from the weekend, click here for 100 more interesting ways to make ramen more palatable.

-Beckie