Sweet Potato Mac And Cheese Amps Up The Classic Comfort Food

For many people, mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. Few dishes have the power to simultaneously soothe and satisfy them the way that cheesy pasta does. Whether it's the quick and simple mac and cheese dinner from the blue box or a more sophisticated grown-up version, the tastes and textures have a way of hitting just the right spot. But there is something to be said for experimental versions of the classic comfort food — with the addition of sweet potatoes being one of the best ways to amp it up.

Sweet potatoes go well in mac and cheese recipes for a few different reasons. Perhaps the most obvious is the color, with the bright orange of sweet potatoes adding to the dish's already vivid presentation. Another is the creaminess that the starchy vegetable is known for. Finally, there is the sweetness of the ingredient, which adds a depth of unexpected flavor. Plus, while fresh sweet potatoes are ideal, it is perfectly acceptable to use the canned kind if you prefer.

How you add sweet potatoes to your mac and cheese will depend on the purpose you want them to serve and how you want the final dish to turn out. They can be used for color and creaminess in a vegan cheese sauce, which entails boiling the sweet potatoes and pureeing them along with the rest of the ingredients for imitation cheese. The result will be a bright yellow sauce that easily resembles the traditional dairy kind.

For those who still want to use dairy but want to cut back on it a bit, sweet potatoes can take the place of some of the cheese instead of all of it. Use sweet potatoes to replace half of the regular cheddar in mac and cheese and you'll get a dish that is just as colorful, creamy, and delicious as the original recipe. And if you don't feel like boiling the sweet potato it's fine to microwave it, scoop out the soft insides, and puree them with milk for the sauce before folding in the cheese.

Alternatively, you can mash the sweet potatoes after boiling. This is great for mac and cheese even if you don't want to cut the amount of cheese. Not only will the extra ingredient add color when using white cheeses, but it will also increase the nutrient density of the dish, act as a thickener for hearty mac and cheese, and amplify the flavor.

Sweet potatoes pair amazingly well with quite a few other ingredients that also go great in baked mac and cheese — especially protein, which can transform the casserole from a side dish to a main entree. You won't regret adding pieces of bacon or slices of andouille sausage. Or, try shredded chicken tossed in Buffalo sauce with some bleu cheese crumbles mixed into the breadcrumbs on top. Seafood also goes really well with sweet potato mac and cheese, so don't sleep on shrimp, crab, or lobster (or all three) as additions, either.

Whichever protein you settle on, be sure to pair the sweet potatoes and noodles with homemade cheese sauce for the ultimate mac and cheese. You might even want to turn the classic comfort food up another notch by switching out the bread crumbs that normally go on top for parmesan cheese instead. Like breadcrumbs, the parmesan will create a golden brown crust — and the added layer of cheese will be an unexpected treat.