Recipe | Embellished Boxed Mac and Cheese: Recipe 1

I love mac and cheese, but the boxed kind isn't very exciting or containing of any nutritional value, really. So I decided to take my favorite brand of boxed mac and cheese and embellish it a little bit. Not only does this stretch the box to more servings, but makes it more interesting with more ingredients and more nutritious and substantial.

1 box of your favorite mac and cheese. I use Annie's deluxe mac and cheese

2 soy sausage links, cut into half-moon shapes

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado, mashed

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large skillet to medium heat and set on high a large pot of water for the pasta. Start by browning off the sausage pieces in the olive oil. This should take around 5-7 minutes.

Remove the pieces from the pan after they've browned and set aside. Add the chopped peppers and onions to the pan and begin to sweat them. Again, this should take around 5-7 minutes. Add some salt and pepper.

(I forgot to photograph the rest of the recipe, but I think it's all pretty easy to follow)

At this point, the water for your pasta should be boiling. You can go ahead and salt the water and drop the pasta in. Meanwhile, in the skillet, add the vegetable stock, mashed avocado, and the cheese sauce that comes in your mac and cheese box. If your mac and cheese comes with a powder, just add some milk along with the other ingredients. Stir everything together until the avocado and cheese sauce has incorporated into a creamy mixture.

Add the cumin, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes to the sauce. Stir to disperse the spices throughout the whole sauce. Add more salt and pepper if necessary Let this simmer until the pasta is done cooking (8-10 minutes). Drain and Add the pasta to the sauce along with the chopped tomatoes. Combine everything and enjoy!