We all know and love KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, but what if you could make a less artificial and a more flavorful mac and cheese from scratch? Let’s just say it’s better to stick to boxed mixes for quick, and fatteningly delicious, results.

While searching for simple recipes online, I stumbled across a recipe called “5 Minute Homemade Mac and Cheese.” As soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be better than the boxed variety, and the best part was that it only required five ingredients. Boy, was I wrong. Although it only required five ingredients, the taste prevented me from giving it another shot.

First off, the recipe called for leftover pasta, so I cooked pasta a day ahead and refrigerated it. Next, it said to put the pasta, cheese and some milk into a microwave-safe container and microwave it for a couple of minutes. This is when everything went south. The microwaved concoction looked absolutely nothing like the picture. I poked and prodded but no amount of cheese could save the dish that I’d created.

I hesitantly picked some of it up with a fork and put it in my mouth. One word: no. All of my expectations for its deliciousness shattered in that moment, mainly because it tasted like nothing. I tried adding salt and pepper but they didn’t help much. I was severely disappointed because I was really hoping to make good mac and cheese with my own hands.

By the time it had cooled down, the cheese had clumped up in random spots and the pasta shells were falling apart. I’m not sure if I did something wrong while following the recipe, but if I had put in a little less milk it wouldn’t have turned into a mushy mess.

One thing is for sure, I know that boxed mix mac and cheese would have been a lot tastier than whatever I ended up cooking. Some things just aren’t meant to be

Gallery • 2 Photos

Her version of the mac and cheese. Photo provided by picky-palate.com