The macaroni and cheese aisle at the grocery store has plenty of boxes to choose from, from the nostalgic blue Kraft Mac & Cheese of our childhoods to some more questionable varieties (sorry, when it comes to the worst boxed mac and cheese, we’re looking at you, Chester Cheetah!). But one brand you may not have tried yet is made by a nationwide restaurant chain, Cracker Barrel. The product isn’t new, and it isn’t necessarily the best on the market, but it is worth trying for a number of reasons that you’ll want to consider before tossing a box in your shopping cart on your next grocery run.
In Chowhound’s ranking of popular boxed macaroni and cheese brands, Cracker Barrel placed in the middle, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from trying it out for yourself. There are actually a few factors that make it a smart choice, starting with the fact that it comes with a pre-made cheese sauce that you simply pour over the noodles once they’re cooked. This makes dinner prep after a long day at work a breeze, since you don’t have to spend any extra time measuring ingredients. It also saves you from having to use any milk or butter. While the price is a bit higher than the old standard (Kraft Mac & Cheese costs about $1 a box while Cracker Barrel’s version sells for approximately $4), the savings on extra ingredients and precious time definitely make the higher price forgivable.
The grown-up version of mac and cheese
You might be used to the cheesy powder mixes that many brands are known for (and that you probably grew up on), but Cracker Barrel’s cheese sauce wants nothing to do with that nonsense. The cheese sauce is smooth and creamy, and it comes in a variety of flavors that appeal to a more sophisticated palate like Cheddar Havarti, Sharp White Cheddar, and Parmesan White Cheddar. Kraft, on the other hand, does offer a few different flavors, but instead it seems to focus on younger eaters by switching up the shapes of its noodles to make meals fun for little ones. You won’t find any cartoon shapes in a box of Cracker Barrel macaroni and cheese!
Cracker Barrel’s restaurants are known for serving consistently good versions of American classics, like the chicken and dumplings that it sells mass quantities of each year. If you are a fan of eating at the restaurants, then there is a good chance you’ll enjoy the chain’s boxed macaroni and cheese, which is often said to be quite similar to its in-house version of the same dish. The creaminess of the sauce, the flavorful but not overpowering taste of the cheese, and the thick pasta shells that hold up well during cooking all come together to create a sophisticated version of a dish that we can relive our childhood through without compromising our grown-up taste buds.
