When you’ve got to get dinner on the table in a hurry, there’s rarely a more welcome sight than the boxed mac and cheese on your pantry shelf. Yet, it’s not always as exciting as you’d like it to be.

Ann Taylor Pittman is a Senior Food Editor at Food & Wine. She is a writer, recipe developer, editor, and cookbook author with more than 26 years of experience in food media. Texture, balance, and ...