The Warm Spice That Belongs In Your Mac And Cheese

As far as comfort foods go, you can't do much better than mac and cheese. The all-American dish has a richness and a one-dimensional quality that is easy on the palate and endlessly craveable. However, if your mac and cheese calls for a little something extra, a warming spice is the perfect solution. And what spice is perfectly suited to the task? Nutmeg.

Nutmeg may be more commonly associated with holiday desserts and baked goods, but the spice is actually a fantastic complement to savory dishes as well. It has a pungent aroma and its taste skews sweet, which can help accentuate any reticent sweetness of the dairy in your mac and cheese and contrast the more savory cheese in the mix. Its pungency adds another dimension to the combo and is a good foil to the creamy-richness of mac and cheese. This tip is a favorite of Martha Stewart, and as far as solutions for adding nuance to your dish go, they don't get much easier.

Although this trick can be as easy as sprinkling nutmeg from the spice cabinet onto a batch of instant mac and cheese, there are other preparations that will yield more enticing results. For starters, get your mac and cheese recipe settled with the nutmeg-cheese pairing in mind. White cheddar can offer a pleasant, tangential pungency, whereas parmesan and pecorino romano can introduce a salty, nutty dimension to your batch of mac. Read up on tips for cooking with nutmeg to get your ducks in a row before heading into the kitchen.

This baked mac and cheese recipe utilizes spices like thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; try adding an eighth or a fourth teaspoon of nutmeg to the spice mix and adjust based on your preference. You can also grate fresh nutmeg for your mac and cheese, but add it slowly into your mix as it is much more fragrant than the kind you buy in the seasoning aisle. This mushroom macaroni and cheese is also a good spot to try out the warming spice, as the parmesan and gruyere involved pair well with nutmeg.