Blake Lively's Famous Mac and Cheese Recipe Starts with a Box
When I crave cozy comfort food, nothing hits the spot like a bowl of mac and cheese. Sure, the stuff from the box is tasty and nostalgic, but as a food writer and curious cook, I'm always on the hunt for ways to elevate what I'm cooking. When I stumbled upon Blake Lively's famous recipe hack for better boxed mac and cheese, I was instantly intrigued and knew I had to give it a try.
The actress, wife to Hollywood hunk Ryan Reynolds—and best friend to Taylor Swift—wouldn't be the first celebrity I'd think of as a secret mac and cheese whisperer, but her hack calls for minimal effort, minimal ingredients and so much cheese, all three things I fully support. Here's what happened when I made the recipe in my kitchen.
Get the recipe: Blake Lively's Boxed Mac and Cheese Hack
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Ingredients for Blake Lively’s Mac and Cheese Hack
For this mac and cheese, you need favorite boxed mac and cheese (Blake uses her friend Gal Gadot's brand Goodles, so that’s what I grabbed), a block of sharp cheddar, a block of cream cheese, a block of Gouda cheese and whole milk.
Related: Patti LaBelle’s Easy Mac and Cheese Is Practically Perfect
How to Make Blake Lively’s Mac and Cheese Hack
Start by slicing off one-third of the block of cream cheese. Let it sit out on the counter while you cook the noodles and shred the cheese. Put a pot of water on to boil and boil the noodles according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, shred the cheddar and Gouda until you have "two big handfuls of cheese." (Because the recipe doesn't have ingredient amounts, there's a lot of guessing here.)
Drain the noodles and add them back to the pot. Add the cheese sauce packet, the grated cheeses and the cream cheese and splash of milk (I used a little less than a quarter of a cup). Stir until the cheeses melt and the sauce is smooth and coats the pasta evenly. Eat immediately.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
What I Thought of Blake Lively’s Mac and Cheese Hack
My initial thought after taking a bite was that wow, this bowl is heavy. Maybe it was the added protein and fiber in the Goodles' mac and cheese, but this was one filling bowl. It was so rich that I had to put my spoon down after a couple of bites!
While I'm never one to ever complain about too much cheese, the cheese-to-noodle ratio in Blake's recipe hack felt just slightly imbalanced, and that could be due to the lack of specific measurements she provides. "Two big handfuls" can look different depending on the person.
The noodles posed another minor issue: I found they didn't fully cling to the cheese sauce like I expected them to. The next time I try this (and there will be a next time because I bought four boxes of Goodles), I plan to add a bit more milk and less milk in the hopes of creating a silkier sauce. I might throw in some broccoli, too, for color and texture.
This recipe hack required a little extra work, but I'd say it only took about 15 minutes longer than making standard boxed mac and cheese. I loved the bold punch of flavor that came through from the first bite. And take a look that electric color! The orange hue from the addition of extra cheese was a nostalgic throwback to the blue box of Kraft Mac & Cheese that I Ioved eating for dinner growing up.
Related: 13 Best Boxed Mac and Cheese Brands
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Tips for Making Blake Lively’s Mac and Cheese Hack
Check your cheese. Make sure to use freshly shredded cheese as pre-shredded cheese has starch added that might affect how the cheese melts.
Play around with cheese combinations. I used two generous handfuls of shredded cheddar and Gouda, per Blake's suggestion, and 1/3 of a block of cream cheese. But some home cooks online say they’ve had luck with just adding in cream cheese or using different blends of cheeses. It's your mac and cheese, find what you like and go with it.
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