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Tonight, my wife and I prepared a cheap meal, part of which was a simple box of mac-n-cheese. But a little improvisation went a long way...

Here's the recipe:

• 1/8 Cup (2 tbsp) Butter
• 1 Box of Cheap Mac-N-Cheese Dinner
• Milk and Butter (Per Directions on Mac-N-Cheese)
• 4 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. In an 8 inch round casserole dish, dot chunks of butter on the bottom of the dish.
3. Prepare the box of mac-n-cheese according to the directions, except add a bit more milk. Our box indicated to use 1/2 cup of milk, we used 2/3 cup instead.
4. Transfer the mac-n-cheese mixture to the casserole dish.
5. Evenly top the mac-n-cheese with the shredded cheese.
6. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over top of shredded cheese.
7. Bake in preheated 400° F oven for 16 minutes
8. Set oven to BROIL, and continue baking until top is golden brown, bubbly and crispy - about 5 minutes.
9. Remove from heat, cool, and serve

We made this up on the spot, but I doubt it is that original. Whatever it is, it is tasty. Serve it as a side dish or the main course.

We used Walmart Sam's Choice Thick-N-Creamy mac-n-cheese. We have found this brand to be among the best we have tried. Other mac-n-cheese brands either are too thin, not creamy enough, or not cheesy enough. We can't make any promises that other mac-n-cheese dinner mixes will work in this recipe, but it is a cheap enough dinner, so feel free to experiment...

Good luck, and enjoy!