Ranch Mac & Cheese Recipe

Reviewed on Jan. 16, 2013 by Wieners

Made this for the first time, on a recommendation. We really liked it. It was good as leftovers. To lower the sodium I would use powders instead of salts next time and leave out the saltines. I feel they weren't needed and didn't add any flavor. I used a 8 oz. bag of shredded marble jack blend cheese. I added crab meat to it also. Definitely will be making this again.

Reviewed on Jan. 14, 2013 by Ashaline

It was alright. My kids did not like this, my husband said it was pretty good. I did one and half the amount of the sauce and it was a good thing I did.

Reviewed on Nov. 09, 2012 by hector3918

Really nice flavor. The ranch was a nice twist to a classic dish. The mac and cheese fanatic loved the new dish!

Reviewed on Oct. 03, 2012 by UpToMe123

After the first bite, I thought - oh wow, waste of time making this. But my family was raving about it. I tried it again and they were right. The taste is kinda a ranch/garlic/alfredo mix. I think my first bite didn't taste like I thought it was going to and it threw me off......but I was told several times this recipe needs to be a keeper - and I agree.

Reviewed on Jul. 22, 2012 by jstolpe

Is so easy and delicious! We make at ones a week. YumYum.

Reviewed on Jun. 04, 2012 by KJLII

It's sooo good!!! Every time I make for party or picnic and I never get to save any leftover for next day!!

Reviewed on May. 01, 2012 by Pennan

My family loved this new take on traditional mac & cheese

Reviewed on Oct. 30, 2011 by smada3

i have made this many times from the magazine and it always turns out great, tonight I used a store brand ranch dressing for the first time and it made it way salty...note to self get the good stuff!

Reviewed on Sep. 25, 2011 by BakinGymnast

Interesting flavor, but pretty salty and not very cheesy.

Reviewed on Sep. 13, 2011 by BakinGymnast

This is not the same recipe that was printed in the magazine. The original recipe called for 2 envelopes of ranch salad dressing mix.

Reviewed on Feb. 20, 2011 by rellmac

This is an amazing dish. While it definitely doesn't "taste" like a traditional mac n cheese, it's quickly become a favorite side dish in our house. We often use whatever cheese we have and found straight cheddar also yields delicious results. It's also excellent as leftovers the next day.

Reviewed on Feb. 19, 2011 by mamapierce

So easy and delicious! I love the flavor and texture from the saltine crackers. Yum.

Reviewed on Jan. 14, 2011 by abbie23

This recipe is a favorite in my house! I was on the search for a great mac&cheese, and I found it with this one! The best part is that it is different than your everyday mac&cheese. I chose to add crumbled crackers mixed with butter to the top and bake it for 20mins. Awsome recipe... Thanks Michelle!!

Reviewed on Nov. 20, 2010 by Shawnee2020

I get a little frustrated with people who complain about the salt content or fat content, or any other "unhealthy" ingredient. No one ever claimed this was a healthy recipe. If you are looking for that, google. Otherwise please don't complain. It's one thing to prefer less salt, it's another to have expectations that were never intended.

Reviewed on Nov. 05, 2010 by devilgrrl

I didn't have saltines, so i used Ritz crackers instead & also I didn't have the 2 cheeses listed so i used shredded cheddar cheese. Very different & very delicious! I can't imagine going back to the boxed mac & cheese after having this. I love it!

Reviewed on Oct. 05, 2010 by pearlrvr

Wonderful robust flavor! I made several substitutions to suit our tastes and what we had on-hand, but this seems fool-proof! I omitted the garlic salt and garlic pepper and instead used 1/2tsp garlic powder and 1/2tsp of Kosher salt. I kept the 1tsp lemon-pepper as-is. I used mild cheddar and mozzarella and omitted both the saltines and parmesan. My 21/2 year old who will not sit through a meal kept his seat and devoured this one!

Reviewed on Sep. 10, 2010 by KY_Cook

A little salty for my taste, so I used garlic powder as well. Otherwise, it was totally delicious and well worth serving again :)

Reviewed on Jul. 31, 2010 by harleybratt

this recipe is excellent, also i used the recipe to make cheesey ranch potatoes, the same recipe just sub potatoes for the noodles and its delicious.

Reviewed on Jul. 14, 2010 by cookinNC

My family really loved this! I have made it twice and will probably substitute some garlic powder for the garlic salt next time. I also made it this last time with a substitution for the ranch dressing ( 2 t dried onion, 1 T dried parsley, 1/8 t garlic powder, and 1/2 t salt) which doesn't have quite the same flavor but is still good and much cheaper. Appreciate all the previous suggestions for cutting the salt down: it tastes good the way it is, but that IS a lot of salt! :)

Reviewed on Jul. 05, 2010 by smada3

p.s. i did not used the garlic salt either just used garlic powder

Reviewed on Jul. 05, 2010 by smada3

the first time i made this as is and it came out salty so the second time i left out the crackers and used bread crumbs. I also double the sauce my family loved it

Reviewed on May. 18, 2010 by MamaJulez

This was a hit at my house, and I also took some to my 2 1/2 year old's play date. It was a hit with all of the kids as well. I will be making this regularly!

Reviewed on Apr. 26, 2010 by MGraham6

I loved this recipe. My sister and I couldn't get enough of it! It was a little too salty for my liking so next time I think I'll use about half the garlic salt to see if that does the trick. It was so yummy that I will be making this again.

Reviewed on Mar. 12, 2010 by tippelmann

This was the most excellent mac n cheese I have ever had! My kids like the boxed stuff and I have never been able to get them to eat a homemade mac n cheese. They LOVED this! It has great flavor and is so cheesy. LOVE IT!

Reviewed on Feb. 08, 2010 by ohiocook

I followed the advice of other reviewers and cut down on the salt content by using garlic powder. I also cut out the garlic pepper blend and the lemon-pepper seasoning (we don't keep them on hand) but did use some black pepper and it was still full of wonderful flavor. I halved the butter and sour cream to make it a bit lighter, and the texture was perfect.

Reviewed on Feb. 01, 2010 by amber666

This was a big hit with everyone in my house. I added chopped ham and frozen peas after mixing and popped it in the oven for about 10 minutes. Super easy and so yummy! I didn't think it was too salty at all.

Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2010 by CarCol

1,357 mg Sodium?????

Reviewed on Jan. 24, 2010 by mssjnnfer

We make this all the time and it's a great way to use up cheeses in the fridge. Also, to clear up the 1 pack/2 pack confusion... This recipe has recently been changed. It WAS 2 packs, and it also had CUBED Mont. and Colby cheese, but now it says shredded.

Reviewed on Jan. 14, 2010 by dianehain

This makes a good sauce, and is not too salty if you use 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp salt-free lemon peper seasoning. I did not have any colby, so I used cheddar instead.

Reviewed on Jan. 11, 2010 by sharon ulam

I made it with provalone cheese and cheddar and sub the saltines for planko bits on top with the parmesan mixed in and the family went nuts over this. It is an awsome recipe either way.

Reviewed on Jan. 11, 2010 by madperson

Great adult version of mac-n-cheese. I used lower fat versions of the cheese, reduced fat sour cream and garlic powder. This is a keeper in my house!!!

Reviewed on Jan. 09, 2010 by RebekahTastet

I loved this mac and cheese! :)

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by Lucy4550

I love this recipe! I follow the instructions exactly except for substituting garlic powder for the garlic salt, and it comes out great every time. It's a wonderful side dish to go with a ham.

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by cynthias

I don't understand where some people are seeing it calls for 2 pkgs ranch dressing mix. The recipe clearly says 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix.

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by smarianne

Good, used garlic power, skim milk, low fat cheese, whole wheat pasta, lower fat sour cream. Recipe only calls for 1 envelope of ranch, others are saying 2 that's not correct, recipe says 1.

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by grannyc6

This is soo easy & so good! Everyone ask for it again & again!

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by MargeAZ

This recicpe needs a major makeover - too much fat & salt! 1 cup would be side dish portion, not a meal.

You could easily cut the calories & fat by using skim milk, low fat cheese, low or fat free sour cream, and eliminating or cutting the amount of butter in half. The saltines are not necessary.

And it was very salty - 1,357 mg of sodium is more than 1/2 the recommended daily amount of salt for an adult (2,300 mg).

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by hootiegal

This was a very good recipe. However, my husband does not like sour cream. i solved this by substituting greek yogurt for the sour cream. It was delicious.

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by april464r@aol.com

THE RECIPE ONLY CALLS FOR ONE PACKAGE OF RANCH DRESSING

Reviewed on Oct. 27, 2009 by amy000311

this recipe is a good twist on regular mack & cheese but next time I'll only use one packet of the ranch mix, two was a bit overwhelming.

Reviewed on Sep. 28, 2009 by cwbuff

I usually dont like mac 'n cheese at all, but I loved this recipe! However, I left the garlic salt out. Maybe it didnt work out for you for that reason and also that you didnt use 2 env of the ranch dressing and the saltines. Also, I usually shred block cheese rather than buy the pre-shredded, as I have noticed the latter seem much saltier than the former. Try it again that way, because I thought it was terrific. Also, it makes enough to take to a potluck.

Reviewed on Aug. 22, 2009 by ehday11

I love this recipe! not too salty or anything. make it all the time and it goes well at family functions!

Reviewed on Mar. 12, 2009 by brunchtoo

Hi, found this recipe in a new booklet from T of H.

My kids wanted to try it. I only used one enevelope of Ranch, no salt, no saltines and with still way too salty. My kids didn't like it at all.

Will not make it again.

Reviewed on Feb. 24, 2009 by Cottage1

MAYBE TRY USING GARLIC POWDER INSTEAD OF GARLIC SALT.

Reviewed on Dec. 26, 2007 by Anonymous

This recipe was easy to make, but once I tried it, the sauce was VERY salty for me and my family. 2 packages of ranch mix, all the salty seasonings, and Parmesan cheese...I should have known by the recipe that it would not turn out well. I will not make this recipe again.