Guac n’ Cheese

Vegetarian
Written By Ashley Kesner

Boxed mac meets taco night in this unapologetic mash-up. It’s creamy, cheesy, buttery, and topped with guacamole fixings for the culinary equivalent of a drunk text that actually worked out.

guac n' cheese closeup - hellfruit co

Why This Works (and Why It Shouldn’t)

You’ve got the rich, cheesy base of everyone’s favorite broke-college-kid dinner. Then you throw on fresh avocado, tomato, jalapeño, garlic powder (to keep potential husbands away), and a drizzle of Sriracha.

The result? A bizarre little masterpiece that somehow tastes like both comfort food and a bad decision made in a beach town after two margaritas.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • 1 box Kraft Mac & Cheese

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter (be generous — this is not a diet food blog)

  • 2 slices Kraft American cheese

  • 1 heaping tbsp Philadelphia cream cheese

  • 2 medium avocados, chopped

  • 2 fresh jalapeño, seeded and chopped

  • 2 Roma tomato, chopped

  • ¼ tsp garlic powder (husband repellent)

  • Drizzle of Sriracha (follow your heart… into heartburn)

  • Fresh or dried cilantro, for garnish

  • Water, for cooking pasta

How to Make It

  1. Boil it up — Cook the pasta according to the Kraft box instructions, but swap milk for water when making the cheese sauce.

  2. Cheese it harder — Add the cheese packet, butter, American cheese slices, and cream cheese. Stir until it’s smoother than your last bad idea.

  3. Plate like you mean it — Dump into a bowl, pretending you’re serving royalty (royalty who live in sweatpants).

  4. Guac it up — Top with avocado, jalapeño, and tomato.

  5. Season for safety — Sprinkle garlic powder to ward off clingy suitors.

  6. Bring the heat — Drizzle Sriracha like you’re auditioning for a cooking competition with a $50 prize.

  7. Garnish — Cilantro if you’ve got it, or skip if you’re one of those “cilantro tastes like soap” people.

When to Make It

  • Breakup nights when you need some damn carbs.

  • Finals week fuel.

  • Post-bar snack after a bad round of karaoke.

  • Tuesday — because Tuesday is a personality.

  • That time of the month (‘nuff said.)

Guac ‘n’ Cheese is proof that you don’t need a culinary degree to make something memorable — just a willingness to ignore rules, mash cuisines together, and accept that sometimes the best meals look like they belong in a college dorm.

So grab that box of Kraft, your nearest avocado, and a questionable amount of butter. Dinner’s served.

Ashley Kesner