Homemade baked mac and cheese in a casserole dish.

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Boxed or homemade, stovetop or baked, in some form or other mac and cheese has many fans. If you're looking to upgrade this pasta dish, a different classic comfort food might help: cream of mushroom soup. Well-established as a casserole base, cream of mushroom soup can add a little extra richness and a hint of umami flavor. While it may be an ingredient you never thought to put in mac and cheese, tons of posts on TikTok indicate this canned food combination is having its moment.

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to make mac and cheese, canned soup keeps the process simple. Many recipes only call for only a single can of cream of mushroom soup plus a few cups of cheese, milk, and noodles. You just mix them, cook everything together, salt it to taste, and enjoy. Or, top the dish with cheese and throw it in the oven for a quick baked mac and cheese.

How do you add cream of mushroom soup to mac and cheese?

A can of cream of mushroom soup next to a pot.

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While relying on canned food is often the economical choice, both in terms of cost and time, more culinarily adventurous folks can also enjoy this approach. If you have a go-to mac and cheese recipe, consider swapping out the milk for cream of mushroom soup to make a creamier, more flavorful version of it. However, substituting milk for canned soup is not an exact science. Be prepared to experiment a bit to get the ratios right.

Inspiration can also be found on Reddit, where a user requested tips on substituting cream of mushroom soup for milk. One reply recommended thinning the canned liquid with a bit of water, and another advised using less butter because the canned soup would pack a lot of extra flavor. Plus, cream of mushroom soup can be high in sodium, so you may need to reduce the amount of salt you add while cooking.

This isn't the only possible milk substitute either. Similarly rich options like cream of chicken or cream of shrimp also work. If you're looking for something lighter, tomato soup adds extra flavor without making the dish too heavy. (One Reddit user said a friend used to make boxed mac and cheese with condensed tomato soup.) While it may take some practice, if you find a combination that works, maybe you'll end up with a viral recipe of your very own.