Earlier this year, I asked Instagram users "what ingredient would you add to boxed macaroni and cheese if you could only pick ONE extra ingredient?" This video went extremely viral and currently has about 16 million plays (!) and almost 58,000 comments.

Disclaimer: The "one ingredient" doesn't include the pasta, milk, butter, cheese packet, or anything that's part of the standard recipe on the box.

Frankly, the responses were WILD and all over the place. People chose standard ingredients such as extra cheese or black pepper, somewhat out there suggestions such as tuna or Cheetos, all the way to absurd suggestions that weren't even food.

If you're curious, you can check out the video here or click the link below.

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A post shared by Carolyn Wong (@carolbeecooks)

Speaking of boxed mac & cheese...

I have been obsessed with GOODLES Mac & Cheese the past couple of years. Have you tried it?! It has more protein, fiber, nutrients, and no artificial flavors. My husband and I make a box as part of dinner at least a couple times a month!

Also you can get 20% off with code CAROLBEE at checkout!

They also have the best flavors. Some current favorites are:

• Mover & Shaker: Cacio e Pepe flavored
• Cheddy Mac: The "classic" cheddar mac flavor
• Twist my Parm: Asiago and parmesan flavored. Basically a buttered noodles vibe.

The comment section peaked my curiosity. What are people adding to their boxed mac & cheese?

With almost 58,000 comments, I became curious if there were common themes in what ingredients people were choosing.

Are most people picking the same ingredients?

Have I tried any of the combinations?

Are there any combinations that I would love to try?

Are there any ingredients I find repulsive?

Obviously, it would take me an insane amount of time to go through all 58,000 comments, but I did spend the time to go through around 1,000 comments and further analyze.

What categories did I use for my analysis?

• Condiment
• Dairy
• Meat
• Seasoning
• Vegetable
• Other

Before I get to the results - are you craving mac & cheese now?

I won't lie to you - I love boxed mac & cheese as a super quick, easy, and tasty meal. BUT, I also love spending the extra time to make mac & cheese from scratch.

THE RESULTS: What ingredient are the most people adding to boxed mac & cheese?

I went through around 1,000 of the most recent comments and tossed out any suggestions that weren't actually food (no, 100 trillion dollars doesn't count). I grouped the remaining 600 responses into categories and tallied how many picks each ingredient received!

RESULTS FROM THE CONDIMENT CATEGORY

Ingredient	# of Comments	Category
Hot Sauce	39	Condiment
Ketchup	15	Condiment
Mustard	4	Condiment
BBQ Sauce	2	Condiment
Honey	2	Condiment
Soy Sauce	2	Condiment
Gochujang	1	Condiment
Sambal	1	Condiment
Truffle Oil	1	Condiment

RESULTS FROM THE DAIRY CATEGORY

Ingredient	# of Comments	Category
Cheese	142	Dairy
Cream Cheese	11	Dairy
Sour Cream	11	Dairy
Mayo	4	Dairy
Heavy Cream	3	Dairy
Ranch	1	Dairy

RESULTS FROM THE MEAT CATEGORY

Ingredient	# of Comments	Category
Hot Dogs	58	Meat
Bacon	56	Meat
Beef	16	Meat
Chicken	15	Meat
Tuna	15	Meat
Sausage	10	Meat
Spam	7	Meat
Ham	6	Meat
Lobster	4	Meat
Crab	3	Meat
Pulled Pork	3	Meat
Steak	3	Meat
Pepperoni	2	Meat
Anchovies	1	Meat
Bratwurst	1	Meat
Chorizo	1	Meat

RESULTS FROM THE SEASONING CATEGORY

Ingredient	# of Comments	Category
Black Pepper	41	Seasoning
Salt	13	Seasoning
Extra Cheese Packet	6	Seasoning
Garlic Salt	5	Seasoning
Garlic Powder	4	Seasoning
Paprika	4	Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper	3	Seasoning
Old Bay	3	Seasoning
Sugar	3	Seasoning
Red Pepper Flakes	2	Seasoning
Tajin	2	Seasoning

RESULTS FROM THE VEGETABLE CATEGORY

Ingredient	# of Comments	Category
Broccoli	8	Vegetable
Peas	7	Vegetable
Hot Peppers	6	Vegetable
Onion	5	Vegetable
Garlic	4	Vegetable
Tomatoes	4	Vegetable
Corn	3	Vegetable
Green Onion	3	Vegetable
Mushrooms	2	Vegetable
Rotel	2	Vegetable
Chives	1	Vegetable
Lemon	1	Vegetable
Okra	1	Vegetable
Pickles	1	Vegetable

RESULTS FROM THE OTHER CATEGORY

Ingredient	# of Comments	Category
Chili	9	Other
Cheetos	5	Other
Egg	3	Other
Beans	2	Other
Breadcrumbs	2	Other
Potato Chips	2	Other
Coca Cola	1	Other
Tomato Juice	1	Other
Vanilla	1	Other

THE OVERALL WINNER

Ingredient	# of Comments	Category
Cheese	142	Dairy
Hot Dogs	58	Meat
Bacon	56	Meat
Black Pepper	41	Seasoning
Hot Sauce	39	Condiment
Beef	16	Meat
Chicken	15	Meat
Tuna	15	Meat
Ketchup	15	Condiment
Salt	13	Seasoning
Cream Cheese	11	Dairy
Sour Cream	11	Dairy
Sausage	10	Meat
Chili	9	Other
Broccoli	8	Vegetable
Peas	7	Vegetable
Spam	7	Meat
Hot Peppers	6	Vegetable
Extra Cheese Packet	6	Seasoning
Ham	6	Meat
Cheetos	5	Other
Onion	5	Vegetable
Garlic Salt	5	Seasoning
Garlic Powder	4	Seasoning
Garlic	4	Vegetable
Mustard	4	Condiment
Lobster	4	Meat
Tomatoes	4	Vegetable
Mayo	4	Dairy
Paprika	4	Seasoning
Egg	3	Other
Corn	3	Vegetable
Crab	3	Meat
Green Onion	3	Vegetable
Cayenne Pepper	3	Seasoning
Pulled Pork	3	Meat
Steak	3	Meat
Heavy Cream	3	Dairy
Old Bay	3	Seasoning
Sugar	3	Seasoning
Beans	2	Other
Breadcrumbs	2	Other
Potato Chips	2	Other
BBQ Sauce	2	Condiment
Honey	2	Condiment
Soy Sauce	2	Condiment
Mushrooms	2	Vegetable
Rotel	2	Vegetable
Pepperoni	2	Meat
Red Pepper Flakes	2	Seasoning
Tajin	2	Seasoning
Chives	1	Vegetable
Lemon	1	Vegetable
Coca Cola	1	Other
Okra	1	Vegetable
Gochujang	1	Condiment
Ranch	1	Dairy
Sambal	1	Condiment
Anchovies	1	Meat
Bratwurst	1	Meat
Tomato Juice	1	Other
Pickles	1	Vegetable
Truffle Oil	1	Condiment
Chorizo	1	Meat
Vanilla	1	Other

What do you think?

Are you surprised by the results? Do you think cheese is the best additional ingredient to add to boxed mac & cheese?

What type of cheese do you think pairs the best with boxed mac & cheese? Leave a comment down below or comment on the original Instagram video!