All Grown-Up: Macaroni and Cheese ... for the Mature Kid

All the little green bits you used to hate are now indicators of true "adulthood." Big words like "proscuitto" will mask the fact that this is just pasta with heaping spoonfuls of ricotta cheese.

The secret here is that there's no cheese -- don't panic!  Listen: Instead, velvety pumpkin puree lends this dish the appearance of your favorite mac and cheese (and it tastes pretty stellar, too) but makes for a healthier alternative.

Shells are almost as fun as macaroni -- they're like little boats for your food! Winter squash, Mr. Sophisticated Produce, steps in here to make this dish worthy of dinner with the parents.

Remember when you said "yuck" to spinach? Now, because you're a big-time adult, you can say "Hurray, here's my daily dose of iron," as you carefully unfurl an ironed linen napkin.

All right, it looks intimidating, but this recipe is literally just rigatoni, goat cheese, and Parmesan. Oh, but that goat cheese! How exotic! How very adult!

We're pretty sure making your own gnocchi is as grown-up as signing a co-pay or serving jury duty. Creamy gorgonzola sauce makes this recipe every bit as comforting as the ol' favorite.

This dish is filled with foods way too cool for kids -- olives, tomatoes, and feta. Stir in tuna if you're feeling particularly adventurous.

Picture this: macaroni and cheese inside of scrambled eggs cooked into a pie-shaped patty of cheesy comfort. Calling it a "frittata" gives it foodie cred.