Simpler than that: (and apologies in advance for confessing to having a basic palate here) boxed mac and cheese is pretty tasty.
I'm kinda embarrassed to admit that annie's shells with white cheddar is better than any mac and cheese I've made from scratch. and I've tried a lot of recipes.
Also, cost probably is a factor. Even Annie's, which is more of a "premium" brand, can be had for around 1$ US per box, which could feed two people or so as part of a meal.