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Healthy Kids Mac n’ Cheese

Apr 15, 2019 · 10 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my privacy policy for details.

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Do you remember the smell of mac n’ cheese cooking in the kitchen when you were a kid?  I do because I LOVED it!  Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – my son Ben shares my love for cheese, so today I’m going to be sharing a healthy kids mac n’ cheese recipe.

The best veggie mac n cheese for kids

If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much Ben LOVES cheese, Cabot cheese, specifically. Now that he can walk and is starting to talk, come snack time (or any meal time, really) he’ll walk up to the fridge, and say “cheese”.

The best and healthy kids mac n' cheese

Then he’ll use both hands to open the fridge door (it’s super cute but also scary that he can manage it) and get out a little Cabot Seriously Snacking cheese (it’s an individually wrapped .75 oz Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese) and bring it to me to unwrap for him. I’m working on a whole kid’s snack ideas post which I’ll be sharing next week, it definitely contains the Seriously Snacking cheeses, they’re so convenient for snacking.

How to make a healthy kids mc n' cheese with vegetables

When it comes to cheese, it’s not just my son who loves Cabot Cheese. If you’ve been following sweetphi.com for a while you’ll know that I’m the biggest cheddar fan, and Cabot makes the best cheddar (I make this instant pot cheddar turkey meatloaf dinner with their cheddar!) Cabot’s award-winning-lactose-free Vermont Sharp Cheddar is definitely the perfect cheese for all your culinary needs, it shreds beautifully and has a subtle buttery tang to it…perfect for mac n’ cheese!

The best ever healthy kids mac n' cheese recipe

One thing I struggle with for mealtime is making sure my son is getting enough vegetables. I’m sure a lot of parents out there can relate. That got me thinking of ways I could incorporate/sneak a few more vegetables into his diet without giving up flavor, and what a better way to do so than by taking a favorite dish of his (mac n’ cheese) and making it healthy with veggies added in? Win-win for everyone!

The best recipe for a healthy kids mac n' cheese

With this healthy kids mac n’ cheese, the sauce is made up of purred carrots and cauliflower, cheddar cheese, and I pour it over whole wheat noodles (feel free to use regular noodles or even veggie noodles, the sauce is soooo good over anything – rice/quinoa/other veggies/etc). 

The texture of the sauce is velvety and smooth, and it tastes fantastic, it’s definitely a kid friendly, nutrition packed dish I’m super proud of serving my son. 

The most amazing and healthy mac n' cheese for kids

This healthy kid’s mac n’ cheese recipe is made in a few simple steps:

  1. steam carrots and cauliflower in the microwave (or by boiling them)
  2. add cheddar cheese and a few other ingredients and blend the sauce together
  3. cook noodles, according to package
  4. combine noodles and sauce
  5. serve to your little one and watch them enjoy

A word to the wise: be cautious as you add in the dry mustard powder.  A pinch is really all you need.  I originally tried the recipe with more and the mustard flavor was a tad over-powering.  With that being said, this is also an ingredient that really helps tie all of the flavors together into a cohesive sauce, so don’t skip out!

The best cheddar mac and cheese

Whenever you’re looking for a great way to feed your child a healthy version of a dish they love, I’d highly recommend this kids mac ‘n cheese!

Other recipes you might enjoy:

  • 5 Ingredient Cheese Sauce Recipe
  • 5 Ingredient Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe
  • 5 Ingredient Stovetop Mac and Cheese {super easy and kid approved!}

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Kids Mac n' Cheese

Do you remember the smell of mac n’ cheese cooking in the kitchen when you were a kid?  I do because I LOVED it!  Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – my son Ben shares my love for cheese, so today I’m going to be sharing a healthy kids mac n’ cheese recipe.
0 from 0 votes
Print Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • [1 1/2 cups shredded Cabot Vermont sharp cheddar cheese]
  • 2 medium carrots about 1/2 cup, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 cup cauliflower florets optional
  • 1 tbs. Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup milk
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of dry mustard powder
  • 8 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni

Instructions

  • Shred Cabot cheddar cheese and set aside.
  • Steam carrots and cauliflower in the microwave (or you can boil them). When they're cooked through (a fork should easily poke through) drain the water and place carrots and cauliflower in a blender or food processor.
  • Add the cheese, Greek yogurt, milk, salt and dry mustard powder to the blender or food processor and process to blend the sauce together. The sauce should be silky smooth. If you need to add a little more liquid, do so a tablespoon at a time.
  • Cook noodles, according to the package instruction.
  • Pour sauce over cooked noodles, stir to combine and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5-2 ounces | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 297mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g
Used in this post:

This post is brought to you by my partnership with Cabot Cheese. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the SweetPhi blog possible.

The best healthy recipe for kids mac n' cheese

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Did you make this recipe? Hashtag with us! Be sure to follow/tag @PhiliaKelnhofer and hashtag #sweetphiblog – we love to see what you’re cooking up!”

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marina Houston says

    May 5, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    I just made this for me and my daughter who’s diet consists of mainly Mac and cheese and it was absolutely delicious!!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      May 6, 2019 at 2:09 pm

      I’m so happy to hear that, so glad she liked it!!!

      Reply
  2. Bonnie Gwilliam says

    April 26, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Your printable recipe does not indicate when to add the shredded cheese to the mixture. I had to scroll up into the step-by-step instructions in order to know when it should be added.
    Love this idea! I will definitely give this recipe a try!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      April 26, 2019 at 1:21 pm

      Hi Bonnie, thank you so much for pointing that out, I edited the recipe to include it (it goes in when blending the sauce) hope you love this recipe 🙂

      Reply
  3. Rachel @ Queen Of Constance says

    April 22, 2019 at 1:10 am

    Made it yesterday and it was a great success! I like that, brand doesn’t matter as long as it’s cheddar cheese. And I like how easy your recipes as well as the products are that you use.
    gonna save this recipe.
    thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      April 23, 2019 at 1:35 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words, so glad you enjoyed this recipe!!

      Reply
  4. Terri | Love and Confections says

    April 19, 2019 at 8:04 pm

    We love Cabot so much! I need to try and sneak veggies into the mac n cheese. She is pretty good with eating them on their own though, except cauliflower.

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      April 23, 2019 at 1:40 pm

      Isn’t Cabot the best? It’s completely my sons favorite cheese ever!! I think your daughter would love this mac n’ cheese 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Ingredient Tomato White Bean and Noodle Soup - Sweetphi says:
    February 11, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    […] Healthy Kids Mac n Cheese […]

    Reply
  2. Kids Snack Ideas - Sweetphi says:
    April 23, 2019 at 11:41 am

    […] son Ben’s favorite snack is Cabot Cheese (as you know from my recent post on healthy kids mac n’ cheese). He absolutely LOVES the Cabot Seriously Snacking cheese (it’s an individually wrapped .75 […]

    Reply

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Welcome to the SweetPhi blog, I’m Phi! I live in Milwaukee, WI. I’m a busy working mom (and cookbook author x2) to boy-girl twins and a toddler.

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These easy weeknight sweet potato burgers are done in 20 minutes, and are SO delicious.
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