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.

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”.

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.

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!

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!

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. 

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!

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!

Kids Mac n' Cheese

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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
• 8 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni
• pinch of salt
• pinch of dry mustard powder

Instructions

1. Shred Cabot cheddar cheese and set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Cook noodles, according to the package instruction.
5. Pour sauce over cooked noodles, stir to combine and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1.5-2 ounces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 339 Total Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 41mg Sodium: 297mg Carbohydrates: 37g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 1g Protein: 18g

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.