Sneaky Veggie-Filled Mac and Cheese Recipe (for kids!)
Have I mentioned my kids love Macaroni and Cheese? Surely not. There are only more than a dozen mac and cheese recipes on the site. And even plain macaroni noodles are pretty much our go-to lunchbox food for Bug. It’s one of the few things she’ll ALWAYS eat. Macaroni is my best friend when I realize late at night that I’ve forgotten to pack her LunchBlox! I knew I had to find a sneaky veggie-filled mac and cheese recipe for my kids.
This mac and cheese version is adapted from the Sneaky Chef and is adapted to be a quick 30-minute meal. The original recipe uses Sneaky Chef’s White Puree. Instead, I used half pureed cauliflower and half carrot, which are two pureed veggies I almost always have on hand. Really, as long as you can sneak it in (try to stick to orange, white or tan purees here), any veggies will do!
Sneaky Veggie-Filled Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
1/2 pound macaroni noodles, cooked
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup carrot puree
1/4 cup cauliflower puree
2 cups shredded cheese
Method
Preheat oven to 375.
Whisk together milk, cheese and veggie purees.
In a 9-inch baking pan, place noodles in and pour sauce over.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
Recipe Source: VeggieConverter.com
The Results
Wow. When did baked mac and cheese get so simple?? Just whisk up milk and veggies and throw the cheese on top? What! No roux-making to screw up? Awesome. And, it’s delicious and fast. Winner!
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I just wanted to say that I just found your website a few days ago and I am excited. 🙂 I am also a vegetarian/dairy free mom who has a meat eating husband and 2 kiddos who are too young to care yet.
Awesome! Welcome, Amanda! It's crazy how many of us there are; I had no idea until starting the site, but so many people have told me they're in the same blended-eater family boat as us. I hope I can help make dinnertime easier for your fam!
HI.. I read your blog all the time… I was wondering what are the nutrirional stats for this recipe??? And will I be cooking out all nutrition from the carrots and cauliflower to make the puree or am i making the puree raw??? thanks
Here's how I cook them: Put the veggies in the crockpot with about 1/2 a cup of water at the bottom and cook on low for 2-3 hours. This basically steams them, so no, I don't believe you lose nutritional value.
For nutrition values on recipes, I use this site: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis….
Here's what Calorie Count's analysis says, using regular full fat shredded cheese. If you're using low fat cheese, it'd be different. My kids need all the fat they can get!:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 219 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 488
Calories from Fat 193
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21.4g33%
Saturated Fat 13.2g66%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 67mg22%
Sodium 415mg17%
Total Carbohydrates 48.3g16%
Dietary Fiber 2.2g9%
Sugars 6.9g
Protein 24.7g
Vitamin A 38% • Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 53% • Iron 13%
Nutrition Grade B-
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet
Nutritional Analysis
Good points
High in calcium
High in selenium
Bad points
High in saturated fat
thank you… for all your ideas and I will check out that site for nutritional info.. saved it in my favorites…
Wow, this article is pleasant, my younger sister is analyzing these
things, thus I am going to convey her.