Heathy Mac and Cheese

I am all about making things healthy but still delicious.  I would love to get on board with those vegan mac and cheese recipes that use cashews or tofu but I just can’t.  Most of them taste gross and nothing like real macaroni and cheese.

The sauce is made by mixing half regular cheese sauce and half  blended carrots.  The carrots give the sauce that bright orange color that you get from the powdered cheese sauces, but it’s so much healthier.  But since it’s half real cheese sauce, it’s still delicious.  It will fool even the pickiest kid…and grown up.

I’ve never met a kid who didn’t love Mac and Cheese.  So if you’ve got a picky eater, and you’re trying to incorporate more veggies into their diet, this recipe is a great place to start.

This recipe can be made with regular elbow macaroni or gluten-free macaroni.  Check out my recommendations for the Best and Worst Gluten-Free Pastas if you need some guidance.  Or, if you really want to fool your kids, you can even use the macaroni noodles from the boxed macaroni that they love and just throw out the powder mix and use this sauce instead.  It’s all about baby steps people!

Making your own cheese sauce may seem like a daunting task but it’s really easy once you get the hang of it. There’s just a few simple steps:

Melt butter in a pan.

Mix in flour until it bubbles.

Add milk and stir, a little at a time.  It will get thick at first, then thin out.

Heat to a simmer, turn off heat, add the cheese.

That’s it!  And it is one of those things that is really worth the time because it tastes so amazing and still has veggies in it.

If you liked this recipe, please let me know in the comments below.  Happy cooking!

Print Recipe

Heathy Mac and Cheese

Course

Main Dish

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups chedder cheese, shredded shred your own from a block for best results
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Course Main Dish Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 lb. elbow macaroni 2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups milk 2 cups chedder cheese, shredded shred your own from a block for best results 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Put carrots in medium pot. Cover with water, bring to boil and cook 10 minutes. Drain, put carrots in blender and set aside. Return the pot to the stove to reuse for the cheese sauce.
2. Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. In the pot you used for the carrots, melt butter. Add flour and stir until bubbly. Add milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Pour mixture into blender with carrots and blend until smooth.
4. Return to pot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add salt and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to combine.

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