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How To Make Boxed Mac And Cheese A Vegetable

A side of macaroni and cheese, its sauce containing vegetables, is presented on a dinner plate.
Meal(s)
Difficulty Beginner
Time
Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 25 mins
Servings 6
Description

We’re not going to win a Nobel Peace Prize for this one; we doubt praise from nutritionists is forthcoming. But if you’re looking to add some nutritional value to what is otherwise a junk dinner—and if your kid ain’t buying your attempts to stick peas or broccoli into his/her macaroni—we think you’ll find this recipe a better approach than the many variations you’ll find out there: it changes neither the taste or texture of the boxed stuff but legitimately adds a full serving of vegetables. Sure, it’ll take you ten more minutes to make than the orange glop would otherwise take, but you’ll more than recoup the time required to make another vegetable–that your kid probably won’t eat–and you’ll be hard pressed to find a dinner moment more enjoyable than watching your kids unknowingly scarf down some noodles that are saturated in carrots and cauliflower. Everyone wins.

Ingredients
  • 8 Baby Carrots
  • 2 oz Riced Cauliflower (about half a bag of frozen cauliflower rice; can also use 6-8 cooked florets, too)
  • 1 box Mac and Cheese (product of your choosing)
  • 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • Cream Cheese
  • Shredded Cheese
Instructions
  1. Steam the carrots until soft, roughly 10 minutes; prep the cauliflower per package directions (or steam until soft). Allow to cool.
  2. Cook and drain the noodles from your Mac n cheese box or package.
  3. Add the carrots, cauliflower, and broth to a blender; blend until puréed.
  4. In the pot you cooked the macaroni, Add the carrots-cauliflower puree, the milk, and two spoonfuls of cream cheese; turn on stove to Low and heat, cooking until the sauce is fully blended and hot (but not boiling).
  5. Add in as much shredded cheese as you’d like; blend. Add in 1/3 to 1/2 of the cheese packet included in the boxed Mac; blend. Taste-test the sauce, adding more shredded or powdered cheese as needed (or cream cheese if sauce is too salty or thin).
  6. Add pasta back to the pot; stir until pasta is fully coated by sauce.
    7. Serve

  7. We like to serve this as a side—say, with pieces of chicken or salmon—but it’s hardy enough that you flip this into being the main, with a small amount of protein beside it.

    8. Adapt

  8. Cut the prep time down even further by skipping the carrots and adding in a fourth of a can of pumpkin or half a cooked sweet potato to the blender instead. For a richer, more Velveeta-esque taste and texture use 1/3 cup of heavy cream instead of milk.

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The recipe author and his then-infant son
Brad

Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.