Hulk Mac and Cheese

I hoped we’d never get here but Dane has entered his “I don’t like that” era. Thankfully he is still obsessed with noodles. This quick and easy recipe is packed with nutrients, it’s delicious, and the best part is it freezes well which makes it perfect for quick meals when you’ve prepared nothing else! I will share the recipe below but be don’t be afraid to be creative with it. Essentially just make the base sauce and then add in your veggie of choice! I would stick with veggies that have a more bland flavour and are masked or combine well with the cheese flavour. I’ve used steamed butternut squash (this one works really well as it’s orange they have no idea there is anything else in the mac and cheese), zucchini, and broccoli (you can taste this one but it pairs nicely with the cheese and my son enjoys broccoli, well he does for now anyways lol). The key is making sure you steam it until it is super soft so it can blend easily.

You’ll Need:

  • 2 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 1/4 milk of your choice (I’ve used whole milk, almond, and oat and all have turned out)
  • 1 TBSP flour
  • cheese of your choice (I’ve used mozzerella, chedder, cottage cheese, laughing cow, even a mixture of a few different kinds and they all turn out great! Use whatever you have in the fridge)
  • handful of fresh or frozen spinach *or any steamed veggies you want to use
  • half cup of steamed cauliflower
  • pasta *bonus points for a fun shape – Winners always has fun seasonal stuff!
  • 2 TBSP nutritional yeast –

** none of these need to be exact measurements. If you feel the sauce is too thick, add more milk, etc.

Directions:

  • Boil water for pasta
  • Steam cauliflower and set aside
  • Melt butter in saucepan
  • Add flour and stir until it makes a paste
  • Add in milk of choice. If it is too thick, add a little more milk.
  • Stir in cheese. Don’t worry if it is lumpy and not fully melted. You are going to blend this so the lumps will go away during that process.
  • at this point your water is likely boiling, add the pasta in and cook
  • add sauce, cauliflower, spinach and nutritional yeast to high speed blender. If the sauce is too thick, just add more milk.
  • poor sauce over pasta and combine.
  • serve immediately or divide into portion container and freeze for quick and easy lunches/dinners!

 

Notes:

*I often have pasta sauce leftover- make sure to freeze it, again, its great for whipping up a last minute lunch or dinner.
* The nutritional yeast is optional but is packed with vitamin B, has protein in it as well as other minerals that can help boost immunity! It has a nice cheesy umami flavour that pairs beautifully with the sauce so much so your toddler won’t even know it’s in there!
* If your child is on a low sodium diet, look for no sodium dry cottage cheese! I have found it at Walmart. It melts beautifully and gives that creamy texture.
* These storage containers are perfect for meal prepping this pasta. They are silicone which makes it super easy to pop out and reheat!