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Healthy Mac And Cheese

4.96 from 124 votes

Is it really possible to make healthy mac and cheese and still have it taste just as rich and cheesy as the classic?

The "skinny" macaroni & cheese makeover that is low in fat, high in protein, and less than 250 calories! Recipe here: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/12/28/healthy-mac-cheese/

Easy Healthy Mac And Cheese

Try this healthy mac and cheese recipe when you’re craving mac and cheese but don’t want all the unhealthy saturated fat and calories you’d find in traditional recipes.

The healthy mac and cheese recipe below is low-fat, high-protein, and under 250 calories per serving.

If you make a batch of my favorite Vegan Brownies for dessert, you’ve got yourself a rich and decadent—yet secretly healthy—comfort food feast!

And yes, it really does taste just as cheesy and delicious as traditional mac and cheese!

You Might Also Like: Keto Cheesecake – Just 5 Ingredients

Skinnytaste Macaroni

mac and cheese

I’m very excited to feature Gina Homolka, an incredibly talented friend, on the blog today. Gina’s website, Skinnytaste, has a huge following with fans all over the world, and yet she is one of the most genuine and down-to-earth people you could ever hope to meet.

She puts passion into every one of her recipes and beautiful photos, and she really cares about her readers, no matter the size of their blogs. Years ago, Gina gave me the opportunity to be a guest on her site even though my own blog was much smaller, and I will never forget that kindness. Gina just released The Skinnytaste Cookbook, filled with 150 lower-calorie healthy recipes—from breakfast to dessert—to leave you feeling satisfied, not deprived.

The cookbook includes recipes such as PB&J Overnight Oats, Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup, Chickpea Potato Curry, and the healthy mac and cheese recipe below:

Skinny Baked Healthy Mac And Cheese

If you want the mac and cheese to be gluten-free, just be sure to use your favorite variety of gf pasta and breadcrumbs. If gf breadcrumbs are not available, just toast slices of gluten-free bread and then pulse in a food processor until you get breadcrumbs.

Although Gina’s original recipe isn’t vegan, it’s easy to veganize by just using Daiya vegan cheese for the cheese and nutritional yeast or vegan parm.

This is a recipe that everyone can enjoy!

You would never guess this was healthy mac and cheese. It tastes just like real mac and cheese!

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Healthy Mac And Cheese

 This healthy mac and cheese recipe is just as rich and cheesy as traditional macaroni and cheese, without all the extra fat and calories.
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 8 servings
5 from 124 votes

Ingredients

  • 12 oz fusilli or elbow pasta
  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter spread
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups milk of choice
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar, or vegan cheddar
  • 12 oz fresh broccoli florets
  • 2 tbsp grated Parmesan or nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • cooking spray
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Healthy Mac and Cheese Recipe: In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta and broccoli together, according to package directions for al dente. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large. heavy skillet, melt the buttery spread, then add the onion and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook 1 minute or until flour is golden and well-combined. Whisk in milk and broth, raise heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil, then cook an additional 5 minutes or until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in the cooked pasta and broccoli, then pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan or nutritional yeast. Spray a little more cooking spray on top. Bake 15-20 minutes, then broil a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden.
    View Skinny Mac & Cheese Nutrition Facts

Notes

Also be sure to try this Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce Recipe.
 

Have you made this recipe?

Tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram

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Published on December 28, 2014

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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79 Comments

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  1. Laura says

    This looks delicious! However, I’m confused on the nutrition stats. How many servings should this make? The only way I could get close to your calorie count was by making this ten servings, which seems like it would be a pretty small portion. Let me know what swaps you make to get to that, because otherwise it isn’t quite skinny enough for me 🙂

  2. Julie says

    I’m a huge Mac and cheese fan so I will be trying this one for sure! And I love discovering new blogs. Thanks Gina and Katie!

  3. EVA says

    Granted, I haven’t tasted this one, but I REFUSE to buy vegan cheese. If you’re going to have mac an cheese, you HAVE TO GO ALL OUT! I feel it’s just a rule. No cutting corners for this classic.

  4. Matea says

    This definitely sounds healthier than regular mac and cheese! I need to make it soon and give it to my mac-and-cheese-loving little brother; I doubt he’ll realize there’s a difference–if I leave out the broccoli; ha 🙂

  5. LLama says

    Katie, can you make a recipe for raw pasta? It seems that grocery stores near me don’t carry lactose and egg free pasta.
    Thanks!

  6. brown says

    How many servings is the Skinny Baked Mac & Cheese? It gives nutrition value per serving, but does not indicate the number of servings in this recipe. This must have been overlooked and PLEASE provide this info for me soon

    • brown says

      oops, never mind, I found the answer in VERY SMALL PRINT on this page above a photo, however, on the nutritional page, it does not state the number of servings…

      • Noreen says

        It says that the nutrition facts were based on 1/8 of the entire recipe; so I took that to mean a total of 8 servings.

  7. Kelsey Pearson says

    ATTENTION: This mac and cheese is delicious. It took a little while for me to make. However, I was using the oven and stove in my dorm. I’m sure all of you at home will have a much easier time. I LOVE this. Plus I get to have it for dinner all week, so you know, bonus.

  8. Katie says

    This was amazing. Thank you very much. My choice of milk was cashew. I also added jalaepenos and bacon for my husband. Haha came out great.

  9. Lynnie says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe and most importantly so do my kids, ages 7 and 10. I feel good making them something healthy and love that it is easy and delicious.

  10. Buff B says

    5 stars
    I’m new to your blog. Have tried a couple of recipes, which have been tasty. Just ordered your cookbook. I love to see someone who is passionate and works at it to be successful! Congrats on your achievements!

  11. Andi says

    5 stars
    Have you tried any Go Veggie! products? Also, if i used low fat regular cheese products would the calories get a lot higher? Thank you this looks amazing ! xx

  12. Andi says

    5 stars
    This looks really good! But I can’t find daiya brand do you think I could use Go Veggie! Vegan cheese? Thanks xx

  13. Jessica says

    I’m confused about the nutrition facts. This seems to be the same recipe posted on a number of sites, each of which claim over 300 calories as the calorie count for this recipe (for example: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/skinny-baked-broccoli-mac-cheese/). Are you recommending different ingredients? Can you clarify how you got 244 calories per serving when other recipes which are apparently the same get between 314 and 322? Thanks!

  14. Cherice says

    What is buttery spread? Is it margarine? Margarine is not healthy at all. You must be talking about some kind of spread recipe you use.

    • Julie Dove says

      Buttery spread is something like Melt or Earth Balance, both of which are trans-fat-free (unlike regular margarine).

  15. Tastinutrion says

    Made this last night and it came out wonderful! My hubby and kids loved it! Added a bit more flour than called for but otherwise perfect-creamy and delicious! I am a Dietitian and will be passing this on to my clients.

  16. Ranae says

    What size is the serving to stay under the 250 calorie mark? 1 cup, 1/2 cup…. don’t want to make it and then play a guessing game. Have to cook for someone else who is on a strict calorie limit.

  17. Casey Capili says

    Made this and it was AMAZING! Hubby loved it, too. It was a side dish to some sockeye salmon and zucchini noodles. I was really craving something cheesy but I have been trying to maintain eating healthier, and this really hit the spot. Will be making again 🙂

  18. Ken says

    Recipe says to use 1 cup vegetable broth, but I don’t see this in the directions. When is this used in this recipe?

    • Irene Binyon says

      It is added in with the milk. I didn’t use it because I looked over it also. I will use it next time. Be sure to use some really good quality Italian bread crumbs. This is great!

  19. Susan says

    My family loves this recipe, but when I made it a day ahead it was dry. If I would freeze it, which I would like to do, should I bake it first or freeze before baking. Thanks

  20. Kayla says

    I made this tonight for my husband and kids (2 and 4) . They cleaned their plates. I came across this recipe because I have been struggling with my kids, my 2 year old mostly, to eat their meals, rather than just snacks. So I am making their faves but with added nutrition. I used protein elbow pasta in place of regular pasta for extra protein. My husband said it was restaurant quality and said I need to make this more often. Thank you!

  21. Niloofar says

    Thanks Katie for sharing the recipe. Gonna try it soon. Just had a question. Do you think I can skip the baking step and just cook it like a regular mac and cheese?

  22. Bec says

    This was an amazing consistency before baking, but after, was almost a bit gritty. I probably would add some mustard powder, garlic and a pinch of cayenne next time as it was a little one dimensional. Love the idea though!

  23. Jennifer G. says

    My bf and I add splash of white wine and some wholegrain mustard to this recipe – makes it extra delicious! It’s now a staple of our household.

  24. Irene Binyon says

    I loved the healthy vegan mac and cheese with broccoli’ and I don’t like broccoli! A keeper for sure!

  25. Chelsea says

    I love this recipe– it looks so good and I never thought of using broth in a mac and cheese! Thanks so much for sharing– your site is great. 🙂

  26. Tara says

    3 recipe substitute questions: 1) Does leaving out the onion make a huge difference in the taste? Can I swap for raw garlic? Onion doesn’t sit well on the stomachs in this household 😛
    2) Can I use coconut flour instead of regular flower?
    3) Can I use oat milk instead of regular milk?

    I am drooling over this and can’t wait to make this for my southern food loving, southern husband. 🙂

  27. Nicole says

    I’m confused about how this recipe is considered healthy with 2 cups of cheese, butter, and milk. Isn’t this just regular mac & cheese? The serving size must be quite small. Looks super delicious though!

  28. Victoria says

    5 stars
    Just finished making this and it is BOMB!
    I love that theres broccoli and it’s a “healthy” alternative to Mac and cheese. I don’t have a broiler so I left my Mac and cheese longer in the oven to see if I could get some color on the breadcrumbs, but that didn’t happen 🙁 also plant based Parmesan doesn’t melt easily.

    Overall, I still loved this recipe and will be including it in my weekly dinners.

  29. Cheyenne says

    5 stars
    I loved it! It was a really comforting meal. My boyfriend doesn’t like broccoli, so I just left that out for him and his friend. For them I added bacon pieces. I did think the portion sizes were quite small for a full meal, so I doubled it (if I calculated the American cups to grams correctly).

    I will definitely make this again!

  30. Kennedy says

    5 stars
    I don’t usually write reviews on recipes, but this turned out amazing and tastes delicious. My boyfriend is a huge fan and it’s super easy. Will definitely be saving this one!

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