Creamy Greek yogurt mac and cheese…
The healthy mac and cheese recipe you can feel good about serving your family.
So rich and creamy – it might be the creamiest mac and cheese recipe you will ever find… even without any butter or flour!
This is healthy comfort food at its absolute yummiest.
A few weeks ago, my mother called me up after work and mentioned she was trying to figure out what to make as a quick and easy dinner for herself and my dad.
At the time, I had an idea for a Greek yogurt mac and cheese recipe in my head, but I’d never actually made it.
I said she could try the idea out if she felt up for experimenting.
Happily, my mother is a good sport and accepted the job. I wrote down the very basic gist of a recipe, sent it to her as an email, and she got to work…
A few hours later, she sent me a reply email that the meal was fantastic – a keeper for sure!
If you make them and post a photo, feel free to tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on instagram so I can see and like your picture!
Greek Yogurt Mac & Cheese
(serves 4)
- 2 cups dry elbows or small pasta (7 oz)
- 2 cups shredded cheese, such as Daiya
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp salt (I used 1/4 tsp)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt – I used dairy-free Homemade Greek Yogurt
- optional: spinach, kale, or any other steamed veggies you might wish to add
Greek Yogurt Mac & Cheese Recipe: Cook the macaroni in salted water until al dente, then drain but don’t rinse with water. Meanwhile, in a small pot, stir together the milk, cheese, and salt until cheese melts. Add the yogurt and cook on low, just until the sauce is hot. Stir in the cooked pasta and any veggies you desire.
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Why are you so excited about claiming this recipe includes no flour? It’s pasta!! You post some great recipes, but seriously…….
Many mac and cheese recipes do call for flour. It thickens the sauce.
Both allrecipes and foodnetwork mac and cheese recipes call for flour.
This looks delicious Katie! Perfect for the snowstorm we are having!
You can buy gluten-free pasta at any grocery store, but substituting gluten-free flour as a sauce thickener creates a disgusting, gummy mess. This is a recipe that even those with Celiac’s could enjoy.
Shut your mouth Kim or else your gonna catch these hands
*You’re
*you’re (gonna)
This recipe was a total disappointment! I followed it to a “T” and the cheese “sauce” ended up as a stringy globby mess! Had to throw the whole thing out.
What type of cheese did you use? I used shredded sharp cheddar and it was amazing. But if using some vegan cheese or something along those lines, i can see the cheese not melting properly.
How much is this? Seems like a very small serving to me. If I’d have this for dinner with no veggies added but a portion of veggies on the side, would this still feed 4?
also, how much is the shredded cheese/greek yoghurt in grams? I’m not American and I’m sure I’m not the only one! the greek yoghurt I could kinda figure out by using mililiters I guess but the schredded cheese???
Recipe calls for 2 cups pasta uncooked. This equals four servings of pasta. If you have ever made pasta before you should have a general idea of how many servings this will be for you. If you want more, make more lol. You can also make vegetables and other things with it…
I wasn’t asking for permission to make more, I was asking how much this recipe is. 7 oz is 200 grams which is not much (recommended amount is 100g dry pasta per person – which is too much for me but still). So what I was wondering and asking is if it is big/filling enough to make up for the little amount of pasta as a main dish. Do I get a nice plate full of food or just a small bowl? Just the amount of pasta isn’t gonna clarify that and Katie has made this recipe before so I figured I could ask.
Hi Anne, Actually 50 grams is a serving of pasta, not 100. I think cheese will list the grams on the package. Hope that helps!
hi! just popping in 🙂 1 serving of pasta varries among brands, but generally:
1 serving ~1/2c/~50g/2 oz.
Yum! I love mac & cheese and this looks absolutely delicious! 🙂
It IS so delicious!
5 out of 5 stars from me and the hubs! Will be making this again for sure 🙂
I love Greek yogurt, but would never have thought of trying it as a mac and cheese sauce base. I wonder how this would work with GF quinoa pasta – sounds like a new dinner recipe for me to try!
https://renaissancerunnergirl.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/welcome-to-wiaw/
I made the bowl there with Ancient Harvest quinoa and veggie pagoda pasta…that’s what I’ll be experimenting with!
I just made it with the GF quinoa elbow pasta and it turned out great!
I would suggest trying this with spiralized zucchini or other spiralized vegetable noodles. I bet it would be equally good and this time – no flour at all!
Great idea!!!
Wowie wow wow! This looks like a MUST!
I seriously want to try this But hubs won’t eat Daiya so what other cheese could I sub? This sounds sooo yummy! Thank you Katie!
I’m not Katie but here’s my advice: If you’re not vegan you could just use real cheese. If you are vegan, I’d recommend this recipe instead: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/12/09/vegan-macaroni-and-cheese/
It’s absolutely delicious and and it’s cashew based so it doesn’t have any daiya!
Or follow your heart brand!
I don’t much care for Daiya shreds either Cheryl. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Go Veggie Vegan Shreds though. I don’t know if it is very easy to find for everyone (I live in a tourist town, so different brands are pretty accessible here), but I would totally recommend it…even if you have to order it online. It taste NOTHING like Daiya to me…complete night and day difference.
so delicious just came out with cheddar shreds that I hear melt wonderfully!
Hi Katie! I love this version with the greek yogurt! What kind of yogurt was in the base, was it soy or something else? Also, are there any ideas you might have for a kind of like fruit and Greek Yogurt breakfast-y bar that could be portable? I think the portability for travelers and kids going to sports practices are really high on our list. Thanks! I still haven’t gotten your cookbook, but hope to very soon! It looks beautiful
She says Wholesoy in the homemade greek yogurt post so I would assume this is with that.
You should definitely get the cookbook! I haven’t made a bad recipe from it yet!
I’ve enjoyed many of your posts, but this one rocks my world. Will be trying this TONIGHT. I’m not a vegan though, my plan is to use cow’s milk greek yogurt, unsweetened soy milk for the milk of my choice, and a reduced amount of cave-aged gruyere as vitamin K2 and efficient cheesy flavor delivery medium. Thanks for the inspiration!
I used cows milk greek yogurt and it was great!
Mmmm this sounds delicious and so light that you don’t have to feel guilty for having seconds! I would maybe try and add a little bit of garlic too, yum! 😀 Thanks for the recipe Katie x
This looks delicious! I’ve made a similar recipe with a dash of onion and garlic powder, it was definitely a crowd pleaser 🙂
That looks so gooey and delicious!!
Wouldn’t the sauce already be hot when you add the yoghurt? You don’t mention how to melt the cheese in the milk but I assume it’s heated (maybe in the microwave?).
Also, is it an American thing to rinse pasta in water? Just wondering on the origins of the warning NOT to rinse when it wouldn’t have even crossed my mind to do it in the first place lol
Yes, it is commonplace to rinse pasta in cool water after draining it in America. I don’t do it personally but know many who do. I think it is supposed to stop the pasta from continuing to cook and no longer being al dente.
It also washes away any starch on the surface of the pasta, which prevents it from sticking together.
I’m American and I’ve never heard of rinsing the pasta unless you’re wanting a cold pasta dish like pasta salad, lol. Learn something new everyday.
I don’t see how there is 6 grams of fiber per serving in this recipe. It’s not in the macaroni, nor in the yogurt or cheese. Please tell me what I am missing.
Thanks,
Irene
There is 1 gram of fiber per 1/4 cup serving of Daiya cheese. So that’s 8 grams of fiber from the cheese: http://us.daiyafoods.com/products/dairy-free-cheese-shreds/mozzarella-style-shreds
Then there is 1 gram of fiber in the soy greek yogurt: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/homemade-greek-yogurt-nutrition-facts/
And let’s say she used soy milk for the milk option. There is 2 grams of fiber per cup of soy milk. So that’s 1 gram there: http://silk.com/products/original-soymilk
For the pasta, we can just assume that’s it’s regular elbow pasta, because that’s what the recipe calls for. Each 2 oz serving of pasta has 2 grams of fiber. So, 7 oz/2 oz = 3.5 servings x 2 grams = 7 grams of fiber from the pasta: http://www.barilla.com/content/product/elbows
Adding it all up: 8 + 1 + 2 + 7 = 18 grams of fiber for the whole recipe, divided 4 servings = 4.5 grams of fiber per serving if my mental math is correct. Not exactly 6 grams, but close. And perhaps the brand of milk, yogurt or pasta that Katie used was higher in fiber than the examples that I found.
I used whole grain baby shells in mine and it came out to around 6 grams fiber. My milk I used doesn’t have any fiber. It turned out really well with the baby shells. They scooped up all the cheesey sauce so you got cheese in every bite 🙂
try whole grain pasta! 🙂 it usually has 6-8 g fiber per 2 oz serving. 🙂
An interesting aside. I made these chocolate cookies in the 60’s found in a Wesson oil
booklet. They were called Chocolate Crinkle cookies. Still love them.
I think my family has that same recipe! We make it every year for Christmas! 🙂
I never would have thought to ad Greek yogurt to mac n’cheese…and I’ve made quite a few variations. This is a nice, healthy option! My kids love these recipes…
http://www.bitesforbabies.com/recipes/pumpkin-pancetta-mac-ncheese/
http://www.bitesforbabies.com/recipes/broccoli-mac-n-cheese-bake/
http://www.bitesforbabies.com/recipes/cauliflower-cheddar-mac-n-cheese/
Oh i am curious to try this out! I am a bit skeptical but love your blog and trust so many of your recipes, so i am going to try this out asap.
I have just started a blog and would love it if you could check it out: http://snapgracklepop.blogspot.co.uk
Hi Katie!
I just made cream sauce pasta yesterday with flour n milk.
I’m from India and I’ve been a silent reader on yours and Christal’s blog since a long time. I love going through all your dishes though I may not be able to rustle up all of them here coz of unavailability of ingredients.
I have started my own food & Travel blog here http://www.rashcha.com/ . Please check it out 🙂 Hope you’ll like it!
Thanks,
Rashmi
This dinner was excellent! My kids were licking their bowls clean, and I wasn’t scolding them because I was too busy licking my own bowl clean as well!
We used Fage greek yogurt (we aren’t vegan) and cheddar cheese, and I added frozen peas to mine and my eldest daughter’s servings (husband and the younger kiddo are anti-pea). I could see this becoming a weekly rotation meal. It was really easy to throw together and doesn’t require a lot of preparation ahead of time. Thanks!
So, it works if you use non-vegan yogurt and cheese?
It absolutely does!
ZOMG this was SO GOOD!
It was like a thick and creamy cheese soup with so much melty cheese and noodles. I think this might be my new favorite mac and cheese recipe ever, way better than Velveeta! 🙂 🙂