Cheesy, vegan, & delicious kid-friendly mac and cheese!
Grown ups love this mac and cheese because it is packed with nutrition and is a wholesome option for lunch or dinner that you can feel good about serving to the entire family.
And kids love this mac and cheese… because it just tastes really good!
With the recent controversy surrounding boxed macaroni and cheese, after an article in The New York Times revealed that high concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals may be present in boxes from brands such as Kraft, I wanted to come up with a healthier alternative to boxed mac and cheese that’s actually GOOD for you, without all the artificial colors and flavors.
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Okay, so the photo totally gave it away.
Yes, there’s cauliflower in here… and carrot too!
The cauliflower thickens the sauce and adds creaminess without the saturated fat of heavy cream, while the Vitamin A-packed carrot gives it that classic cheesy color without any unnatural food dyes or preservatives.
And yet, if you don’t already know beforehand that the veggies are in there, you won’t be able to tell.
I adapted this recipe from a pasta alfredo recipe posted on the blog awhile back, but the inspiration to use carrot (and also wagon wheel pasta) actually came from a packaged product I often see at Whole Foods but have never tried, called Kidfresh Wagon Wheels Mac + Cheese.
One day, while in the frozen section of the store (probably looking for ice cream!), the Kidfresh box caught my eye with its claim of “Creamy Cheese Sauce With Hidden Vegetables.”
After inspecting the ingredients out of curiosity and seeing that carrot was the hidden vegetable, I was too intrigued not to try adding carrot to my own homemade cheese sauce.
They were definitely on to something, because it worked really well!
Kid-Friendly Mac & Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cauliflower florets
- 2/3 cup chopped carrot
- 1 cup unsweetened milk of choice or nondairy creamer
- 2 tbsp oil or buttery spread
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp salt (I like 1 tsp)
- 1/4 cup cheese-style shreds or nutritional yeast
Instructions
- *This sauce can go on anything you wish! If you want to make macaroni and cheese, it will cover about 5 servings of pasta (uncooked 10 oz total pasta).Bring first six ingredients to a boil in a medium pot. Cover and lower to a simmer 25 minutes or until the vegetables are fall-apart tender. Stir in the yeast or cheesy shreds until melted. Pulverize completely, using an immersion or regular blender. Add a little more milk of choice for a thinner sauce. I can’t vouch for the taste if you omit the oil or buttery spread, as I’ve not tried that omission.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
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Michelle says
Do I drain the water after I cook the vegetables and then add milk in? Or am I adding it all together? Or no water ? ?
Jason Sanford says
I’m confused. There’s no water called for in the recipe
Roxie says
This Mac is so good! My husband (who prefers standard American food) even went back for seconds, and my son wants it for lunch tomorrow too. This is now my go-to Mac and cheese recipe, thanks Katie you are awesome!
Torrie says
Every sauce of yours I’ve ever made is so perfect and spot-on I could easily forget the pasta & devour the sauce with a spoon. NEVER thought I’d say “forget pasta”. Even my grandmother who notoriously hates cauliflower loved this. Thank you for creating recipes I can feel good about feeding myself and my toddler!
Cindy says
Kid-Friendly Mac & Cheese lives up to its name! This is one of the very few dishes that everyone in my family loves: kids and grown ups alike. I love that it uses vegetables for the sauce, too. Thanks for coming up with an easy recipe that my family gets excited to eat!
Rozzi says
Easy and yummy. The first vegan “mac & cheese” my kids have actually eaten (and I’ve tried a fair few)!! Made it into a casserole with mixed frozen veg, topped with breadcrumbs and vegan Parmesan. Great easy meal. Thank you!
CCK Media Team says
Your casserole idea sounds so wonderful!