Hidden veggie mac and cheese is the perfect way to get your family to eat some extra vegetables. They won’t even notice!
Veggie mac and cheese is a great enhancement to our traditional macaroni and cheese. Sometimes you need to squeeze a little extra veg into your kids and sometimes you’re just not up for a heavy meal but are still craving comfort food. That’s where Veggie Mac and Cheese comes in. It’s light but full of flavour and adds a bit more vitamins than standard mac and cheese.
We use all the same ingredients as our simple mac and cheese but with a few adjustments to get a lighter meal. There are a couple of extra steps but they are totally worth it for that extra punch of nutrients.
You can add many veggies to mac and cheese to enhance it. But if you want to hide the veggies in the mac and cheese then the best veggies to use are butternut squash and cauliflower. They match the colour palette perfectly and the consistency is so creamy when blended.
If you have a picky toddler you will love this dish, and so will they!!
Preparing Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Noodles: Given the name macaroni are the recommended noodle. With that said you will notice that I did not in fact use macaroni. Any noodles that you like will be great. Noodles that have a hole in them (e.g. macaroni, penne, rigatoni) and ones that have crevices (e.g. shells, fusilli, orecchiette) are best because they collect more of the sauce on them.
Cauliflower: Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as brussels sprouts, broccoli, and kale among others. The head is white and the only part of the plant that is typically consumed. Cauliflower is high in vitamin C and contains decent amounts of fiber and vitamin B6.
Butternut squash: A type of winter squash that grows on a vine, with a bright yellowy-orange flesh that is slightly sweet and similar to pumpkin. It is rich in vitamin A, potassium and fiber making it a very healthy addition to any meal.
Cheddar cheese: I like to use old cheddar in this recipe to add a bold flavour. The longer the cheese is aged the sharper the flavour will be. Medium cheddar will work as well but you may need to play around with the spices a bit to make sure there is enough flavour.
Butter: Butter is churned milk or cream and is high in fat. It is solidified when refrigerated, holds a semi-soft, spreadable consistency at room temperature, or can be liquefied when heated.
Flour: All-purpose white flour is all you need for this recipe. It’s the key component to thickening the cheese sauce.
Milk: Milk makes up the liquid of this sauce. I add partly skimmed or full-fat milk to this recipe.
Dijon mustard: Made from spicy brown and black mustard seeds it is the perfect way to give any meal a little kick. It has a tangy
sharp taste that some consider being spicy.Paprika: I use sweet paprika or just paprika which is most commonly found in grocery stores. It is not sweet in the sugary sense, but compared to its spicy and smoked siblings it is definitely the sweetest of them all.
Garlic powder: Garlic powder is dehydrated garlic ground to a powder. It’s sweeter than raw garlic so it just adds a hint of garlic flavour without the sharpness.
Parmesan: Grated parmesan cheese is perfect for this recipe, and I don’t mean freshly grated. The relatively inexpensive pre-grated type is just right here. The flavour is perfect and I always find it a bit of a waste to use the freshly grated stuff in a sauce where it just melts away. Save the expensive fresh stuff for topping your pasta.
How to Make Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
Cook the Veggies
Start by prepping the cauliflower and butternut squash. You will need about a a half a cup of each, give or take. The measurements are rough because a little less or more of one or the other won’t make a huge difference.
TIP: Use frozen cauliflower and butternut squash with the sauce results.
Wash and cut the cauliflower into small florets and add it to a medium-small pot. Then peel and dice the butternut squash and add it to the cauliflower. Cover the veggies with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for about 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
Once cooked, strain the vegetables in a colander and add them to a blender. Blend until completely smooth and set aside.
Cook the Noodles
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
Make the Cheese Sauce
Now for the most important part, the cheese sauce!
Using the same pot that you used to cook the vegetables, add butter and melt on medium heat. Once the butter starts bubbling add the flour and whisk until its well incorporated. Cook until golden, about a minute or two, then add the milk. Whisk vigorously until well combined. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring constantly until it starts to thicken.
Next, add the paprika, Dijon mustard, garlic powder and salt and stir once again until all the spices are incorporated.
While the sauce is cooking, grate the cheddar cheese.
Finally, add the cheese, the blended veggies and the parmesan cheese to the milk mixture. Whisk until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Now, strain the noodles, put them in with the cheese and vegetable sauce. Stir well to coat the pasta.
Substitutions
Cheddar Cheese: Two of the best types of cheeses to use in mac and cheese are cheddar and parmesan as we have used here. You can elevate this dish by adding gruyère, gouda, Havarti or even monetary jack. You don’t need them all but feel free to pick and choose. If you don’t like sharp cheddar use a milder version and add a gruyère or gouda for added flavour. Note that these are more expensive so stick to the cheddar if you want to make macaroni and cheese on a budget. The Dijon mustard and paprika add plenty of additional flavour.
Milk: Instead of milk, you can use half and half or whipping cream to make the sauce even more creamy. If you are baking your mac and cheese, you can try cooking the macaroni in milk instead of water. It adds more creaminess to the finished product.
Macaroni: You may be surprised to hear that even though it’s in the name it’s easily substitutable. Though the perfect vessel, there are some other types of noodles that will do the trick. You can really use any type of pasta but my favourites are penne, fusilli, gemelli, rotini, farfalle or conchiglie.
Serving Mac and Cheese
Like any great mac and cheese, this dish can stand all on its own. Especially if you serve it with high-protein pasta, like lentil, chickpea or quinoa.
Hidden veggie mac and cheese also makes a wonderful side. Serve it with one of our delicious chicken dishes:
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese Recipe
Equipment
- Knife
- Small pot
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 225 g macaroni or any other noodles
- ½ cup cauliflower
- ½ cup butternut squash
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tbsp all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Start by prepping the cauliflower and butternut squash. Wash and cut the cauliflower and add it to a medium-small pot. Then peel and dice the butternut squash and add it to the cauliflower.1/2 cup cauliflower, 1/2 cup butternut squash
- Cover with water and bring to a boil. Then cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Strain the vegetables and blend in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook according to package instructions.225 g macaroni
- Add the butter to the same pot you used for the vegetables and melt on medium heat. Once it starts bubbling add the flour and whisk until well incorporated. Cook until golden then add the milk. Whisk until well combined. Cook for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken.1 tbsp butter, ½ tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup milk
- Add the paprika, Dijon mustard, garlic powder and salt, and stir.¼ tsp Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt
- Grate the cheddar cheese and add it to the milk mixture, the blended veggies and the parmesan cheese. Whisk until both kinds of cheese are melted and the sauce is smooth.½ cup cheddar cheese, ¼ cup parmesan
- Strain the noodles, put them in with the cheese and vegetable sauce. Stir well to coat the pasta.
- Serve on its own or as a side to your main.
