Healthy Diet

Homemade Mac and Cheese (Stove)

The ultimate favorite food for kids doesn't have to come out of a box! Make this easy, creamy homemade mac and cheese on your stove with just simple, nutritious ingredients.

You're never too old to love macaroni and cheese. It's been a long time since those chewy pasta in yellow cream sauce captured your heart, but this is a love that will last a lifetime. And now you can share all of those good feelings with your kids with this delicious sticky homemade Mac cheese recipe.

The big, not-so-well-kept secret of home-made mac and cheese on the stove is that you can make it SO EASY and in exactly the same amount of time it takes to spice up the packaged stuff.

So, if you thought homemade mac and cheese was super involved, or if the idea of ​​a roux brings you back to boxed mac and cheese, stay with us. You'll be glad you did. Because once you have a solid homemade mac and cheese recipe in your back pocket, you always have a popular dinner idea for all ages.

homemade mac and cheese with peas and carrots on a plate

Why Homemade Mac and Cheese Are Healthy

Homemade mac and cheese is healthy because you make it healthy! And the key to a healthy Mac and Cheese is using simple, wholesome ingredients.

Here are the ingredients we trust to make nutritious macs and cheeses that are good for our kids:

  • Whole wheat pasta. Whole wheat pasta is more accessible today than ever, and kids tend to accept this high-fiber substitute for regular white-flour pasta. Dellalo makes an excellent whole grain macaroni pasta that you can buy at Walmart.
  • Real cheese. Even some homemade mac and cheese recipes call for highly processed cheeses (Velveeta, we're looking at you). We prefer to stick with minimally processed whole milk cheeses. Crush your own for a creamier sauce.
  • Whole wheat flour. Flour thickens the creamy cheese sauce in this dish, and whole wheat white flour works perfectly.
  • Nutritious add-ins. Adding tiny, tender vegetables to homemade mac and cheese takes nutrition to the next level in this dinner. We'll talk about some of our favorite add-ins later in this post.

Here's another mac and cheese nutrition tip: consider this recipe a main course, not a side dish. Mac and Cheese has lots of complex carbohydrates and proteins for kids (really!) So you can focus on fresh produce instead. Serve roasted or steamed vegetables, or simple green salad, or cut fruit for balance.

homemade confetti mac and cheese mixed with vegetables

The Basics: How to Make Homemade Stove Mac and Cheese

We'll show you how to do this, step-by-step, because trust us: once you understand the basic technique, you can add "Homemade Mac and Cheese Maker" to your list of life skills and it will never let you down again .

Start with two pots. A pot is for cooking your pasta, plain and simple. You already know how to do it. So let's focus on the sauce pan. Go ahead and start heating your pasta water as you work on the sauce. With a little practice, you can prepare everything at the same time.

Place the butter on the bottom of your sauce pan and let it melt gently. Then sprinkle the flour over the butter and use a whisk to work the butter-flour mixture into a paste. Keep the heat on medium and whisk. You will notice that small bubbles form and the paste begins to thicken. This only takes a few minutes. There! You made a roux.

Next, add your milk to the pan and use this whisk to mix it really well with the roux. For one hot second it will look like a mess. But before you know it, the thickening power of your roux will create a smooth, creamy looking sauce.

In this stadium, add a pinch of garlic powder and onion powder. Strictly speaking, this is optional. But it adds a nice extra dimension to the taste of your sauce (and since you're using seasoning powder, you don't have to worry about texture-sensitive kids having a negative reaction to pieces of onion or garlic). half a teaspoon of a good Dijon mustard here to develop the flavor even more. Again optional.

It's cheese time now. The best time! Sprinkle your cheese into the sauce one handful at a time, gently wiping it to melt it. Keep the heat low so the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Season to taste and add a little salt. If you're used to eating packaged mac and cheese, you'll be surprised at how un-salty your cheese sauce tastes. Don't be afraid to add a generous pinch of salt.

Pour your sauce over cooked pasta. Stir well and enjoy.

Cheese noodles with peas and carrots

What can I add to Mac and Cheese?

You can use this basic recipe as a starting point for so many different healthy and tasty variations. Here is just a partial list of the add-ins and how to easily incorporate them into your dish. (Most of the time you don't need an extra pan. Cool!)

  • spinach: Immediately after draining, stir raw baby spinach into the pasta until it collapses.
  • Frozen peas: Pour frozen peas into the pasta cooking water just before you drain it.
  • Carrots: Put small diced carrots together with the dry pasta in the boiling water.
  • mushrooms: Fry separately in a pan until tender, then stir into the finished noodles.
  • paprika: Fry separately in a pan until tender. Add a pinch of Cajun seasoning for a twist, then stir it into the finished pasta.
  • cauliflower: Add small florets to the boiling water together with the dry pasta.
  • Broccoli: In the last two minutes before draining, add small florets to the pasta water.
  • Ham. Just before serving, stir in the diced ham.
  • bacon. Scatter cooked bacon over the finished mac and cheese.
  • tomato. Sprinkle raw chopped tomatoes on the finished dish.
  • basil. Cut fresh basil into strips and sprinkle over the finished dish.
  • chicken. Stir in hot cooked and diced chicken to the finished dish for an alfredo-style mac and cheese.
  • Apples. Yes apples! Try sprinkling diced green apples on top for serving.

creamy homemade mac and cheese in a blue bowl

Can I make mac and cheese without flour?

Yes indeed! Believe it or not, you can skip the roux stage entirely and still end up with usable mac and cheese. You even deserve the added benefit of turning this recipe into a stew.

Here's how to refine this recipe when you don't have flour on hand: boil your pasta, drain it, return it to the saucepan, then just stir in the grated cheese and milk.

So you can fully do this. Here's the thing though: the flour goes a long way in creating a creamy texture in your mac and cheese. If you omit it, you can expect a slightly lumpier sauce that will become even lumpier as it cools. A dollop of cream cheese can help if you go for this option. Simply stir into the cheese.

  • 1 lb Whole wheat pasta Macaroni, rotini, or any other short, chunky shape
  • 4th tablespoon butter
  • 3 tablespoon white whole wheat flour
  • 2 cups Whole milk
  • 8th Ounces hot cheddar You can use a cheese mix if you want.
  • 1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon Onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • For the pasta, bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook according to the instructions. Grate the cheese and set aside.

  • Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly, until bubbles form and the roux begins to thicken.

  • Add milk, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and keep stirring until the cream sauce starts to thicken. (You may need to turn up the heat a little if your milk is cold.)

  • Add the cheese by hand and wipe between the handfuls to melt it. Season to taste and adjust spices.

  • Pour the sauce over the cooked, drained pasta and serve immediately.

Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 64G | Protein: 17thG | Fat: 18thG | Sodium: 354mg | Fiber: 3G | Sugar: 6thG

Homemade Mac & Cheese | Healthy ideas and recipes for kids | Super healthy kids

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