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Trying to get more veggies into your picky eater’s diet? This mac and cheese with hidden veggies has three different veggies, but tastes like the ultimate cheesy mac and cheese! Full of fiber, protein and tons of nutrition, hidden vegetable mac and cheese is ready in just 30 minutes!

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We eat just about anything in our house. But I’m still always wondering how to get familiar and new veggies into our diets in new ways.

And seamlessly blending them into this hidden vegetable mac and cheese was a winner!

Now, as a mom and nutrition expert, I’m generally not one to “hide” veggies into recipes. I like to be transparent, so my kids know what they’re tasting and what they taste like.

But, when you can naturally add veggies into recipes (like pumpkin zucchini muffins or sweetpotato pancakes), why not do it?

Sometimes after a long day, just having a healthy mac and cheese with veggies already prepped and ready to go. Some other options we rely on are sweet potato mac and cheese and goat cheese pasta bake.

You can definitely involve your kids when making mac and cheese with hidden vegetables. Have them cut the veggies with kids knives, or add them to your blender or food processor.

Even, hitting the “blend” button is a favorite for my two year old, and hearing the loud humming noise!

So, when he “helps” prepare it, he is more interested in trying it!

Why Parents Love Mac and Cheese with Hidden Veggies

• Get extra nutrients in – The veggies offer complex carbohydrates with extra fiber, Vitamins A and C, antioxidants and more. It just feels good knowing there’s some extra goodness in your hidden veg mac and cheese, yet it all still tastes like cheesy goodness! One serving has 7 grams of fiber and 17 grams of protein!
• Great for meal prep – Since this can serve 4-6 (even up to 8 with toddler-sized portions), hidden vegetable mac and cheese is a great meal prep option, that you can reheat for a mid week dinner or freeze for meal prep for baby.
• Ready in just 30 minutes – As a busy mom, 30 minutes is just about the max I’m willing to spend for dinner (unless there are components I can prep earlier in the day). You could prep the sauce earlier and then add to/heat the pasta when ready to save a bit of time!
• Toddler favorite – Mac and cheese is always a toddler favorite, so having this hidden veg mac and cheese recipe on hand or in the dinner repertoire is highly recommended. Great way to get veggies in for your picky eaters.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need.

• parsnips – Peeled and diced
• butternut squash – You could also use sweetpotatoes or carrots
• cauliflower – You can use fresh or frozen florets. If using frozen, you may need to add a tiny bit more milk/cheese for blending.
• milk – I usually use 1% or 2% milk. If you want to use a non-dairy option, that’s fine too.
• cheese – Pre-shredded or freshly grated cheese both work! You could use a dairy-free option to keep it dairy-free.
• butter or olive oil
• garlic powder
• pasta of choice – I prefer shells or rotini, but any pasta shape works!
• basil – I love adding fresh basil from our herb garden. Can’t beat it!

How to Make Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese

Start boiling the water for your pasta.

Then, wash and prep your veggies for the hidden veggie mac and cheese sauce. This is also something you can do earlier in the day to save some time at dinner!

Use a vegetable steamer over boiling water to soften the veggies before adding to the blender.

Once you have everything cut up, add it to a high-speed blender with milk, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add more cheese/milk as needed to blend into a thick cheese sauce.

Then, drain your pasta, and add it back to the sauce with the mac and cheese veggie sauce. You can even reserve some of the pasta water to add back in and mix in, if desired.

See how it looks just like real mac and cheese!

Tips for Success

Here are some tips that I recommend for the best outcome:

• If this is a recipe you like to make time and time again, try pouring it into a baking dish, topping with cheese and then baking for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese melts on a top. A hidden veggie mac and cheese bake still tastes great, but it’s just a new way to serve it.
• If your toddler likes red sauce, you can add your favorite pasta sauce into the blender too, or add it later (especially if the final sauce isn’t the typical mac and cheese color).
• You can substitute 2 medium carrots or 1 medium cup of diced sweetpotatoes in for the butternut squash.

Servings 4 -6

Mac and Cheese with Hidden Veggies

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

Trying to get more veggies into your toddler's or child's diet? This mac and cheese with hidden veggies has three different veggies, but tastes like a cheesy mac and cheese! Full of fiber, protein and tons of nutrition, hidden veggie mac and cheese is ready in just 30 minutes!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1 cup butternut squash cubed
• ⅓ cup cauliflower florets I used frozen
• ½ cup low fat milk (or more as needed)
• 1/2 cups shredded cheese + more for topping
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• 12 oz pasta of choice I like shells or rotini
• chopped / chiffonade basil for topping

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions 

1. Bring a large pot to boil.
2. While the water is boiling, peel and dice your parsnips, butternut squash and cauliflower. Once water is boiling, add steamer basket and place diced veggies on steamer. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until veggies start to soften.
3. Transfer veggies to blender with milk, cheese, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Blend until mixture starts to liquify. Add more milk/cheese as desired to reach ideal consistency.
4. Bring large pot of water back to a boil and place pasta and a sprinkle of salt in.
5. Drain pasta and add back to medium pot. Add sauce from blender and heat for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 6Calories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 84gProtein: 17gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 743mgPotassium: 693mgFiber: 7gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 4048IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 2mg

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