Super easy, hidden veggie mac and cheese for toddlers, kids, and picky eaters. Made with a creamy, cheesy sauce that’s packed with sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and sharp cheddar cheese. You can’t taste the veggies at all, and it turns out so creamy and wonderful!
Why You’ll Love This Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
I’m always trying to find ways to sneak in more veggies for my toddler (like these chicken nuggets). She has her days when she can be quite the picky eater, so I try to find ways to get more nutrients in her any way I can. Mac and cheese has been her favorite thing to eat lately, so I had this great idea to make it for her with blended vegetables.
After experimenting a few times, I finally created the perfect creamy cheese sauce that she loves, AND you can’t taste the veggies at all! This kid-friendly recipe is a great way to sneak in veggies for the little ones, but delicious enough for the whole family to enjoy! The ultimate comfort food made healthy!
In this Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese, both cauliflower and sweet potatoes are steamed until fork tender before being blended together into a mixture with a smooth, creamy texture. This is then combined with the traditional cheese sauce, and it mixes in so well that you really can’t detect that there are any healthy vegetables in it. I used gluten-free chickpea pasta so I could pack in more protein, and it turned out so creamy and comforting and full of cheesy goodness!
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
The ingredients for this dish are simple and can be interchanged easily depending on what you have on hand. Also – if you have an egg allergy at home, this recipe is made without eggs.
- short pasta: I recommend short pasta like classic macaroni elbows or shells. I use this chickpea gluten-free pasta to pack in more protein and to share with her since I’m mostly gluten-free. Choose your favorite pasta.
- cauliflower florets & sweet potatoes: I chose these as my hidden veggies, but see the tips below for incorporating the fresh produce you have on hand.
- milk: Either dairy or dairy-free milk will work, but I recommend using full-fat milk. I used coconut milk.
- ghee or butter: I personally use ghee regularly because I love the strong buttery flavor. However, regular butter will work just fine!
- arrowroot starch: You can substitute with regular all-purpose flour if desired.
- extra sharp cheddar cheese: Because the sauce is mixed with blended veggies, I recommend using extra sharp cheddar. The more robust flavor of the cheese helps mask the taste of the veggies better.
- garlic powder
- dijon mustard
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
- red pepper flakes: Optional, for the adults to add a spicy kick!
How To Make Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
- In a large pot of salted water, cook your pasta noodles according to package directions, but slightly al dente. Drain and set aside without rinsing.
- Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and add 1½ cups water. Add cauliflower and sweet potato cubes. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until fork tender.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a blender with milk. Blend until smooth.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Add ghee and arrowroot starch, and whisk until a roux is formed. Add 3/4 cup of milk and whisk continuously until boiling.
- Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and stir in cheese, veggie puree, and spices. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from heat. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve, or you can transfer to a casserole dish and broil for 5 minutes to get it browned on top.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Cheese: Cheddar is the classic cheese used in mac and cheese. I like to use extra sharp cheddar for this kid-friendly mac and cheese to hide the flavor of veggies better. However, regular cheese will work just fine. You can also experiment with other types that melt well, like cream cheese, gouda, goat, or even parmesan cheese, for a variety of flavors.
- Vegetables: You can experiment with different types of favorite vegetables. I do recommend sticking with veggies that blend well when steamed, like carrots, broccoli, onions, rutabaga, butternut squash, or even zucchini.
- Serving: Serve this as a side dish or a main course. I like to use protein pasta when serving as a main course to make it a complete meal.
Storage Tips
Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, leftovers will last for 4-5 days. I just heat it back up in the microwave, but you can do it on the stovetop too. You can also freeze it for up to 2-3 months!
Recipe FAQs
This simple dish is made with cooked pasta, and a cheesy sauce blended with steamed veggies, sharp cheddar cheese, milk, butter, a bit of flour, and spices.
Other Hidden Veggie Kid-Friendly Recipes
Hidden Veggie Chicken Nuggets (Baked, Air Fried, or Pan Fried)
Healthy Homemade Popsicles for Toddlers
Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread (Paleo, Dairy Free)
Raw Zucchini Hummus with Avocado
The BEST Gluten Free Cornbread (No Flour)
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Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese Recipe (Kid-Friendly)
Ingredients
- 8 oz short pasta elbow, macaroni, shell – I used these for gluten free
- 2 cups cauliflower florets about ½ head cauliflower
- 1 cup cubed sweet potatoes about ½ inches, peeled
- 1¼ cups full-fat milk dairy or dairy free, divided – I used coconut milk
- 2 tbsp ghee or butter
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or flour
- 1½ cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp sea salt or more to taste
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package instructions, but slightly al dente. Drain and set aside without rinsing.
- Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and add 1½ cups water. Add cauliflower florets and sweet potato cubes to the basket. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer then cook for 8-10 minutes until fork tender.
- Transfer the steamed cauliflower and sweet potatoes to a blender with 1/2 cup milk. Blend until smooth.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Add ghee and arrowroot starch, and whisk until a roux is formed. Add 3/4 cup of milk and whisk continuously until it starts to boil.
- Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and stir in cheese, veggie puree, garlic powder, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from heat, and add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Taste to add more salt, if needed.
- Serve, or you can transfer to a baking dish and broil for 5 minutes to get it browned on top.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips & Variations
- Cheese: Cheddar is the classic cheese used in mac and cheese. I like to use extra sharp cheddar for this kid-friendly mac and cheese to hide the flavor of veggies better. However, regular cheese will work just fine. You can also experiment with other types that melt well, like cream cheese, gouda, goat, or even parmesan cheese, for a variety of flavors.
- Vegetables: You can experiment with different types of favorite vegetables. I do recommend sticking with veggies that blend well when steamed, like carrots, broccoli, onions, rutabaga, butternut squash, or even zucchini.
- Serving: Serve this as a side dish or a main course. I like to use protein pasta when serving as a main course to make it a complete meal.
Storage Tips
Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, leftovers will last for 4-5 days. I just heat it back up in the microwave, but you can do it on the stovetop too. You can also freeze it for up to 2-3 months!Regarding other affiliate links and affiliate relationships: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Thank you for your support and understanding.
So creamy and yummy!
So cool!!! Where does all the protein come from in this dish? I saw on the nutrition label you posted it has 20g per serving! So exciting! Can I also substitute some other tour of flour? I don’t have arrowroot but I have almond and coconut flour
I used chickpea pasta to up the protein! And if you don’t have arrowroot, you can use tapioca starch or even cornstarch. You can probably use coconut flour but I would reduce the amount to half.
My lids love it. Even my pick son 😁
I mean my kids 😂😂
Thank you so much!! 😂
What kind of coconut milk did you use? The refrigerated one? Or canned?
The canned version! It’s creamier so it makes for a better base for this sauce.
Coconut milk, unsweetened??
Yes! From a can.
Can i freeze the sauce? 🙂
Yes! It’ll freeze well.
Now to make
This completely dairy free…suggestions?
You can try this recipe without all the extra toppings: https://whatgreatgrandmaate.com/bacon-jalapeno-mac-and-cheese/
Made this tonight and it was excellent! Our baby is still too little to eat food, but my husband and I have enjoyed testing out “toddler friendly” meals for when the time comes, lol. We’ve tried a few other hidden veggie mac n cheese recipes that my husband has graciously choked down 😂 After dinner he asked if we could have this again tomorrow night. I’d call that a win!
I’m really big on meal prepping to make life as easy as possible. Do you think making a big batch of this sauce and freezing individual portions to add to pasta later would work?
Thank you so much!! And yes, you can definitely freeze this in individual portions.
Delicious! We made a standard roux with whole milk, butter, and flour but otherwise didn’t change a thing. This was so creamy and delicious and my 1.5 year old son, who isn’t a huge veggie lover, ate two bowls and even asked for more!
Ah that’s amazing!! Love hearing that!
I loved it. My teenage daughter said it tasted like mashed potatoes hahah I laughed when I told her what the ingredients were.
She didnt hate it. Her only suggestion was to add hot sauce
Will make again. 🙂
This was so delicious! Just like another reviewer, I used regular flour with reduced fat milk to make the roux but that as the only change. My husband rolled his eyes at me trying this recipe as past hidden veggies Mac and cheese have not been the greatest. He absolutely loved this one and ate it again the next day. The flavors work great together! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
That’s wonderful!! Love when you can convince the doubters haha. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
I haven’t actually made this yet but I give it 5 stars for looking amazing, haha. Wondering if you think I could blend lentils into the sauce? We had chickpea pasta and then we made the mistake of playing with it in on the floor and now it’s all over the house, haha.
I’ve never tried blending lentils so I’m not sure how the texture would turn out. It might turn gritty so I would test it out in a small batch first.
My toddler loves this!! Making my second batch now 😊
Yay! Thank you so much!
Made this for my kid’s first day of grade 1. Said it was the best Mac and cheese they’ve ever had and requested it for every lunch for ever. Lol. Thank you!
My picky toddler who had recently decided to boycott all veggies absolutely loved this. She downed this before she even took a glance at the strawberries on her plate (her favorite food) thank you so so much for this wonderful recipe that the entire family enjoyed!
Amazing! I love hearing stories like this!! Thank you so much for leaving a review. I’m so glad she can get her nutrients in in a yummy way.
I LOVE this mac & cheese. Unfortunately, the toddler I made it for decided that he didn’t want to eat any dinner at all, but my husband and I loved it. Highly recommend! I’ll be trying adding carrots next time.
Thank you so much! I bet carrots would work really well. Hope your toddler gets to enjoy it in the future!
I made this today for my family, but mostly for my 10-month-old. It was a huge hit amongst all of us! I followed the recipe exactly, using whole grasssfed milk and butter. It’s SO good!
Amazing, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much leaving a review.
I’ve never left a comment on a recipe before, but this Mac and cheese is SOOOO GOOD! I was honestly shocked. My kids are die hard Kraft fans, and they said “mom you made the best mac and cheese today!” I think I could eat a whole pan of it.
Oh wow, this is the best review!! Thank you so much. So happy you and your kids enjoyed it!