Super easy hidden veggie mac and cheese for toddlers, kids, and picky eaters, with cauliflower and sweet potatoes. You can’t taste the veggies at all, and it turns out so creamy and wonderful!
I’m always trying to find ways to sneak in more veggies in for my toddler (like these chicken nuggets). She has her days when she’s quite picky, so I try to find ways to get more nutrients in her any way I can. Mac and cheese is probably her favorite thing to eat lately, so I thought it was a great idea to make it for her with blended vegetables. After experimenting a few times, I finally created a sauce that she loves AND you can’t taste the veggies at all!
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
Kid-Friendly Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
In this hidden veggie mac and cheese, both cauliflower and sweet potatoes are steamed until fork tender before blended together into a mixture with a 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 can pack in more protein, and it turned out so creamy and comforting!
Healthy Mac and Cheese Ingredients
The ingredients for this easy stovetop mac and cheese is simple, and can be interchanged easily depending on what you have. Also – if you have an egg allergy at home, this recipe is made without eggs.
- short pasta: I recommend short pasta like elbow, macaroni, or shell. I use gluten free chickpea pasta to pack in more protein and to share with her, since I’m mostly gluten free.
- cauliflower
- sweet potatoes
- 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, butter will work just fine!
- arrowroot starch: You can substitute with regular flour.
- extra sharp cheddar cheese: Because the sauce is mixed with blended veggies, I recommend using extra sharp cheddar. The stronger flavor of the cheese helps mask the taste of the veggies better.
- garlic powder
- dijon mustard
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
How To Make Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese For Toddlers & Kids
- Cook your pasta noodles 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 and sweet potato cubes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until fork tender.
- Transfer the steamed veggies 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 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 for a variety of flavors.
You can experiment with different types of vegetables. I do recommend sticking with veggies that blend well when steamed, like carrots, rutabaga, butternut squash, or even zucchini.
Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, leftover mac and cheese 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!
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)
Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese (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
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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!