Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
Make your favorite Mac and cheese with hidden veggies with this quick, easy and inexpensive recipe. Want to make any comfort food, snack or dessert healthy for you or your little one? Hide veggies in your or your kid’s favorite foods with easy, healthy swaps and add-ins. Browse my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook.
You and your pickiest eater can eat more veggies without trying to change your diet. You never have to buy, prep, serve, clean or throw away unwanted food ever again.
Read below and browse my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook for kid-friendly comfort foods, snacks and sweet treats that contain hidden fruits, vegetables and protein. Every recipe is gluten-free, and can be made with dairy-free, sugar-free, nut-free and organic ingredients. I only share recipes with simple steps and ingredients that kids can help prepare in minutes. Add vitamins, minerals, fiber , antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory nutrients to any of your favorite foods.
Eat the Rainbow Starter Recipe
Doctors, nutritionists and social media “experts” tell us kids (and adults) must “eat the rainbow” every day. Steam, blend and freeze the veggies below and simply hide the thawed cubes in your favorite foods. See full "Starter Recipe" and my favorite hidden veggie recipes in my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook.
Zucchini
Broccoli
Spinach
Green beans. (haricots verts)
Peas (for added protein)
Red and orange bell peppers
Orange and purple carrots
Beets (use in moderation to avoid altering flavor too drastically)
White Diet Starter Recipe
Is your kid averse to any foods with green, orange, red, purple, or anything not the color of bread? For the pickiest eaters, use my “white diet” hidden veggie mix to hide veggies without changing the color or flavor of common kid-favorite foods. My particular picky eater “white-diet” consists of bread, pasta, butter, eggs, turkey meatballs, chicken nuggets and chocolate protein "milkshakes." See full "Starter Recipe" and my favorite hidden veggie recipes in my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook. The white vegetables below contain the same vitamin and antioxidant profile as their colorful counterparts in my “Eat the Rainbow” veggie mix.
Yellow peppers
White carrots
Yellow squash
Cauliflower
White string beans (haricots verts)
Golden beets (use in moderation to avoid altering flavor too drastically)
After you make the “Eat the Rainbow” and/or “White Diet” hidden veggie mix starter recipe and freeze the veggie purée in ice cube trays, simply microwave one or more hidden veggie cubes for 30 seconds each to mix into your child’s favorite foods. With just 30 extra seconds, you and your family can eat the rainbow every day.
Stir Cube(s) into Your Favorite Foods
Eggs (scrambled, omelet, frittata)
Protein "milkshake"
French Toast (add to egg/milk mix to dip bread)
Tuna fish
Chicken salad
Barbecue beef, chicken or pork
Shredded marinated chicken
Ground beef or turkey
Mashed potatoes
Mac and cheese
Buttered noodles
Tahini
Barbecue sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Spread a Thin Layer onto Your Favorite Foods
Quesadilla
Grilled cheese sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Cinnamon toast
Cream cheese bagel
Not-From-Scratch Baked Goods
Use your favorite baked good recipe or store-bought mix, and replace all of the water or milk and half of the oil or butter with puréed fruit. You can also microwave one or more hidden veggie cubes (page 3 – 5) for 30 seconds each, and mix them into the recipe. Use hidden veggie cubes sparingly to avoid changing the flavor too drastically. To freeze for later: Double or triple the recipe; Place on a flat surface to freeze; Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag; Re-heat in microwave or toaster oven as needed.
Choose a Baked Good Mix
Pancakes
Waffles
Muffins
Cornbread
Bread loaf or rolls
Brownies
Cookies
Cake
Choose a Brand
Simple Mills (gluten free)
Kodiak (added protein)
Miss Jones (keto and paleo)
Hungry Harry’s (allergen free)
Lakanto (sugar free)
Replace all water or milk and half oil or butter with fruit:
Applesauce
Mashed banana
Fruit pouch (any fruit and vegetable combination)
Canned pumpkin, butternut squash or sweet potato
Pureéd Cauliflower
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Hidden Veggie Pasta Notes
For pasta, I use…
Banza Chickpea Pasta (chickpea, seashell or penne pasta)
Banza Angel Hair Spaghetti (chickpea spaghetti)
Barilla Protein+ Farfalle (lentil, chickpea, pea “bowtie” pasta).
For the "Not-from-Scratch Version", I suggest the following store-bought Mac and cheese:
Banza (chickpea protein pasta)
Pastabilities (organic vegan sea shape pasta)
Chickapea (organic chickpea lentil vegan sweet potato and pumpkin sauce)
For butternut squash purée, use one of the following options:
Two 15-oz cans of butternut squash purée
Thaw and purée two 16-oz bags of frozen butternut squash
Roast whole, raw butternut squash on 400°F until tender and purée four cups.
Recipe
Ingredients
16 oz pasta (see note above)
30 - 32 oz butternut squash
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups milk of choice
1 ½ cup chicken/veggie stock
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
Directions
Boil pot of water to cook and drain pasta.
If necessary, purée butternut squash.
Over medium heat, stir in all ingredients with pasta until melted and well combined.
Not-from-Scratch Version
Cook one store-bought mac and cheese.
Mix with 15 - 16 oz of butternut squash.
Want to make any comfort food, snack or dessert healthy for you or your little one? Hide veggies in your or your kid’s favorite foods with easy, healthy swaps and add-ins. Browse my Hidden Veggie Recipe Cookbook.
From my two-minute bread and cookie dough to my ten-minute chicken nuggets, biscuits, crackers, cookies and cakes, and hidden veggie Mac and cheese it is fun and easy for kids and adults to “eat the rainbow” every day. Say goodbye to meal prep stress. You can feel good about eating and feeding your family healthy, unprocessed, comfort food, snacks and sweet treats that contain hidden fruits, veggies and nutrient-dense whole ingredients - start with mac and cheese and try my Hidden Veggie Cookbook for more secretly healthy kids recipes.