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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Baby

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese

Published: Jul 20, 2015 · Modified: Jul 6, 2020 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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Make my small batch Carrot Macaroni and Cheese. Perfect for the picky eater who doesn’t like to eat their veggies! Loaded with cheddar they will never know carrots are in the sauce! 

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe -- perfect way to sneak in veggies into your kids meal!

Once Ryder turned one, I noticed that his love for vegetables went downhill. Like almost nonexistent! I was so bummed and found myself trying to sneak in veggies into every meal. I was becoming “that” mom. That’s when the idea of carrot macaroni and cheese came to mind. I prefer to make my own macaroni and cheese verse the boxed stuff (although don’t get me wrong when I do reach for the box I grab Annie’s Organic Mac & Cheese). But I hate paying money for a boxed mac and cheese when I know I can make it, better, and of course for less money. I love using Cabot powdered cheddar cheese. That is my secret to making this carrot macaroni and cheese taste like the boxed stuff but yet better and with just 5 ingredients you can’t go wrong.

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

While the pasta boils I also boil the carrots. Then after the pasta is cooked I strain the ingredients and pick out the carrots. I puree the carrots, whole milk, and cheddar cheese powder in a blender. Then I mix in the pasta with the cheese sauce and voila my carrot macaroni and cheese is ready. And ready in the same amount of time it takes to make a box of macaroni and cheese!

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese

I even fed this mac and cheese to my husband and he had no idea about my “secret” ingredient. Afterwards I asked him if anything was different with the mac and cheese and he replied “no”. When I told him I pureed the carrots in the cheese sauce he thought it was genius! Since the cheddar cheese powder is white and the carrots are orange it gives the cheese sauce just the perfect hint of yellow to pass for boxed mac and cheese. Even the most observant kid won’t realize carrots are in the sauce. So if you have a picky eater, I invite you to give my carrot macaroni and cheese a try. It’s kid tested and mom approved!

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese

Make my small batch Carrot Macaroni and Cheese. Perfect for the picky eater who doesn’t like to eat their veggies! Loaded with cheddar they will never know carrots are in the sauce! 
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 569kcal
Author: Katie

Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup elbow macaroni
  • ¼ cup carrots sliced
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons Cabot Cheddar Cheese Powder

Instructions

  • Fill a large pot with water and add the ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring the pot of water to a boil. Add in the pasta and carrots and boil for 10 minutes until cooked.
  • Strain pasta and carrots and place the pot back on the stove. Sort through the pasta and remove the cooked carrots. Place the carrots, whole milk, and Cabot cheddar cheese powder in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the cheese sauce into the pasta pot and stir in the cooked elbow macaroni. Place the heat on high for 1 minute while you mix the sauce with the pasta. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Notes

Carrots are least likely to change the taste of the dish, but you can also use cubed butternut squash or sweet potato.

Nutrition

Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 1216mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5445IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!
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About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 15 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carolyn @ Cabot

    July 21, 2015 at 8:54 am

    This recipe is genius….love your “secret” ingredient additions. ~Carolyn @ Cabot

    Reply
    • Katie

      July 21, 2015 at 3:14 pm

      Thanks Carolyn! Yes–he loves it and so do I! 🙂

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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