Mac N Cheese With Hidden Goodness

I like to think that my little munchkin is a “simple eater” rather than a picky one BUT he pretty much only eats Annie’s Organic Macaroni and Cheese, fresh fruit, toast, hard-boiled eggs, and cheese pizza. Veggies are definitely out of the question…well, so he thinks…Here is a Mac N Cheese recipe with hidden healthy veggies to sneak in some goodness!

I went out on a limb with this one. Knowing that carrots are on the sweeter side of vegetables, I pureed them and added them to a homemade cheese sauce. I’m glad I went out on a limb and tried it because he loves it and there’s an entire carrot in every serving!

The process takes a little longer than traditional boxed macaroni and cheese. I personally had to puree the carrots the night before and then made the rest the following day. However, getting our kids to eat nutritional food is not only healthy for them but it’s also setting them up for a healthy future too. The sooner kids start tasting vegetables, the sooner their tastebuds start accepting them and kids will choose them at meal time.

So like I said before, I had the puree the night before and then made the rest the following day. It was much easier to do the clean up in stages.

Here’s what you need:

• Food Processor/Blender/Nutribullet
• 12 oz kid-friendly macaroni – I went for Rigatoni which was a little big, so I suggest a penne or macaroni
• 1 bag of full-size carrots
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 cups of grated Cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons of garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour

Here’s what you do:

1. Wash carrots and cut off the tops. If your pot is smaller, you can cut the carrots into smaller pieces so they fit.
2. Bring a large pot full of water to a boil. Add carrots and boil until soft
3. In a food processor or similar, I used my new Nutribullet Lean to puree the carrots. Add the boiled carrots and 1 tablespoon of water and puree until smooth. Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
4. Cook pasta with the directions on the bag
5. In  a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it’s fully melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of milk and whisk until thickened and smooth. Add the cheese and remaining cup of milk. Whisk until combined. Add the garlic salt and mix one more time.
6. Drain the pasta and toss with the cheese sauce
7. Voila, ENJOY!!!
8. Also, I added some Tapatio to mine and indulged a little, it was really delicious!!