MAC ‘N’ CHEESE
Mac ‘n’ cheese is a classic family dish, perfect for filling up hungry bellies! It is cheap, tasty and easier than you think to add veg to. We’ve gathered expert tips and come up with small steps you can take to bring your mac ‘n’ cheese from good to great!
Mac ‘n’ cheese is a classic family dish, perfect for filling up hungry bellies! It is cheap, tasty and easier than you think to add veg to. We’ve gathered expert tips and come up with small steps you can take to bring your mac ‘n’ cheese from good to great!
Why is mac ‘n’ cheese so great?
Mac ‘n’ cheese is cheap and delicious, and lends itself well to making a big batch for future meals. Kids love it, making it a great recipe to slowly tweak to add a little veg and make just a little better over time.
Mac ‘n’ cheese is a great dish to add veggies too, as the cheese flavour of the dish will often mask the flavour of the veg, encouraging its acceptance. It also keeps well, so you can make it the day before and cover and chill (or freeze) until you are ready to stick it in the oven to heat through and serve, making it a great meal for busy nights.
Our Simple Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe below is just that – a basic mix of white sauce + pasta + cheese + maybe some peas. If you are just starting out, this is the place to start! If you already have the basics and want to work on slowly improving your recipe using our Step by Step method, try our Next Steps Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
Kids who engage with healthy foods are more likely to eat them, so to set yourself up for success, we’ve included tips to get kids involved in the second recipe to keep things simple.
Simple Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Ingredients:
Pasta (macaroni or other small pasta shape – allow about 50g per person)
Jar of white sauce
Grated cheese (a small handful per person)
Frozen peas (optional)
Not made mac ‘n’ cheese before, or not ready to try the next steps? Start here!
Method:
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Cook your pasta according to packet instructions, but cook for 1-2 mins less than the packet says. Drain and put it back in the saucepan with the white sauce and cheese (and peas, if using). Heat through until cheese is melted and sauce is hot.
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If you want to do a full “pasta bake” mac ‘n’ cheese, you can stir the sauce (and peas, if using) through the cooked pasta in a casserole dish and top with the cheese, then pop into an oven preheated to 190C/gas 5 for 20 mins until golden and bubbling – it adds that lovely golden layer we all love on mac ‘n’ cheese!
There is no need to go any further with this recipe until you are confident with it and feel up for the next step.
Once you have the basics it’s time to slowly improve your recipe using our Step by Step method to a bit better.
There are two ways to step-by-step your way to better mac ‘n’ cheese – start where you feel most comfortable and if in doubt, start with a few veg.
Remember, the MOST important thing is that the family enjoys the meal! These changes and swaps can take as long as is needed. Small simple improvements over time may not even be noticed!
add veg
Aim for 2 handfuls of veg per person in the long-run, but it’s better to go slow and get there than to rush to the finish line and find no one is there with you. For the best chance of success, start with a veg you know the family likes, don’t try to hide it, and build up over time. Starting with frozen veg can also mean less waste, keeping costs down, and being able to add a small amount simply.
We’ve added our top suggestions and how and when to add them to the recipe below.
better sauce
Swapping a ready-made sauce for a homemade sauce can often help the budget as well as the salt and sugar content. If making your own sauce is 20 mins you can’t spare, try to check ingredients and choose one with less salt, fat and/or sugar. Alternatively, you could make an extra-quick white sauce by mixing 2 tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp milk in a bowl, heating another 400ml milk in a large saucepan and stirring through the cornflour paste, then just simmering for a few mins until thick. Stir through pasta and cheese and you’re done!
Next Steps Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Ingredients:
Pasta (macaroni or other small pasta shape)
White sauce (homemade or low-salt shop bought)
Grated cheese (a small handful per person)
Veggies – aim for 1-2 handfuls per person, ideas in the recipe
We suggest you do this in stages, slowly, and go as far as works for your family, here’s how your final recipe might come together…
Method:
-
Cook your pasta according to packet instructions, but cook 1-2 mins less than the packet says. Drain and put it back in the saucepan with the white sauce, cheese and frozen veg. Heat through until cheese is melted and sauce is hot.
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If you want to do a full “pasta bake” mac ‘n’ cheese, you can stir the sauce and veg through the cooked pasta in a casserole dish and top with the cheese, then pop into an oven preheated to 200C/gas 6 for 20 mins until golden and bubbling – it adds that lovely golden layer we all love on mac ‘n’ cheese!
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Want to make your own white sauce but don’t have time or energy for a full-blown bechamel recipe? You can make an extra-quick white sauce by mixing 2 tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp milk in a bowl, heating another 400ml milk in a large saucepan and stirring through the cornflour paste, then just simmering for a few mins until thick. Stir through pasta and cheese and you’re done!
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If using fresh veg, you will need to cook until softened first, usually in a little oil over a low-medium heat until soft, or simmered in boiling water until just starting to soften. Great veg here could include: broccoli or cauliflower florets (simmer), diced sweet potato or squash (simmer), sliced onions, peppers and/or mushrooms (fry), sliced courgette (fry), sliced green beans (simmer), sliced leeks (fry) … Alternatively, you could do some veg on the side like rocket or shredded iceberg lettuce, or some green beans cooked and tossed in minced garlic and butter!
- If using frozen veg, just check packet instructions, but it should be find being stirred through the pasta and sauce before heating, especially if you are going to put it in the oven for 20 mins! Great choices here could be: frozen broccoli or cauliflower (thaw first and drain as they can be quite watery and make the sauce split otherwise), peas, sweetcorn, mixed veg, whole leaf or chopped spinach (thaw first so you can stir through properly without clumps), sliced mushrooms, diced sweet potato or squash…
Engaging Kids
Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating. Find out more here.
Kids in the kitchen
Have younger kids help you grate cheese, measure out dry pasta, stirring the macaroni and cheese sauce together, and chucking a couple of handfuls of your chosen veg in.
Older kids might be ready to learn how to chop some fresh veg to add in, stir everything together in the pan, or make a salad to go on the side!
Master these skills:
Grating, Mixing, Bridge chopping, Claw chopping
Activities
Use arts & crafts as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. While your mac ‘n’ cheese bakes, why not set a child up with:
Find more arts & crafts and puzzles & games on our website.
Sensory
Why not start with a few peas and get them to describe what they feel – does it remind them of anything? Maybe it feels like a handful of pebbles or a crocodile’s bumpy nose. See if they want to chuck some into the mac ‘n’ cheese after having engaged with them.
Watch Ruth Platt’s video on sensory activities with peas for more inspiration, or get more tips, games and videos over on our Sensory page.
Serving
Why not let your child come up with a silly name for the mac ‘n’ cheese. Perhaps they’ll appreciate an addition of some colourful veg like broccoli or peas to give them more to work with for an imaginative name and story. Make sure to praise them and use the name for the dinner when you serve it – see if they can come up with a story to go with it they can tell over dinner, too, it may encourage them to try some of it with the veg in!
Get more ideas over on our Roles for Kids page.
Family Favourite Recipes
Use our step-by-step methods to slowly improve these favourites, too…
DO you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
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