Oh so creamy! This easy-to-make mac-n-cheese will bring smiles to your kiddos faces, and yours too!
This month as part of my Kids in the Kitchen Summer School Series, I’ve been jazzed about sharing some quick and healthy whole food recipes perfect for cooking with kids! And this Easy Mac-n-Cheesy is no exception! So simple and delicious, there is no need to open a box, when you can make it yourself in virtually the same amount of time using nutritious real food ingredients!
Reader Recommendation! Nourishing Home subscriber Sharon recommends tossing in your favorite protein-rich add-ins such as diced grilled chicken, ham, ground beef, bacon or chorizo. And, why not add some healthy veggies too, such as broccoli, chard, kale, collards or spinach. Brilliant!
Ingredients
- 12 oz. of your favorite whole grain or GF elbow pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (preferably raw or pasteurized only, not ultra pasteurized)
- 1/2 cup whole milk (preferably raw or pasteurized only, not ultra pasteurized)
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 6–8 oz grassfed sharp cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to instructions. While pasta is cooking, grate cheese and measure out the cream and milk. Collect remaining ingredients to have ready.
- Once pasta is al dente, make sure to reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Then drain the cooked pasta and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Set aside.
- Using the same saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the cream, milk and cheese. Stir constantly until smooth and creamy. Then mix in the dry mustard, salt and pepper.
- Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well to combine. To thin out the sauce, add one tablespoon at a time of the reserved pasta cooking water while stirring, until desired consistency is achieved.
- If adding extras like cooked diced meats or veggies, simply stir them in and enjoy!
Notes
Make it a healthy meal by mixing in your favorite diced meats and some wholesome greens and veggies too! See photo above for some nutritious and delicious add-in ideas!
This is a really delicious and simple recipe, thanks so much!
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a kind note. So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! I made it a meal by adding some cooked chicken and broccoli. Delicious, and the kids ate it up. Thanks!
So glad you all enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note 🙂
Hi Kelly! Thanks again for the wonderful resource you have provided for us!
I have to ask, where are you finding these raw/grass fed meat and dairy product? I shop at Trader Joe’s and Sprouts and all I can find is raw milk which costs a whopping $9 for a half gallon! Any advice on where to find better foods and how to not break the bank doing it will be greatly appreciated. 🙂
Trader Joes does sell raw milk and grassfed cheddar for a reasonable price, at least here in Southern California. So be sure to ask the dairy case person there to help you locate it.
As far as raw milk itself goes, that’s a toughie. And I can completely understand your struggle with the cost. Here’s the decision we made as a family … we stopped drinking dairy milk and switched to almond milk for use in our granola and most cooking needs. We did this to reduce our food budget, as we could not afford raw milk either, and actually we prefer unsweetened almond milk.
When I do need dairy milk for cooking, such as in this dish, I try to use raw milk dairy when I can find it at a reasonable price, but honestly, most of the time I purchase pasteurized only (not ultra-pasteurized) cream and milk, and I don’t worry about it since we only use milk occasionally. But I definitely would not recommend consuming large amounts of pasteurized milk, i.e. drinking glasses of it daily. I personally believe after doing the research that it is not a healthy choice to be consuming large amounts of pasteurized dairy and for some (those with dairy issues) obviously dairy in general is an issue.
I hope this helps. Again, since we’re not eating mac-n-cheese daily (or even weekly for that matter), I don’t sweat the small stuff. Eating healthy should never be so restrictive that you’re filled with anxiety over it or are tempted to break the bank to afford it. Living a healthy lifestyle instead should be centered on keeping priorities where they should be … seek first the kingdom, be a good steward of the blessings God has given you and enjoy the life He has given you for His glory and in service to Him. 🙂
Blessings to you, sweet sister!
I agree with you a 100% about the pasteurized milk issue. I was giving my 2 yr old almond milk exclusively until she started having some serious tooth decay issues. We brushed and flossed every day and she hardly ever had sugary sweets yet her teeth were suffering. That is when I started doing homework on diet and discovered Dr. Price. We switched to raw milk immediately. Funny thing is, I haven’t been able to drink milk in years because of the stomach pains it would give me but I can pound the raw stuff!
I am in southern California as well but our Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell raw milk for some reason. I can find it at Sprouts and wow is it expensive but very necessary in our situation considering my daughter’s teeth.
I found pastured eggs at the local farmer’s market but it looks like our best option for pastured meat is to buy in bulk from a farm. We are going to buy a deep freezer and purchase quarter and half pigs and cows. I can’t believe how hard it is to find healthy animals who are raised the way nature intended! It blows my mind.
Anyhow, we are now regular consumers of bone broth, raw milk, and fermented cod liver oil. We have removed all grains for the time being and will resume with soaking once her teeth have healed. We have already seen a huge difference in just a few months.
Your website has been an invaluable resource for me and my family! It saddens me that I had no knowledge of these dietary guidelines prior to our crisis. We tried to eat organic but I had no clue that that doesn’t even necessarily mean what I thought it did. There was talk of putting my daughter under to have her teeth repaired (at two years old!!!!!) and now she is doing great simply because of her diet. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your time and effort that you put into your work and for being so generous to share that with all of us! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I reference your site daily and have told everyone I know about it. You are super appreciated. 😉
WOW! What a great story and thank you so much for taking the time to share your journey with us. It never ceases to amaze me that when we turn back to pure real foods, how God can use this to bring healing and wellbeing to our lives. I can totally relate to what you’re saying about thinking I was eating healthy. I was a vegetarian on a low fat diet for more than a decade and it completely wrecked my health. Since embracing real whole foods that include healthy animal fats, I’ve seen my health completely transformed. I am SO thrilled to be able to share my journey and favorite recipes with you and everyone else God directs to this site. My hope in all of this is that our physical health will not only be transformed, but our spiritual health as well, as we give praise and glory to our Creator for His kindness in caring for us with the nourishing foods He provides, and more important for giving us His beloved Son so we may have real life in HIM! Blessings to you, Kelly
Hi Kelly,
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and tips. I made your Easy Mac-n-Cheesy today and it was, in fact, easy and tasty! I have made many of your recipes and none of them have disappointed. Before finding your website, I hated cooking. I would get anxiety by the thought of it. You have changed that for me. While cooking is still a chore, I am not stressed out about it and my family loves the food. You have truly been a blessing to me and my family. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Wow, Natalie! Your sweet encouraging words have totally blessed my socks off today! I so appreciate you taking the time to be such a sweet encourager! You are such a blessing! Thank you! 🙂