This Veggie Mac and Cheese is a healthier spin on mac and cheese but with all the comfort food goodness. With four different types of tender veggies, you’ll get your fill on nutrients! But don’t worry – this mac and cheese with veggies is cheesy-delicious-good. Totally a thing.
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Veggie Mac & Cheese Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make Veggie Mac & Cheese
- What to Serve with Veggie Mac & Cheese
- More Mac & Cheese Recipes
The Story Behind the Recipe
This veggie mac and cheese recipe was contributed by the fabulous Gina Matsoukas of Running to the Kitchen, and she shares her story behind the recipe here.
I married a first-generation Greek. His go to comfort meal is “pita” (basically Spanikopita and every other variation of it) that his mom would make from scratch every week, not a simple thing like American meatloaf or some creamy casserole. Despite the fact that I love being in the kitchen and cooking, made-from-scratch phyllo dough and Greek dishes that try and compete with my mother-in-law’s are just not something I’m willing to do.
So for (almost) 10 years now, when I want to make a dinner I know he’ll love, my go-to is mac and cheese, the one “true” American meal he actually likes.
Why You’ll Love This Veggie Mac & Cheese Recipe
Well, first of all, it’s SO easy to make!
This Veggie Lovers’ Stovetop Mac & Cheese recipe is literally a one-pot meal. No roux needed and not even a colander in sight.
If you have leftover cooked vegetables on hand, even better, just throw them in. If not, a simple quick steam (I used the microwave for convenience) is all you need.
One word of caution though, this is definitely a time sensitive recipe so have all your prep work done before starting and make sure the cheese is grated and ready to go.
Ingredients
- Pasta – I like whole wheat pasta to make this veggie mac and cheese a little more wholesome.
- Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and frozen peas – four veggies packed in! YES!
- Milk – I like whole milk for this recipe which adds a nice richness
- Garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, and pepper – adds lovely flavor to mac and cheese.
- Gouda, sharp cheddar, and parmesan cheeses – This trio is glorious in mac and cheese, but you can use just cheddar or even swap in some gruyere.
- Breadcrumbs – makes a nice topping if you like.
How to Make Veggie Mac & Cheese
First, steam the veggies so that they’re tender.
Then, add the liquid ingredients to a large pot and stir in the pasta. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened.
Stir in the cheese, and then the veggies.
That’s it! So easy, right?!
What to Serve with Veggie Mac & Cheese
- I love a good green salad with mac and cheese, but with all of the veggies in this macaroni and cheese, just a simple salad is fine!
- These soft and fluffy rolls go great with just about anything!
- Balance all those veggies with some fruit! This raspberry lemonade smoothie hits the spot, or how about a batch of green sunshine smoothies?
More Mac & Cheese Recipes
- This one’s the grand kahuna, closing in on 1000 reader comments and over 100 five-star reviews! This is indeed, in my humble opinion, the best baked mac & cheese recipe ever.
- Jalapeno macaroni and cheese is spicy, cheesy, and oh-so good.
- This stovetop butternut squash mac and cheese has cheese, winter squash, and heavy cream – seriously decadent.
- Southwest mac & cheese is an interesting twist on the comfort food! It’s a one-dish-two-ways recipe – add chicken to the carnivores’ portions.
- Here’s another veggie “Mac and cheese” recipe – I use quotes because the sauce is made entirely of sweet potatoes and butternut squash, no cheese in sight! The perfect vegan comfort food meal.
- Another dairy-free and vegan mac and cheese recipe is this luxuriously creamy cashew-based stovetop number. It is SO EASY and so good.
This veggie mac and cheese is so creamy, cheesy and decadent even meat-and-potatoes types won’t care that it’s loaded up with veggies. Although, a little sprinkling of crispy chopped bacon on top wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world if that’s your thing.
Veggie Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups cauliflower florets
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2-3 medum carrots (peeled and chopped (1 cup))
- 8 ounces whole wheat rotini (or similar shape pasta)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 6 ounces gouda cheese (shredded (about 1 1/2 cups))
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (shredded (about 1 cup))
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (shredded (about 1/2 cup))
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1-2 tablespoons breadcrumbs for topping
- Red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Steam the veggies. Fill a large pot with about 1 inch of water. Set a vegetable steamer inside and set over high heat. Place the veggies on the steamer. (If you don’t have a vegetable steamer, just place the vegetables directly in the water). Cook, covered, until the vegetables are lightly tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a colander. Set aside. You can also steam the veggies in the microwave by adding them to a microwave-safe bowl along with about 1/4 cup of water. Top with a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for about 3 minutes, until the veggies are tender. Be careful when removing the plate – lots of steam will escape!
- Make the mac and cheese. (Note: Have all of your cheeses grated and ready at this point!) Place the milk, pasta and seasonings in a medium stock pot (you’ll want a pot with high sides because you’ll be adding everything to this pot later) over medium-low heat.
- Stirring often so pasta doesn’t stick, cook until pasta is al dente (time will vary by brand/shape) and milk starts to thicken.
- Remove the pot from heat. Slowly sprinkle in the grated cheese, stirring constantly, until melted.
- Add the vegetables and stir gently until everything is well combined and coated in the milk and cheese sauce. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve. Spoon into bowls and top with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs and/or red pepper flakes.
This Veggie Lovers’ Stovetop Mac & Cheese sounds and looks so Delicious!! Thanks for this recipe 🙂 Do you think I’d ruin it if I were to use 1% Milk in lieu of Whole Milk?
Hi Elizabeth, I do think that 1% milk would work, but the end result might not be as thick, rich, and creamy. If you try it please report back on how it works out!
So this is unusual but I’ll have to give it a try. I’ve made your traditional mac-and-cheese recipe numerous times and it’s always a winner!
This sounds really interesting but it seems to me a little light on pasta in ratio to the vegetables and cheese. Is that a conscious (health) choice? Would increasing both the pasta and the milk work? Thanks!
The pasta can really soak in the sauce – I’m always surprised how much sauce it takes! As far as the veggies, go, yes, it is packed with veggies on purpose – you can certainly lighten up on the veggies but I wouldn’t recommend changing the quantity of the pasta or the milk.
I cooked this the other day. Was easy and delicious. Definitely one to add to the recipe book. Thanks for the post!
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review. 🙂
This was a pretty disappointing meal for us. The pasta turned out strangely grainy when cooked in the milk. The cheese sauce was too similar to Velveeta for the amount of money and work that went into it and there was way too much of the sauce. I get that the appeal is only using one pot, but there’s a reason for doing things the way they’re traditionally done. We didn’t make any changes to this recipe, but I wish I had . For anyone attempting this, I would suggest at least cooking the pasta separately in water and making more of the pasta. Also consider baking it afterwards to get some browning on the bread crumbs (panko breading is a great choice.)