This recipe truly doesn’t take much more time than it would to make the highly processed macaroni out of a blue box. Don’t expect the same flavor as the factory made stuff though because it actually tastes SOOO much better. And of course this recipe is also much better for you with only a few simple ingredients including whole-grain noodles. So go ahead and do the right thing by making the switch for your family…it’s better late than never!
Whole-Wheat Macaroni and Cheese
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 ½ cups of dried whole-wheat macaroni noodles, boiled according to package directions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup grated cheese (you can use any type of cheese…we usually use sharp white cheddar or a mix of different cheeses works well too)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional topping: grated parmesan cheese or whole-wheat breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Directions
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for about 1 – 2 minutes until the roux (which is equal parts flour and butter or oil) starts to darken, but does not burn.
- Turn the heat down to low and quickly whisk in the milk. Turn the heat back up to medium and keep whisking until the mixture starts to thicken and all lumps of flour are dissolved.
- Stir in the grated cheese and once it melts mix in the cooked noodles. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
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Sounds good! One thing I’d recommend is to make sure all the dairy ingredients are room temperature, especially the milk. (You can also warm it a little in the microwave). Cold ingredients added to a warm roux makes a clumpy sauce.
For those who find it “gritty” it is likely due to the ww flour. You could simply substitute spelt flour instead- it has a smoother texture.
This recipe was amazing! I added an extra cup of Mexican blend cheese! Will definitely be recommending this recipe to friends and family. Thank you!
I made this and it was fantastic! I even made it for our Easter dinner and everybody loved it, which is a HUGE success. I was wondering what kind of cheese you use? I stood at the different block cheeses forever trying to figure out which one wasn’t highly processed and kinda just chose one that looked right. THanks for your help and all of your great recipes.
Hi Stephanie. We look for an organic sharp white cheddar. ~Amy
I just wanted to let you know….this was my first homemade mac and cheese EVER. My oldest daughter had a rough day of homeschooling. She wanted comfort food and said “I could really go for some homemade, cheesy, mac and cheese” So, I got online and started looking. When I googled mac and cheese, I didn’t like all the “extra” ingredients I saw in most recipes. So, I looked at two of my favorite people that I follow on Facebook. One did not have a mac and cheese recipe and the other was you! I had everything I needed and so I started it, only about 30 minutes ago. I followed the recipe exactly and also paid attention to one of the comments about making sure the dairy items were room temperature. My oldest said “this is exactly what I wanted!”. My youngest who doesn’t always like mac and cheese said, “Mom, that is actually reallly good. Can I have that more often?” And my middle just kept eating! Thank you! This will definitely go in my recipe binder!
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I just made this for my 10 year old and he told me it’s better than the mac and cheese from a box. Then he added “and it’s better for us, too.”
Made this for my 2 and 4 year old for lunch today. Added 1 cup of pumpkin puree from the freezer. Awesome!
This was really good! I used a mix of sharp cheddar and pepper jack. My 5 year old liked it and my 2 year old went back for seconds. Thank you for sharing!
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Made this for dinner tonight. It was well received by all. We will definitely have again. Next time I will use sharp cheddar instead of mild cheddar. We give this recipe 4 stars.
This was delicious! I have a picky toddler and he gobbled this up. What are you recommendations for re-heating this for leftovers?
Hi Malanie. It is easily reheated at a low heat on the stove top. ~Amy
I cannot believe I just made Mac and cheese from scratch! It was delicious and my toddler gobbled it up! Though it was a tiny bit gritty I neglected to let my dairy ingredients get to room temperature.
This was very easy. It didn’t have a very “cheesy” taste though, maybe because I used a medium cheddar. Next time I’ll try a mix of cheeses.
Made this tonight for the first time. I threw in frozen peas and both me and my 2 year old gobbled it up. It was delicious and not grainy at all. I used King Arthur WW flour and sharp Vermont white cheddar. Next time I’ll use less milk than 1 cup, as there was a little too much liquid.
This mac & cheese is delicious! We doubled the recipe for six of us, used half mild cheddar and half monterey jack cheeses, and added frozen peas…my husband and four kids LOVED it! Since I always have to put a veggie on the side, we roasted butternut squash and had that, too. The combo of mac and cheese and squash sounds weird but it worked for us.
Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Delicious!!! This was also very easy to prepare. I followed the other comments and made sure the ingredients were all room temperature. It turned out nice and creamy and very delicious! THANKS!!!
Very Delicious! Whisk your flour into your cold milk and let it sit while you cook your noodles. Melt the butter, reduce to low and add your milk/flour, whisk until thickened, melt in cheese add noodles. Not grainy this way! I added half muenster (which is very creamy) and half cheddar, yum!
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This was delicious! I can never get my daughter to eat homemade mac & cheese. She is very picky about color. (IMO, mac and cheese should NOT be orange, but her Dad likes to make the blue box for her.) She shredded the cheese while I did the roux, we added extra cheddar. She said, “You know Mom, I actually LIKE this!” The rest of us gobbled up an entire pound of it. I meant to have leftovers to freeze for lunches. Did not happen-every last cheesy noodle was eaten. Thanks for sharing recipes that keep us healthy and happy!
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