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I had a reader tell me that she and her husband decided to race against each other - one making homemade creamy mac and cheese and the other making it out of a box - and it took them the same amount of time!
Whole Wheat Creamy Mac and Cheese Recipe
To be honest, I can't even hardly eat the boxed stuff anymore because the taste of the powdered cheese just doesn't cut it for me like it did in the old days.
I've shared a mac and cheese recipe on the blog before, but recently discovered a different way to make it (below).
One night I was actually making Fettuccine Alfredo as a side dish, but I didn't have any fettuccine on hand so I used macaroni noodles instead. My younger daughter said "Oh mommy, thank you for making macaroni and cheese." (one of her favorites), and I said "Well, this isn't exactly 'macaroni' babe."
Creamy No Roux Mac and Cheese Recipe
But that gave me an idea. Instead of starting with a roux (butter and flour) to make macaroni maybe I could alter my Alfredo recipe and use less cream and lots more cheese for a new, creamy version of macaroni and cheese. And voila! Here you have it below...
Using Whole Wheat Macaroni in This Recipe
Dishes like mac and cheese are a great example of how easy it is to incorporate whole food comfort options into your weekly meal plan! This recipe for instance makes the simple switch to whole wheat macaroni for added protein and nutrients, as well as a creamy cheese sauce as opposed to a traditional roux. It's creamy, satisfying and much more nutritious than the boxed alternative. Enjoy!
You also need to try these Mac and Cheese Bites!
Creamy (Whole-Wheat) Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat macaroni (cooked according to package directions)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup heavy cream (plus an extra tablespoon, divided)
- 1 ¼ cups cheese (freshly grated (mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack or even better – a combination of different cheeses is highly recommended including a little Parmesan cheese if you have it))
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pepper (to taste (this dish is great with pepper on top))
Instructions
- In the pot you used to boil the noodles, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the ⅓ cup of cream until well combined.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the noodles, cheese, salt and pepper and cook while stirring until the the cheese melts. Stir in the last tablespoon of cream at the end. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.
Kari says
great recipe! my family enjoyed it. i used 1% milk and greek yogurt (replaced 1 tbsp. of the 1/3 c. and the 1 tbsp. in the end.) in place of the cream. wonderful way to use up extras of cheese too-- i used colby jack, pepper jack, gruyere, mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan!.
Kristin says
How many people does this recipe serve? I normally use a roux recipe using 2 tbs of butter, 3 tbs of flour, 2 cups of milk, a heaping cup of shredded sharp cheddar and a 12 oz box ow whole wheat elbow macaroni. This is enough to feed my family of five dinner, plus leftovers for my girls the next day.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kristin. I would say roughly 6-8 servings. ~Amy
Helen says
I would love to use this with some mini shells made from Organic Spelt that I purchased through a Co-op. Anyone know why my shells are tough no matter how long I cook them?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Helen. Hmm, I'm afraid I can't guide you on this. I've not noticed my spelt noodles being a different texture than whole wheat. ~Amy
Kelly says
We make this a lot for my 3 yr old...and I use cream cheese with some parmesan and grated cheddar to make a quick and dirty version.
Tara says
Both my children are allergic to dairy so I make a dairy free version using unsweetened almond milk and Daiya cheese. Not quite the same as the original for me, but my kids don't even know the difference ;)
Kate says
I just scrapped what I had in mind for dinner and prepped this instead while the kids were napping! I added tuna like another poster suggested and will bake it and do veggies on the side. Everyone in my house loves Mac and cheese, but I'm not crazy about the roux versions, so thank you for posting this!
Joel says
Because my wife insists on having some on hand, and the kids (6 and 10) have grown to like it, we always have a brick of American "Cheese" in the fridge (I can't stand the stuff by itself). So I use that instead of butter, but my home-made is mostly milk, cheddar, and parmesean, but it depends on what we have on hand. So even with the highly processed American "Cheese," I still feel my version is better tasting (the kids agree) and not as toxic as the boxed stuff.
Michelle Ritchie | Delicious Karma says
LOVE this! I grew up eating whole wheat mac 'n cheese. We never ever at anything out of a box (my Mom was from Europe and believed everything should be made from scratch). We also ate whole wheat products. My Mom would make a slightly lower fat version by using half sharp cheddar cheese (which has a lot of flavor) and half cottage cheese. It was delicious and we kids loved it! I don't think she used cream...I believe she did make a roux. This makes me realize that I need her recipe!
Dana says
I like to add 1/2 a cup of pureed butternut squash to my mac n cheese, and a half a block of cream cheese along with the shredded cheese.
Sally says
That's how I make my macaroni and cheese. I've occasionally tried other recipes, but always come back to the "original."
Sarah says
Is evaporated milk real food? Evaporated milk makes really smooth mac and cheese, I add a little starch to make it thicker and it makes excellent mac and cheese.
Kristin says
It can be if you make yourself, using real whole milk that you evaporate on the stovetop.
I can't seem to find the original evaporated milk recipe that I have been meaning to try, but this one is pretty through.
http://shesimmers.com/2008/11/how-to-make-organic-evaporated-milk.html
Jessica says
Yum! How easy. My combination of cheeses will include some chevre - love the kick that goat cheese gives pasta dishes. :)
Kelly says
We keep some cooked whole wheat pasta in the fridge so we can make 5 minute mac n cheese. I microwave some pasta in a bowl with a little butter and some cheese. Then I add a spoon full of plain Greek yogurt and stir it up. The yogurt gives it a nice creamy texture.
mrs.estepp says
I make my roux's with milk all the time, skim at that, too. If you like it thicker, let it stand and/or bake for 10 minutes or so. I typically make cream sauces, as well as cream soups with skim milk _all_ the time.
barbara says
For those who want a lower fat variation, make a white sauce with fat-free milk for your cream base! The flavor is all about the cheeses, so no one in my house misses the cream.
Mary says
Hi Barbara, a lot of the low fat and fat free foods have additives and chemicals, which replace the fat. I am sure Lisa and team will weigh in, but the fat free/low fat stuff is not real food. Stick to the real food and go for moderation. I know that mentally it is hard to get away from the fat free craze and eat real fat foods, but based on lots of research I have done the fat free foods are proving to make us fat! Good figure!
sarah says
I agree but its not thr same with milk is it? I know additives and yuck are added to other things to make them thicker, but with milk arent they just 'skimming ' off the fat. Its thinner that way. They arent putting anything into it to thicken it. So your sauce woukd be thinner but i dont think full of chemicals
Pam says
Actually they aren't just skimming off the fat, they also add powdered milk solids but that doesn't have to be labeled because on some technicality, it's still milk. The milk industry has also petitioned to be able to add aspartame without additional label claims, but that has not yet been approved.
Copied and pasted from butterbeliever.com
What’s so bad about powdered milk? Well, in the manufacturing process, liquid milk is forced through tiny holes at very high pressure, which causes the cholesterol in the milk to oxidize, and toxic nitrates to form. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, while unoxidized cholesterol from unprocessed foods is actually an antioxidant to help fight inflammation in the body. The proteins found in powdered milk are so denatured that they are unrecognizable by the body and contribute to inflammation.
Helga says
Absolutely! We should avoid all low fat, reduced calorie, fat free, sugar free, etc! There simply is no benefit to these products.
Matt says
Barbara -- Or, while pasta is cooking, steam up some cauliflower. Once cooked, puree it with some water in a blender. A great way to sneak cauliflower in on unsuspecting kids of all ages!
Ken Carpenter says
This sounds wonderful. After reading about skim milk and how horrible that is for us, I am switching BACK to whole milk organic. Thanks for including a great recipe with whole cream. Go Lisa, fellow North Carolinian girl!
Erin says
I make it very similar but also grate yellow squash or zucchini in on the tiny grater side-kids cannot tell and makes me feel good adding veges-for some reason the cauliflower does not work for them-who knows but they never make a peep over the squash. They tend to be anti-green so I have skinned the zucchini prior to grating. Thanks for posting.
Brooke says
I love it. Try a Gluten Free version and make it with quinoa noodles--extra protein and no gluten! Super!
Amy says
I can't wait to try this! All of the mac n cheese recipes I've tried have been the kind that use flour and bake. My family hates them, so I gave up on mac n cheese a long time ago. They might actually like this though!
Lorae M says
I am excited to try this. I always dislike homemade mac-n-cheese because I feel like all I can taste is the flour. Maybe this will help me enjoy it more without only tasting the flour. Thank you! Love your site!
Kristin says
Do you cook the butter & flour mixture for 3 minutes before adding the milk to your roux? Julia Child swears by this step to get rid of the flour taste and I use her roux recipe. Mine never tastes floury, though I do cheat and use white flour. I also use a good sharp white cheddar.
Donna K says
I've been making mac-n-cheese like this for years. It always felt like a recipe "cheat" because I also make the roux version, which my husband adores, but it's a great quick lunch for the kids. Heavy cream is best tasting, but it will work with whole milk, too, which is what I most often have on hand.
Rye K says
Throw in some broccoli crowns to the boiling water during the last 2-3 minutes pasta cooks and you get my version of this, plus a little veg to make it a complete meal!
Also to answer a few people's questions: I've used half and half and whole milk before as substitutes-- DEFINITELY not the same delicious results.
Steven says
Is there any way to make a delicious mac and cheese without dairy? We are trying to cut out dairy for my son's eczema and he loves mac and cheese. I would love a real way to make it for him minus the dairy.
Thanks,
Steven
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Steven. We have not attempted this. There are many many recipes out there but none that we have tried or can recommend. Perhaps a reader can chime in? Sorry that I can't be of more help.~Amy
Camille says
I have a great vegan Mac and cheese recipe! It’s a sauce of basically puréed butternut squash, cashews, milk alternative (whatever your preferred) and nutritional yeast, salt etc. It tastes a little different obviously, but my family with three little ones love it!
Alysha says
Any input on not using heavy cream? My husband has high cholesterol so prefer to use skim or fat free which I know isn't even close to being the same but curious if anyone has tried?
Amanda A says
Thank You So Much! I can never get the roux quite right, it's either under- or over-done. This sounds great!
Robin says
That's how I make it as well. Funny thing is I'm the only one in the house who likes mac and cheese. My son can't stand it--boxed or homemade. Sigh...
Amy says
How important is it to use heavy cream? That's not something I usually have on hand - can whole milk be substituted, or will it not work? I hate to make a special trip to the store if it's not critical.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Amy. Sometimes it takes us a few days to respond to comments. Did you try it without the cream? Let us know how it turned out. ~Amy
Mona Cameron-Ball says
I used half & half in mine and it was delish! I also cooked some organic broccoli florets in with the pasta and mixed it all together.
Dianna says
That was my question too, about half and half but no one ever answered me. So, thanks for indirectly answering my question!
Kim says
You're going to make my children very happy with this recipe. Thank you!!
Robinski says
I'm going to try this and add in zucchini and yellow squash and any other vegetable I have left in my fridge...
Katelyn says
I think this is what I've been looking for as far as a real food macaroni and cheese goes. I've disliked the roux recipes that I've tried although my family eats them up. I've been thinking about experimenting with an alfredo sauce variation and look here you've done it for me. I'll have to add this to next weeks meal plan.
Elyse says
You can do it even faster if making the cheese sauce as the water for pasta boils. Surely you'd beat your husband in the race then. ;)
Jamie says
I'm wondering what brand of whole wheat macaroni you used? it looks very light-colored in the picture, not dark as whole macaroni tends to be...
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jamie. The noodles are an Earth Fare brand. They just look light in contrast to the sauce. :) ~Amy
Jen says
Thanks for the recipe! I just made fettucini alfredo over the weekend with a whole head of puréed cauliflower and no cream or flour and it was delicious. We also put puréed butternut squash in our macaroni and cheese for added nutrients!
Amanda says
Why does the cream need to be divided? Does it change the consistency to add the last bit at the end?
This looks delicious!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Amanda. It just helps it blend smoothly and evenly. ~Amy
Allison says
Thanks for this, I always seem to have a hard time getting my roux right, will try this for sure. Mac & Cheese is a staple in my daughters diet. I can add almost any kind of veggie and she laps it up and makes a great thermos lunch!
Jamie says
This tip might help you with your roux if you have trouble with it clumping. I don't use exact measurements, but melt the butter and add the flour to it while leaving it over the heat. Heat up the milk before mixing them together. If you mix together when the milk is cold it tends to have lumps. I usually forget this step, but it does help.
gardengal says
My husband and I also enjoy homemade macaroni and cheese instead of the boxed stuff. We do a blend of cheeses such as cheddar and gruyere or havarti with monterey jack. And something that we always add.. several generous splashes of hot sauce.
The Sadder But Wiser Girl says
Yum! :-D We love mac and cheese at our house!
Dianna says
Can I make this with half n half? That sounds gross now that I type it..I just don't have any heavy cream on hand.
Courtney @ FamilyGoneHealthy says
Homemade mac and cheese is the best! We do a similar version but substitute some cauliflower for part of the noodles and sprinkle the top with homemade bread crumbs.
Krissy says
I make this recipe ALL the time. Often I add tuna and peas, top w/ some more cheese, and bake for a bit. yummy. A family fav and so easy.