Is it really possible to make healthy mac and cheese and still have it taste just as rich and cheesy as the classic?
Easy Healthy Mac And Cheese
Try this healthy mac and cheese recipe when you’re craving mac and cheese but don’t want all the unhealthy saturated fat and calories you’d find in traditional recipes.
The healthy mac and cheese recipe below is low-fat, high-protein, and under 250 calories per serving.
If you make a batch of my favorite Vegan Brownies for dessert, you’ve got yourself a rich and decadent—yet secretly healthy—comfort food feast!
And yes, it really does taste just as cheesy and delicious as traditional mac and cheese!
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I’m very excited to feature Gina Homolka, an incredibly talented friend, on the blog today. Gina’s website, Skinnytaste, has a huge following with fans all over the world, and yet she is one of the most genuine and down-to-earth people you could ever hope to meet.
She puts passion into every one of her recipes and beautiful photos, and she really cares about her readers, no matter the size of their blogs. Years ago, Gina gave me the opportunity to be a guest on her site even though my own blog was much smaller, and I will never forget that kindness. Gina just released The Skinnytaste Cookbook, filled with 150 lower-calorie healthy recipes—from breakfast to dessert—to leave you feeling satisfied, not deprived.
The cookbook includes recipes such as PB&J Overnight Oats, Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup, Chickpea Potato Curry, and the healthy mac and cheese recipe below:
If you want the mac and cheese to be gluten-free, just be sure to use your favorite variety of gf pasta and breadcrumbs. If gf breadcrumbs are not available, just toast slices of gluten-free bread and then pulse in a food processor until you get breadcrumbs.
Although Gina’s original recipe isn’t vegan, it’s easy to veganize by just using Daiya vegan cheese for the cheese and nutritional yeast or vegan parm.
This is a recipe that everyone can enjoy!
Healthy Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 oz fusilli or elbow pasta
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter spread
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk of choice
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups shredded cheddar, or vegan cheddar
- 12 oz fresh broccoli florets
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan or nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- cooking spray
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Healthy Mac and Cheese Recipe: In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta and broccoli together, according to package directions for al dente. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large. heavy skillet, melt the buttery spread, then add the onion and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook 1 minute or until flour is golden and well-combined. Whisk in milk and broth, raise heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil, then cook an additional 5 minutes or until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in the cooked pasta and broccoli, then pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan or nutritional yeast. Spray a little more cooking spray on top. Bake 15-20 minutes, then broil a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden.View Skinny Mac & Cheese Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Mac And Cheese Recipes
Vegan Cheese Sauce – The Ultimate Recipe
My bf and I add splash of white wine and some wholegrain mustard to this recipe – makes it extra delicious! It’s now a staple of our household.
I loved the healthy vegan mac and cheese with broccoli’ and I don’t like broccoli! A keeper for sure!
I love this recipe– it looks so good and I never thought of using broth in a mac and cheese! Thanks so much for sharing– your site is great. 🙂
3 recipe substitute questions: 1) Does leaving out the onion make a huge difference in the taste? Can I swap for raw garlic? Onion doesn’t sit well on the stomachs in this household 😛
2) Can I use coconut flour instead of regular flower?
3) Can I use oat milk instead of regular milk?
I am drooling over this and can’t wait to make this for my southern food loving, southern husband. 🙂
lol, so many errors! I hope ya’ll can have some grace and can see around them XD. I’m typing and trying to make food too fast.
Hi, this is Skinnytaste’s recipe so I would reach out to her! 🙂
How many calories per serving?
Hi, full nutrition facts for Katie’s recipes are always linked right under the recipe ingredients 🙂
I’m confused about how this recipe is considered healthy with 2 cups of cheese, butter, and milk. Isn’t this just regular mac & cheese? The serving size must be quite small. Looks super delicious though!
Just finished making this and it is BOMB!
I love that theres broccoli and it’s a “healthy” alternative to Mac and cheese. I don’t have a broiler so I left my Mac and cheese longer in the oven to see if I could get some color on the breadcrumbs, but that didn’t happen 🙁 also plant based Parmesan doesn’t melt easily.
Overall, I still loved this recipe and will be including it in my weekly dinners.
Excellent recipe which I used as a base and modified with available cheese and green veg. Recommend highly.
I loved it! It was a really comforting meal. My boyfriend doesn’t like broccoli, so I just left that out for him and his friend. For them I added bacon pieces. I did think the portion sizes were quite small for a full meal, so I doubled it (if I calculated the American cups to grams correctly).
I will definitely make this again!
I don’t usually write reviews on recipes, but this turned out amazing and tastes delicious. My boyfriend is a huge fan and it’s super easy. Will definitely be saving this one!