One Pot Mac and Cheese

My kids LOVE mac and cheese but I don’t always feel that great about making them the boxed stuff. So I started playing around with some different home made recipes trying to find something that was quick and easy (what I really love about the boxed versions) but a little bit healthier and wholesome. Here is what I came up with! A simple, quick, one pot mac and cheese. I start with great ingredients - whole wheat macaroni, low fat milk, and cheddar cheese. And I cook them all together on the stove top. It takes about 15 minutes total and can be altered easily to your family's preferences. Now, what's not to love about that?!

So here we go...

Ingredients:

8 oz of whole wheat macaroni noodles (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 cups of low fat or skim milk

1 cup of water

1 tsp of salt (I use low sodium salt.. but that's a discussion for another day)

dash of black pepper

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Add milk, water, macaroni, and seasonings to a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until a slow boil. Lower heat and cook at a simmer for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is cooked to your liking. The pasta will absorb the liquid as it cooks. If it appears too dry, add another 1/4 cup of milk and stir to combine.

2. Turn off heat. Add cheese 1/3 cup at a time stirring until melted after addition. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

That's it! Simple, tasty, and a mac and cheese that all of us moms can get behind.

If you like to mix things up a bit, you can switch up the seasonings and add in other foods to make this dish a little more memorable! Try adding in taco seasoning for a yummy taco mac and cheese. Or how about some parmesan cheese with cannellini beans and broccoli for an Italian twist? Make it your own and share with me!

Happy cooking!

Julia