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Macaroni cheese with a twist Thermomix hidden vege recipe

skinnymixer’s Macaroni Cheese with a Twist

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Macaroni cheese with a twist Thermomix hidden vege recipe

My most favourite freezer meal in the world… Macaroni Cheese with a Twist (Macaroni Cheese Thermomix recipe with 4 different hidden vege!). 

This healthy kids Thermomix recipe is so incredibly easy to make and makes A LOT. I like to make this for dinner and then freeze any leftovers in portions for easy kids dinners.

Over the years this Macaroni Cheese Thermomix recipe has saved the sanity of so many Skinnymixers parents, who needed to try and get their children to eat more vegetables.

This Macaroni Cheese Thermomix recipe is a fantastic base recipe, that you can easily adapt to your family’s taste. Some prefer to swap the ham for crispy bacon or tinned tuna or even crispy chorizo… drool!

Whichever way you decide to go, one of the best tips when making this recipe is to cut your vegetables small and really make sure it is cooked well before blitzing. This will avoid any strange texture from slightly undercooked vegetables.

If you are making this Hidden Vegetable Mac n Cheese for a fussy eater, you may find this fantastic ‘Thermomix Recipes for Toddlers:Surviving a Fussy Eater’ recipe guide useful.

Thermomix recipes for toddlers

For any Skinnies needing a Dairy Free Macaroni & Cheese, I highly recommend my Dairy Free Cheesy Spelt Pasta recipe.

skinnymixer's Dairy Free Cheesy Spelt Pasta
skinnymixer’s Dairy Free Cheesy Spelt Pasta
Macaroni cheese with a twist Thermomix hidden vege recipe

skinnymixer's Macaroni Cheese with a Twist

5 from 11 votes
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Family
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 350kcal

Ingredients

  • 100 g cheddar cheese - 2 cm cubed
  • 60 g parmesan cheese - 2 cm cubed
  • 100 g sweet potato - peeled, 1 cm cubed
  • 100 g carrot - peeled, 1 cm cubed
  • 100 g pumpkin - peeled, 1 cm cubed
  • 1 zucchini - roughly chopped (peeled if you don't want your children to spot the microscopic green specks)
  • 300 g macaroni
  • 500 g milk
  • 50 g spelt or plain flour
  • 40 g butter - 1 cm cubed
  • 200 g ham - diced
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp mild paprika powder
  • 1 Tbsp chicken stock concentrate
  • 1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

  • Add cheeses into mixer bowl, mill for 10 sec/speed 9/MC on. Set aside.
  • Place 1,200 g or 42.3 oz water into mixer bowl, boil for 10 min/steaming temp/speed 1/MC on.
  • While the water is boiling, prepare your vegetables making sure they are cut very small and put into the large steaming tray.
  • After 10 mins, add your macaroni to the boiling water, and put your large steaming tray in place.
  • Cook for 10 min/steaming temp/speed 1/reverse.
  • Drain macaroni and put into a large thermal pot to keep warm.
  • Put your steamed vegetables into the mixer bowl with 100 g of the milk, purée for 30 sec/speed 8/MC on or until smooth.
  • Stir puréed vegetables through macaroni.
  • Put flour, remaining milk & butter into mixer bowl, cook for 6 min/90°C or 195°F/speed 2/MC on. While this is cooking you may like to pan fry your ham (or bacon if preferred).
  • Add ham, reserved cheeses, mustard, paprika, stock concentrate and pepper to mixer bowl. Cook for 2 min/90°C or 195°F/speed 2/reverse/MC on.
  • Pour sauce over maraconi and stir through. I highly recommend you give it a taste at this point, and add a pinch or two of salt depending on your preference.

Notes

This makes a large amount of food, at least 8 large serves. It freezes and defrosts well.
This was adapted from the Macaroni Cheese recipe in the toddler cookbook, for added vegetables and flavour 🙂
Bellini Users
Use your sharp blade for step 1 and then swap to your blunt blade for the rest of the recipe.
At step 2 use ST temp if using an Intelli and 130°C or 270°F if using a Supercook.
At step 3 use ST temp and speed 3 if using an Intelli, popping a tea towel over the steaming attachment and 130°C or 270°F and speed 4 if using a Supercook. Please note that you may need to cook the vegetables for a little longer if using an Intelli.
At step 4 use ST temp if using an Intelli and 120°C or 250°F if using a Supercook.
Please use speed 1 so that you don't chop up the pasta.
At step 9 use 100°C or 212°F.
At step 10 use 90°C or 195°F.
Tried this recipe?Mention @skinnymixer or tag #skinnymixers!

Nutrition

Serving: 262g | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.9g | Protein: 19.05g | Fat: 13.87g | Saturated Fat: 8.55g | Sodium: 726mg | Sugar: 7.05g

Healthy Mac n Cheese with a Twist Hidden Vegetable Thermomix recipe

  1. Good recipe thank you. I did not have the mustard but still wanted to disguise the veggies so instead of the stock and mustard added about 1 tab of tomato paste. It was still gobbled down.

  2. This is nice, but am I the o let one who thought is tasted a bit too salty? Would I just leave out the stock concentrate or is it the cheese? My girls didn’t take much to it either

  3. Fantastic way to sneak veggies into a snacky meal! I found it a bit thick/sticky when I didn’t have enough zucchini but now that I’ve had the experience I’d just ensure there’s something in there for a bit of moisture. Flavours are amazing and you’d never pick the veggies if you weren’t told. Reheats well too!

  4. WOW!! This is the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe website but how could I not?! This was packed with flavour, so so easy to prepare and far too easy to keep eating. Thank you!

  5. I made this one tonight after hearing so many rave reviews about it… I was not disappointed, it definitely lived up to all the hype! It was for my 5 year old son who inhaled 2 huge bowls full! I was able to put 4 serves away in the freezer for another day as well as enough for 2 serves in the fridge for tomorrow nights dinner. I also had a small bowl myself while I was waiting for my pork belly with caramelised Apple sauce to cook hehe. So easy & quick & tasty, this will definitely be on the menu again!

  6. I made this again last night because it freezes so well and my 2 year old daughter loves this meal. Happy to say she polished off a bowl and a half. Not bad a for kid who usually comes home from day care and doesn’t really want dinner! I used the full 500g bag of macaroni (left the rest of the recipe and instructions as is) and got 12 large (for a kid…maybe small for a hungry adult) sized portions out of it. Great recipe! Looking forward to trying many more from this site. So far they have all been a success.

  7. Delicious. My fussy 3 year old loved it. I added 50g cauliflower florets to the veggie steam mixture and as I used gluten free pasta I cooked that separately on stove top then just mixed in about 1/2 sauce with the pasta. I have enough sauce to freeze in batches too for some quick meals for kids.

  8. Nik, my 18 yo son is moving into a flat next year as a student and has an idea he will minimise is costs as much as possible (my concern is he wont get the nutrition) I said i was probably going to have a bag of goodies for him to take home when he comes home on the weekend. First time cooking this tonight. after he finished he said, can you make this one for me to take home mum. winner!!!!

  9. I don’t know why I didn’t make this earlier! So much yum packed into one bowl. It has been a great meal for getting little miss 8mths to venture beyond purées, everything else that requires a little chewing (apart from fruit) has been rejected but this has gone down a treat.
    I’ve been cooking chicken in the basket while the water is heating & the macaroni is cooking and having shredded chicken instead of ham because that’s what I had on hand.
    So easy and so delicious!
    Thanks for an awesome recipe!

  10. Great recipe thanks Nik! I have made an extra batch and frozen it in little snack sized serves as quick hunger fixes for the kids!!!

  11. This is really yummy.

    I’m an adult who doesn’t like the taste of veggies so I love a recipe that “hides” them. Plus I am also fussy.

    I loved this. Could not taste the veggies.
    This really is soooo good

  12. From having kids asking for the boxed max and cheese, to telling me that they want this everytime we eat pasta is AMAZING! Thanks Nik!

  13. Delicious! The whole family loved it, even my veggie/new food hating 2yo!
    Very easy to make, I even made up a double batch of sauce to freeze for a quick meal.

  14. OMG Nik, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! My super fussy 8 year old ate 3 bowls! I LOVE YOU. That is all.

  15. This recipe is genius! My kids (3,7) loved it and ate massive serves. I made it with gluten free pasta and it worked well. I froze some and it was bit mushy defrosted but still tasted amazing. I made it and I still couldn’t believe how cheesy it was with so little cheese. This is a staple in my house now!

  16. I made this 3 times to make sure but, I’m sad to say I don’t love this but, I think that’s Just because I’m not a fan of Mac and cheese. A bit too claggy in my mouth. My 3yo son however? Had 3 bowls so I will be making it again!

  17. Had put off trying this one due to hearing mixed reviews. Clearly a mistake on my part! Luckily no fussy eaters at my place so don’t need to worry about hiding veg but loved how creamy and cheese-like the sauce came out! Hubby was incredibly surprised when I told him how full of veg it was! Thanks Nic for another great recipe!

  18. The first time I made this, it was devoured by the three of us (me, hubby and small child). Second time, small child didn’t enjoy it (I blame the picky 3’s) but nevertheless, I ate my share and then some. I used gluten free pasta. Another fab way of getting those veggies into the little ones when they’re going through a picky stage

  19. This is my 10 month olds favourite thing to eat! We sub macaroni for quinoa and he absolutely loves it we always have some frozen for last minute meals for him.
    Thanks 👍

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