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Home » Egg Free » One Pot Mac & Cheese with Hidden Veg

One Pot Mac & Cheese with Hidden Veg

June 1, 2018 by Ciara Attwell, Updated September 25, 2024

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A delicious and easy One Pot Mac & Cheese recipe with hidden veg. Perfect for picky eaters who don’t like eating their veggies! 

A bowl of Mac & Cheese with a side of green beans

If your kids love plain cheesy pasta but aren’t so keen on veggies, then this is the recipe for you! I’ve created a really easy one pot Mac & Cheese with secret courgette that you can’t see or taste. Perfect for the fussiest of eaters! 

Why I Love This Recipe

This recipe has fast become one of my favourites and this is why:

1.It’s so easy to make. Everything gets cooked together in one pot which means minimal washing up!

2. It’s super quick, ready in 15 minutes.

3. The ingredients are simple everyday staples like macaroni (or you can use another kind of pasta), milk and cheese.

4. It’s got one portion of veg per serving in the form of grated courgette. The courgette cooks down into the sauce so you can’t see or taste it. Perfect for super fussy kids!

5. This recipe is easy to customise to your liking. Feel free to add in some cooked chicken or ham. You can also change the type of cheese you use or even add in some other veggies too.

A big bowl of hidden vegetable macaroni cheese with grated cheese and a cheese grater

If you try my Mac & Cheese recipe please do leave me a comment and a star rating below. You can also share your pictures with me on on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I always love to see your creations!

If you’re looking for more hidden veg recipes then try my Hidden Veggie Chicken Curry For Kids!

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A delicious Mac & Cheese recipe with hidden courgettes, made in one pot with Arla Organic Free Range Milk

One Pot Mac & Cheese with Hidden Veg


★★★★★ 5 from 13 reviews
  • Author: Ciara Attwell
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

A delicious Mac & Cheese recipe with hidden courgettes, made in one pot with Arla Organic Free Range Milk


Ingredients

  • 2 medium courgettes
  • ½ tbsp oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 350g macaroni pasta
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 500ml Arla Organic Free Range Whole Milk
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 150g grated cheese

Instructions

  1. Prepare the courgettes by removing the green skin with a vegetable peeler and then finely grating them.
  2. In a large pan on a medium heat, add in the oil and then the onion. Fry for 2-3 minutes until soft but not browned. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
  3. Add in the macaroni, stock, milk, oregano, dijon mustard and grated courgette. Stir well.
  4. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 5-7 minutes until the pasta is cooked.
  5. Add in the cheese, stir well and remove from the heat.
  6. Serve immediately.
57410.4 g306.6 mg18.2 g9.3 g76.4 g3.6 g25.2 g

If you liked this One Pot Mac & Cheese Recipe you may also enjoy these other quick and easy one pot pasta recipes:

One Pot Lentil Pasta

One Pot Carbonara

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Filed Under: 15 Minute Meals, Egg Free, Family Meals, Hidden Veg Recipes for Fussy Eaters, Nut Free Recipes, One Pot Recipes, Recipes, Simple Pasta Recipes - Kid-Friendly, Vegetarian Recipes Tagged With: courgette, hidden veg, mac and cheese, macaroni cheese

Comments

  1. Alisa says

    May 17, 2023 at 9:12 am

    This recipe didn’t disappoint 🙂 now a strong favorite in our house

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Jolene Hodgson says

    March 24, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    Great for my fussy son, but I’ve made it twice and it has been quite runny both times. I’ll definitely try less stock next time.
    Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Vicky says

      March 27, 2023 at 9:14 am

      Yes definitely use a little less stock next time, glad your son loves this recipe.

      Reply
  3. Gillian C says

    October 5, 2022 at 9:37 am

    Amazing comfort food!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Vicky says

      October 5, 2022 at 10:30 am

      Especially this time of the year. Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    August 6, 2022 at 3:28 am

    Hi,
    I don’t have Dijon mustard. May I know if skipping this ingredient will affect the taste significantly? What kind of taste does Dijon mustard add to the pasta ? Is it like a taste enhancer ? Are there any replacements for the similar flavour / taste ?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      August 12, 2022 at 2:29 pm

      Tried this pasta without Dijon mustard. It tastes great. Thank you for the yummy & healthy recipe!

      Reply
  5. Jennifer Thomas says

    April 14, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    Made this but when I added the cheese it curdled and doesn’t look like it’s supposed to, any ideas what I did wrong? Thanks

    Reply
  6. Karen says

    July 30, 2021 at 11:37 am

    I add pureed caulfower to our mac and cheese recipe, and my fussy son loves it, I’ll try this too it sounds good.

    Reply
  7. Sarah says

    March 9, 2021 at 5:01 am

    Such a quick and easy recipe. I made some for school lunches and have popped some in the freezer to use at a later date – the kids love it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Malvina says

    October 28, 2020 at 6:11 pm

    Great recipe. The whole family loved it (with the addition of chilli flakes for the parents). I added broccoli florets at the same time as the grated courgettes.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Kathy says

    September 3, 2020 at 4:38 pm

    Never cooked mac n cheese before but tried this out on my 3 grandsons who were starving after school and they just loved it, had such a beautiful flavour 😊

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Leigh says

    April 4, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    My fussy 5yo was really excited to try this, normally we have to separate everything including a sauce so I took a gamble, used carrot as it’s a family favourite & added bacon. Clean plates all round.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Louise says

    March 29, 2020 at 4:58 pm

    My super fussy eater loves this! I’m over the moon and it’s really good for adults too. Lovely thank you x

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Tas says

    January 20, 2020 at 10:35 pm

    My daughter absolutely loved this recipe! She wolfed it down and asked for more! I couldn’t be happier. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    June 20, 2019 at 8:13 am

    I didn’t have any courgette but put in peas, red capsicum and corn and called it traffic light pasta. It was a huge hit! Thank you.

    Reply
  14. Elle says

    April 23, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    Amazing recipe – my fussy eater has never been interested in pasta before, but ate 3 bowls of this the first time I made it! Great way of sneaking veg in too. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  15. Bhavna says

    March 11, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    Hi Thanks for this! how do you make vegetable stock? Thanks

    Reply
  16. Sam says

    February 13, 2019 at 12:51 pm

    I LOVE a hidden veg recipe for my 3 year old and this one didn’t disappoint! I like that it can be frozen as well so we’ve always got something a bit healthy for tea lurking in the freezer.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. mandy says

    June 8, 2018 at 10:59 am

    Ooh yum, I have made loads of different hidden veg macaroni cheese recipes but I don’t think I’ve ever used courgette.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      June 8, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      It’s a really sneaky way of getting some courgette into kids!!

      Reply
  18. Joanna Harris says

    June 4, 2018 at 4:49 pm

    Was great – added some peas & sweetcorn too.
    Can it be frozen as have a bit of excess!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      June 5, 2018 at 9:11 pm

      Yes it can be frozen!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Ciara! I'm a food writer and cookbook author and I'm always looking for new ways to make food fun and interesting for kids! I specialise in fussy eating and share tips and tricks to get your kids eating better along with lots of family friendly recipes. Read More…

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