11 Delicious Macaroni And Cheese Recipes For Babies

Image: Shutterstock

Macaroni and cheese recipes for babies can be a good source of complex carbohydrates and calcium. In addition, they make a wholesome meal that is easy to prepare. So, if you are planning to try some classic, much-loved macaroni and cheese recipes for your baby, look no further. This post has ten recommendations for easy and delicious macaroni and cheese recipes that your babies will enjoy.

Ten Macaroni And Cheese Recipes For Babies

Here are our ten homemade, baby-friendly recipes that will surely make the babies and even toddlers drool:

1. Simple Mac N Cheese:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• A packet of Macaroni
• 1/3rd cup of grated cheese
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of milk
• Salt (not recommended before 12 months of age as their kidneys can’t handle)
• Pepper

How To:

1. Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the packet and let it cool.

2. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. Add the milk and cook over low heat until the white sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Add a dash of seasoning.

3. Add cheese and stir until it melts. Add a dash of seasoning while cooking to add more flavor.

Point to consider

Use whole grain pasta as they have better nutritional value than the ones made of refined grains.

2. Baked Macaroni And Cheese:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• 2 tbsp Kosher salt (may use herbs for babies below 12 months)
• A packet of Macaroni
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 cups of grated cheese
• ½ cup of breadcrumb
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Water

How To:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Grease a casserole dish with butter.

2. Boil water, now add salt and macaroni. Cook, drain and keep the macaroni aside.

3. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour and salt. Add the milk and keep cooking until the white sauce thickens. Add cheese and stir until it completely melts. Add macaroni and mix.

4. In a bowl, add the breadcrumbs and butter. Mix well.

5. Put the macaroni and cheese in the casserole dish and add the breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 15 minutes.

6. Once thoroughly cooked, serve this cheesy comfort food right away.

Quick tip

While making the white sauce keep stirring continuously to prevent the contents from sticking to the bottom of the pan or forming lumps.

3. Stovetop Macaroni And Cheese:

Image: IStock

You Will Need:

• Meat slices – optional
• Salt
• 1 packet of Pasta
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3/4th cup of shredded cheese
• 3 Tbsp milk
• ½ Tbsp Black Pepper Powder
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley

How To:

1. Cook the meat and keep it aside.

2. Boil water and add salt to it. Add the pasta and cook. Before you drain it, take out 3/4th cup of the boiled pasta water. Keep it aside and drain the pasta.

3. Melt the butter in a pan and add the pasta. Add the pasta water. Add the cheese and stir. Now add the milk, pepper powder, and meat.

4. Garnish with parsley and serve this kid-friendly dish immediately.

4. Creamy Macaroni And Cheese:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• 2 cups of macaroni
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 ½ cups of grated cheese
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup of sour cream
• 1 can of condensed cheddar cheese soup
• ½ Tbsp salt
• 1 cup of milk
• ½ Tbsp dry mustard
• ½ Tbsp black pepper

How To:

1. Boil the macaroni, drain and set it aside.

2. Melt the butter and cheese in a pan. Add the eggs, sour cream, salt, soup, mustard, milk, and pepper. Add the macaroni and stir. Cook on low heat until the mix thickens.

5. Macaroni And Cheese With Broccoli:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• ½ cup of pasta
• ½ cup of chopped broccoli florets
• 1 ½ Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup of milk
• A pinch pepper powder
• Salt
• 1 cup of grated cheese

How To:

1. Cook pasta as per directions on the packet. Drain and keep the broccoli aside after blanching.

2. Melt butter in a pan and add the flour. Add the milk and stir until the white sauce thickens.

3. Add the pepper powder, salt, and cheese.

4. Add the pasta and broccoli in an oven-safe dish. Top with the cheese sauce.

5. Add the remaining cheese and bake at 350 degree F until the cheese melts.

6. Tomato Macaroni And Cheese:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• 1 packet of Macaroni
• 4 chopped tomatoes
• 45 g butter
• 45 g flour
• 450 ml milk
• 2 cups of grated cheese
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• 20 g freshly grated Parmesan

How To:

1. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet. Drain and keep it aside

2. Melt butter in a pan and add the flour. Add the milk and stir until the white sauce thickens.

3. Remove from heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.

4. Add the pasta to the pan. Add the cheese and heat again. Add the tomatoes.

5. Pour the pasta, cheese and tomato mix into a baking dish sprinkle the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese on top.

6. Bake at 350 degree F until it turns golden.

7. Super Macaroni And Cheese:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• 1 packet of Pasta
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups of warm milk
• ½ cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 cup of grated cheese
• A pinch of nutmeg powder
• Salt
• Pepper Powder

How To:

1. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet and keep it aside.

2. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. Add the milk and seasoning. Stir until the sauce thickens. Add the pumpkin and nutmeg powder. Remove from the heat and add grated cheese. Mix until the cheese melts.

3. Pour the cheese sauce and cooked pasta in a bowl. Mix well and serve.

8. Easy Macaroni And Cheese:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• 1 packet of Pasta
• 1/4th cup of chopped cauliflower florets
• 8 ounces of shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 ounce of grated Parmesan
• ½ cup of milk
• Salt and pepper as per taste
• 1 ½ Tbsp chopped parsley
• Water

How To:

1. Boil water with salt and cook pasta as per instructions on the packet. Keep it aside.

2. In another pan, boil water with some salt and add the cauliflower. Cook the cauliflower until tender. Drain and blend to a puree.

3. In a pan, add the pasta, cauliflower puree, milk, and cheese. Cook over medium heat. Stir until the cheese melts.

4. Add a dash of seasoning and garnish with parsley.

Jenny Fox, an enthusiastic home cook, shares a more healthy recipe of ‘mac-n-cheese’ using cauliflowers and some other healthy ingredients while also maintaining the taste of the classic Mac‘n’cheese. Describing the taste of her recipe, she writes, “It was the perfect texture, full of flavor, and not at all dry! And get ready for this — it has less than half the calories and a quarter of the fat of our traditional recipe above! At only 195 calories and 5 grams of fat per 3/4 cup serving (that’s big!), consider Macaroni and cheese made over!” About her modified ingredients, she writes, “7 oz elbow or shell pasta (NOT whole wheat), 4 cups cauliflower florets (roughly chopped), 1 1/2 cups low-fat (2%) shredded cheddar or cheese blend (I used low-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend and it was fabulous!), 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, 2/3 cup 2% milk (skim would make the fat and calories even lower!), 1 egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp butter, melted, 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs, butter spray (i).”

9. Butternut Squash Mac And Cheese:

Image: Shutterstock

You Will Need:

• 1 packet of Macaroni
• Salt as per taste
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• ½ an onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped thyme
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup of cream
• 1 box of cooked butternut squash or butternut squash puree
• 2 cups of grated Cheddar cheese
• ¼ Tbsp nutmeg powder
• Pepper powder

How To:

1. Heat the water and cook pasta as per instructions on the packet.

2. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan. Add thyme and onion. Add the flour and cook for about two minutes. Add the stock and the butternut squash.

3. Add the cream and let the sauce boil. Add the cheese and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg powder.

4. Add the pasta and mix well.

10. Rice Cooker Mac And Cheese:

Image: IStock

You Will Need:

• 1 packet of Macaroni
• 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4th cup of milk
• 1/4th cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4th cup of processed cheese
• ½ Tbsp Black Pepper Powder
• ½ Tbsp mustard powder

How To:

1. Add the macaroni, water and salt in a rice cooker.

2. Place it on a standard cycle and cook for 30 minutes.

3. Next, add the milk, processed cheese, black pepper powder, mustard powder and cheddar cheese. Close the lid and place the cooker on a warm setting. Cook until the cheese melts.

11. Sweet Potato Mac And Cheese:

Image: IStock

You Will Need:

• 16oz pasta
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sweet potato
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 2tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2tsp garlic powder
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/4tsp onion powder

How To:

1. In a large pot cook pasta according to the instructions given on the package and keep it aside.
2. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave it for 5-7 minutes. Once it is cooled, remove the peel and add it to a blender.
3. Also add garlic powder, milk, onion powder and salt to the above blender. Blend everything until it is smooth.
4. In another pot, on a low-medium heat melt some butter and add the sweet potato puree and give it a stir.
5. To the above pot add the shredded cheddar cheese and mix everything well. Add the pasta and give a gentle stir. Serve warm.

Point to consider

Use pasteurized full-fat cheese such as mild cheddar cheese and cream cheese for babies. Mold-ripened soft cheeses (brie and camembert), and soft blue-veined cheese (roquefort) have a higher risk of carrying a bacteria called listeria (2).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is mac and cheese a choking hazard for babies?

Most babies can eat well-cooked pasta as baby food, cut into small pieces from six months of age as finger foods. Cutting pasta into smaller pieces is essential to avert the choking risk that large mac and cheese pasta pieces could raise.

Hannah Whittaker, a pediatric and pregnancy dietitian from Liverpool, England, says, “Cheese can be a choking hazard due to its thickness. I would advise my clients to serve cheese grated or thinly sliced to babies when they start weaning. I would not recommend smaller cubes of cheese until weaning is established and babies learn to chew and swallow chunks and tougher textures.”

2. Are macaroni and cheese good for babies?

Cheese is made of milk, which can provide babies with essential nutrients, such as protein, calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus. On the other hand, macaroni is usually made of durum wheat which can offer babies dietary fiber, iron, phosphorus, and B vitamins (1). Consuming these foods in moderation as a part of a healthy, well-balanced baby or toddler diet can help meet baby and toddler nutrition requirements effectively.

“Macaroni and cheese is a great recipe for weaning as part of a balanced diet, and I recommend this as a food for babies from around eight months. However, I would advise mums to cook it from scratch if possible and not give it each day, as this meal can be high in salt,” Whittaker says.

3. How do I make mac and cheese without milk or butter?

You can use plant-based milk, such as cashew milk, instead of whole milk. On the other hand, you can replace butter with vegan butter or nutritional yeast to make mac and cheese without any dairy products, such as milk or butter.

4. Do I have to put eggs in baked macaroni and cheese?

No. It isn’t necessary to put eggs in baked macaroni and cheese since it’s a personal preference.

5. What kind of pasta do I use for macaroni and cheese?

Mac and cheese is usually made of elbow macaroni or medium shells. However, you can experiment with the ingredients and make mac and cheese using different types of pasta. Regardless of the pasta shape chosen, when preparing pasta for babies, cut the pasta into small pieces to help babies pick and eat pasta themselves (baby-led weaning).

6. Can I substitute sour cream for milk in mac and cheese?

Yes. You can use a regular or plant-based sour cream to substitute milk in mac and cheese.

Macaroni and cheese recipes for babies can be given around one year if they are already on solids and not allergic or intolerant to lactose or gluten. It is a good source of complex carbohydrates and calcium that can help add variety to baby and toddler meals. You may give simple mac N cheese, baked macaroni, and cheese, stovetop macaroni and cheese, or creamy macaroni and cheese to babies as per your convenience. You may add broccoli, tomatoes, butternuts, or other vegetables with macaroni and cheese to change the flavors. However, ensure to use pasteurized cheese from trusted sources to ensure baby and toddler food safety.

Infographic: Macaroni And Cheese Recipes For Babies

Macaroni and cheese is a beloved dish often given to babies as their first solid food. The dish mixes cooked pasta with a creamy cheese sauce, made with cheddar cheese or a blend of different cheeses. If you want to make macaroni and cheese for your baby, check out the infographic below for some ideas and inspiration. Feel free to share this information with anyone else who may be interested in making it for their little one.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Yummy Recipes Of Macaroni And Cheese For Babies

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Indulge your entire family in a quick, mouthwatering mac & cheese dinner – a delightful dish that satisfies kids and adults alike. Experience comfort on your plate, effortlessly achieved. Discover the recipe in the featured video.

Personal Experience: Source

MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.

i. Recipe makeover #1 – Svelte macaroni & cheese!
https://thesveltegourmet.blogspot.com/2010/03/recipe-makeover-1-svelte-macaroni.html

References

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

1. Wheat durum; FDC ID: 169721.
   https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169721/nutrients
2. Foods to avoid giving babies and young children.
   https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/foods-to-avoid-giving-babies-and-young-children/

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Reviewer Expert Author Editor Fact Checker

Moloko MehlapeMSc Dietetics

Moloko Mehlape is a registered dietitian in private practice with around nine years of experience in the field. Her special interest lies in nutrition education, sports nutrition, weight, and chronic disease management. She is a philanthropist passionate about making a positive impact in public health through nutrition.

Read full bio of Moloko Mehlape

• 
  Hannah WhittakerBSc, RD, PGDip Hannah Whittaker is an expert pregnancy and pediatric dietitian with nearly 20 years of experience, the last 7 years as a registered dietitian. She manages her private practice Bump2baby Nutrition in the UK, having done her graduation in community nutrition and dietetics from Liverpool John Moores University & University of Chester respectively.
  
  Hannah Whittaker is an expert pregnancy and pediatric dietitian with nearly 20 years of experience, the last 7 years as a registered dietitian. She manages her private practice Bump2baby Nutrition in the UK, having done her graduation in community nutrition and dietetics from Liverpool John Moores University & University of Chester respectively.

Jessica AlbertBE

Jessica Albert is a passionate writer who seeks to connect with her readers through wit and charm. Her work aims to invoke curiosity and keep the readers engaged through and through. She has two years of experience working with magazines and e-commerce establishments as a content marketer and editor.

Read full bio of Jessica Albert

Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with more than a decade of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children.

Read full bio of Swati Patwal

Vidya TadapatriMSc (Biotechnology)

Vidya did her post-graduation in Biotechnology from Osmania University, Hyderabad. Her interest in scientific research and writing made her pursue a career in writing, in which she now has over five years of experience. She has done certified biotechnology-related training programs under renowned organizations such as Centre For Cellular & Molecular Biology and Department of Biotechnology.

Read full bio of Vidya Tadapatri