I have distinct memories of eating macaroni and cheese from a box as a kid. My mom would only let us have it every so often, (she fed us pretty healthy most of the time, but would allow for occasional exceptions), and when she did I remember thinking it was a real treat! It’s amazing how I now look at that same little blue box in horror thinking about the chemicals and preservatives that are in that little ‘cheese’ packet, (if you even want to call it that!) They didn’t have Easy Mac around when I was a kid, but I can imagine that it would of been one of my favorite snacks…I mean how awesome is it that you can prepare mac and cheese without a stove top or oven, and it’s ready a matter of minutes!?!
I have taken all the of the simplicity of this novel concept, and turned it into a much healthier and satisfying dish! Hope you enjoy!
Because there is no stove-top cooking required, this is a fun and safe dish for kids to make!
37 Comments
Christine said:
Can you taste the cottage cheese? I’m not really a fan. Definitely intrigued by this recipe though!
Dashing Dish said:
not at all :)
Christine said:
(not sure if my comment posted the first time, sorry if this is a duplicate!)
Can you taste the cottage cheese? I’m not really a fan. Definitely intrigued by this recipe though!
Gretchen Schawe said:
I’m going to try this for my daughter’s after school snack today!
Angela said:
This is the third of your fabulous recipes my husband and I have tried since finding your site last week, and we have LOVED all of them!! Thank you so much for creating such delicious, easy to follow, healthy recipes! I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it!!
Katie said:
I just discovered your site AND started following you on Twitter! I love love love to experiment in the kitchen and stumbled upon your site when I was browsing different techniques for white chicken chili.
I have a 2 year old son who would eat mac-n-cheese 7 nights a week if I let him (I don’t…). But since he does eat it a litte more often than he should I decided to amp up the nutrition by mixing pureed butternut squash and cauliflower into the cheese sauce. The vegetables are undetectable and although there’s still plenty of cheese, I’ve convinced myself that at least there’s a little more balance now… It freezes well in individual containers for a quick, microwavable side dish during the week.
I can’t wait to read more of your recipes!
Sarie Whitson said:
Sounds delicious! Just wondering if the almond milk truly makes the recipe or if regular milk would be ok?
Dashing Dish said:
no difference, just a few more calories! :)
Rebekah said:
I just made this for dinner tonight…and OMG it was so great! Love love love everything I’ve made off your site, but this is my favorite!!
Jamie said:
Can’t wait to try this! If I wanted to make this for a family and not put one bowl in the microwave at a time, what would be my best option?
Dashing Dish said:
not sure if it would work more than 1 at a time
Food For Thought said:
I LOVE making my own mac and cheese! This looks scrumptious!
michelle kim said:
oOoh I’m intrigued! I definitely had some Easy Mac growing up (though to my mom’s displeasure. She had it in case of emergency and we would just eat it all the time, haha). This one sounds great!
aimee said:
omg :) sounds so yummy so excited to try ! Thanks Katie for this amazing recipe!
bethany said:
Do you think the lowfat cottage cheese is essential (vs nonfat)? My sauce didn’t really come together to “coat” the noodles, but I realized I was using nonfat when your recipe says lowfat.
Thanks! Love your site!
Dashing Dish said:
It would help to have a thicker c. cheese … Did u microwave it after adding the cheese?
Erin said:
Has anyone tried rice pasta? Did it still work?
Erin said:
I used rice pasta- turned out good. But the sauce was really thin, which liquid should I reduce to make it thicker? Water @ the beginning (a little bit was left) or the milk? Thanks!
Dashing Dish said:
The water should have been completely gone… Next time drain if water is still left
Nina said:
What is considered a serving size?
Dashing Dish said:
One
Sara said:
Just made this and it turned out great! I used fat free cottage cheese and 1% milk. I also microwaved the pasta for 5 minutes instead of 6. Thanks for always creating such wonderful, healthy recipes :)
Brittany Render said:
I made this last night and it was SO delicious! I was skeptical with the cottage cheese but in the end you truly couldn’t taste it and the dish was very tasty! Can’t wait to make it again!
Mandy Nicoletta said:
Another great recipe….most happy about the portion control!!!
Monica said:
This was sooo good! I cooked the noodles on the stove, so I could make four servings of this for the hubby and leftovers for lunch. I have to say this mac and cheese was even BETTER for leftovers. Something about the cottage cheese and chedder mixed together and tasted like real & high fat mac and cheese! I knew better though! A serving of this plus some roasted green beans was a perfect meal!
Lisa McFarlane said:
I just made this for my 3 year old son. He loved it and so did I!!!
Angela Albertson said:
I was craving something warm and cheesy for dinner, so I decided to give this a try. It was delicious and the serving size was just right – no leftovers for me to overindulge! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your web site. Everything has been a hit so far. Thanks for all you do!
Cindy said:
What is a serving size? 1 cup??
Danelle said:
Do you use sweetened or unsweetended almond milk in your recipes?
Dashing Dish said:
unsweetened
Risa Avila said:
I just made this tonight and it was deelish! Thank you for the recipe :-)
Chelsi Owens said:
I just tried this and it was delish! (: can’t wait to make it again.
Christine said:
Just tried this. I had to add more water since my microwave runs hot. I also didn’t have any cottage cheese so I omitted it. Should have added more milk to make up for the lack of cottage cheese, it really wasn’t “saucy” at all. All of that said though, it was amazing!
gingergirl said:
this recipe looks phenomenal, will LOVE to give it a try! one thing: can i make this using an oven? will the cooking times and liquid ratio change? thanks!
Dashing Dish said:
cook the pasta first on a stovetop then add everything after cooking.
Yasmine Gonzalez said:
This dish is sooo yummy and so easy! Its become my number 1 go to after work when im too tired to cook something. Like after trying any of the recipes you post I am in awe! You are a blessing to all of us trying to change our life style and eating habits.
lisa wade said:
i have never in my life even thought of making pasta in the microwave. i made this. it looks great. gonna eat it for dinner tonight at work.