Hidden Butternut Mac and Cheese: Sneaky Veggies for Picky Toddlers!
Perfect for baby led weaning and picky toddlers!
If you’re searching for toddler meal ideas that are healthy, quick, and delicious, you’re in the right place! This Hidden Butternut Mac and Cheese recipe is a game changer for families with picky eaters. It’s ideal for introducing vegetables into your little one’s diet in a way that feels fun and tasty. Plus, it’s one of those healthy toddler meals you’ll want to have ready in your freezer at all times.
With only 5 simple ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep time, you’ll create a veggie-loaded sauce that’s perfect for toddler lunches, dinners, or even a snack!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Butternut squash
Carrots
Yogurt or milk
Cheese
Nutritional yeast
That’s it! Five simple ingredients to whip up one of the easiest toddler picky eater recipes you’ll ever make. I always have a stash of this in my freezer and it is the perfect veggie loaded sauce to add to any meal for picky eaters! If you are looking for an extra creamy veggie boost combine this with my Hidden Veggie Baby Bechamel Sauce.
Table of Contents
Allergy and Freezer-Friendly Staple for Toddler Meals
Although traditional Mac and Cheese relies heavily on cheese, this recipe can easily be adapted for dairy-free diets. Simply skip the cheese and double up on the nutritional yeast for a creamy, cheesy flavor without the dairy. This makes it a fantastic option for babies with dairy sensitivities or those following a plant-based diet.
I always keep a stash of this sauce frozen into cubes. It’s one of my favorite freezer friendly toddler meals. Just defrost a cube or two and toss it over pasta, grains, steamed veggies, chicken, or fish. It’s magic!
Not only is this sauce great to make ‘mac and cheese’ with it also goes great on almost anything! My 11 month old really dislikes fish -any fish and all fish- but if I pour this over some fish cakes or plain steamed fish she magically eats it! This also works great with any other carbs or grains, over chicken, beef or veggies. Basically anything your baby or toddler dislikes, pour this sauce over and watch them clean their plates!
This sauce also pairs really well with my Hidden Veggie Baby Bechamel Sauce. I will sometimes do one frozen cube of each to add over fish, meats or pasta for an extra creamy and extra veggie loaded addition to any meal. And if you are looking for more freezer friendly baby and toddler sauces, then check out my 4 Favorite Sauces That Will Make Picky Toddlers Lick Their plates!
How to successfully sneak veggies into toddler meals
The trick to sneaking veggies into toddler picky eater recipes is simple: color matters!
If your toddler has a strong aversion to green foods, don’t hide spinach in their favorite orange mac and cheese. It’s a losing battle. Instead, match veggies to colors your toddler already accepts.
For example:
Orange: butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes
White: cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes
Red: tomatoes, red peppers
Stick to similar color profiles when making sauces or meals. It sounds simple, but this tactic makes all the difference when building trust with picky toddlers.
And remember — it’s just a phase! Many toddlers go through a color specific phase and at least you have gotten some healthy meals into them whilst they where being weird about colors. Its all normal and will happens to most of us. Just do your best to adapt and still offer healthy diverse meals to the best of your abilities. Just keep exposing them to different healthy toddler meals and offering colorful plates without pressure. and try not to lose your mind!
Serving Ideas for Quick Toddler Lunches and Dinners
This hidden butternut cheese sauce is incredibly versatile. Some easy ways to serve it include:
Poured over pasta for a quick toddler lunch
Mixed with quinoa or rice for a hearty meal
Stirred into ground beef or turkey for veggie-loaded meatballs
Drizzled over roasted veggies to encourage adventurous eating
Spread on toast or in a sandwich for a quick toddler snack
If you’re looking for even more toddler lunch or meal ideas, don’t miss my post on 4 Favorite Sauces That Will Make Picky Toddlers Lick Their Plates! These sauces are all about making healthy toddler meals easy, nutritious, and most importantly fun!
Bonus Tips for Making Toddler Friendly Meals Even Easier
Batch cook and freeze: Double or triple the recipe and freeze portions for easy future meals.
Use silicone ice cube trays: Perfect for freezing small portions you can thaw as needed.
Get creative with shapes: Cut pasta or veggies into fun shapes to make mealtimes more exciting.
Serve it “build your own” style: Toddlers love to feel in control. Let them pour the sauce themselves!
Making homemade baby and toddler food at home shouldn’t be a stressful hassle, it can be a super easy and rewarding experience, especially if you meal prep and build up a solid freezer stash of foods your baby or toddler loves!
Let Us know How You sneak veggies into your toddlers food!
Have you found a great way to sneak different veggies into your picky eaters food? Or do you have some great toddler meal ideas or great recipes for picky eaters you want to share with the world? Leave a comment below or send us a message!
Or just let us know if your baby loved this hidden veggie mac and cheese recipe. Cheers to messy meals, dirty floors and piles of laundry! At least making homemade baby food isn’t that hard…
Hidden Veggie Mac & Cheese
Description
Healthy, quick, easy and only 5 ingredients. Just the way I like my baby recipes!
I always have a stash of this in my freezer and it is the perfect veggie loaded sauce to add to any meal for picky eaters! If you are looking for an extra creamy veggie boost combine this with my Hidden Veggie Baby Bechamel Sauce.
Ingredients
2 cups Cooked Butternut
1 cup Cooked Carrots
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt or Whole Milk
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbs Nutritional Yeast – Optional
Pasta of your choice for serving
Instructions
- Roast, steam, sauté or boil all the veggies until tender. If you are like me and want this process to be even easier and quicker, simply buy the ‘steam in bag’ veggies, and pop in the microwave.
- Once tender, place all veggies in a food processor or blender. Depending on the size of your blender or food processor, you might need to work in batches to get a smooth consistency.
- Once the veggies are smooth, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and well combined.
- Either serve immediately with pasta, meats, fish, over veggies or with any other grains, or spoon into freezer safe portion molds for an easy anytime meal.
Notes
All of the veggies can be either fresh or frozen, whatever you have on hand is perfect!
Any cheese can be used instead of cheddar. Just keep in mind that babies under 12 months should have minimal sodium, so choose cheeses that are naturally lower in sodium like mozzarella or shredded cheddar.
I love adding nutritional yeast to this recipe, as it is some easily hidden and ‘cheesy’ nutrition. If you child has a diary allergy skip the cheese and add some more nutritional yeast to taste.
