Lentil Mac & Cheese
I love easy healthy recipes for comfort foods, especially the sneaky kind where kids consume copious amounts of vegetables or protein while being none the wiser.
This lentil mac & cheese recipe is exactly that – super simple, super healthy, and packed with protein, while tasting exactly like the cheesy, indulgent version we all know and love.
I am actually a little bit proud of this recipe, and could not hide my excitement when the kids started asking for seconds! They must have thought I had lost my mind, forgetting to chop up some vegetables to go with the pasta, but none of them questioned it. They were too busy devouring every last noodle, just in case I came to my senses.
(Although, you definitely could chop up vegetables and mix them into the sauce. But I wanted to check out the success of this lentil mac & cheese recipe on it’s own.)
While this is still a pasta dish with a decent amount of cheese mixed in, I love that we now have the option to indulge in some comfort food, while knowing we’re getting some extra fiber and protein.
The lentils did not affect the flavour of the dish at all, and as long as you puree the lentils well, it will not effect the texture either. You can make the sauce as thick and creamy as you like by adjusting the amount of milk (or milk alternative) that you add.
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Lentil Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups lentils
- 1-2 cups milk
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 1 1/2 to 3 cups uncooked pasta
- Thyme, optional
- Paprika, optional
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the lentils and pasta in different pots, covering completely with water. Bring to a boil, while stirring, and then reduce heat to medium, while continuing to stir until they reach your desired texture. You want to be able to squish the lentils between your fingers, or between the spoon and the side of the pot.
- Drain the water.
- Set the pasta aside, and add the lentils to a good quality blender. Add in as much milk as you need in order to puree the lentils. This should make just over one cup of pureed lentils.
- Add the pureed lentils, cheese, and as much milk as you would like to a saucepan and heat over medium-low, while stirring. (More milk will result in a thinner sauce.) Stir and continue to heat until cheese is melted, and adjust with milk for the thickness of the sauce. Add seasoning, if desired.
- Add in the pasta, and stir to coat completely.
- Serve.
What do you think? Would you try to sneak this healthy lentil mac and cheese past your kids?
Be sure to check out our other easy healthy recipes, including this delicious lentil stew.
Check out our other Vegetable Recipes here:
I tried my own version of this recipe for my kids last fall because they GOBBLE up mac and cheese – and they knew the difference! I’m going to give it another go with this recipe…yum!! thanks for sharing it!
This is a great idea and it works! I used my own recipe for cauliflower mac and cheese but added your technique of pureeing cooked orange lentils with the milk. It looked great (homemade mac and cheese is never as orange as the boxed stuff!) and no one but me knew there were lentils in there. Thank you
Looking for clarity – how does 2-3 c of lentils and 1-2 c of milk blend up to be just over one cup?
I have some left over cooked lentils, how much of those should I use instead of the dry lentils?
Thanks,
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
You don’t need all of the milk during the pureeing stage. About 2 cups of cooked lentils equals just over 1 cup pureed. If you have at least 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils you will be able to make this recipe.