This Protein Packed Hidden Veggie Cheesy Pasta is a healthy recipe that even picky toddlers will love. It’s made with healthy ingredients like sweet potatoes, cauliflower and cottage cheese! Keep scrolling for the recipe.
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If you have a picky toddler, or even if you’re a picky eater yourself 😉 this is the recipe for you. It looks and tastes like a delicious macaroni & cheese, but it’s actually packed with vegetables *and* protein! But you’d never know that…
Who says you can’t have comfort food *and* stick to your nutrition goals? Not me! Honestly, it’s a lot easier than you think — you just have to get a little creative. The secret is the sauce. It’s the perfect vehicle for hiding those veggies. Plus, they give it a thick, rich consistency.
Protein Packed Hidden Veggie Cheesy Pasta – Toddler Friendly Recipe
This Protein Packed Hidden Veggie Cheesy Pasta is a healthy recipe that even picky toddlers will love. It’s made with healthy ingredients like sweet potatoes, cauliflower and cottage cheese!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Dinner, Pasta, Kid-Friendly
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1lb pasta of choice
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 1 cup butternut squash *
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup plain full fat cottage cheese
- (optional) 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 cup water or vegetable stock (+ more if needed)
- (optional) any additional seasonings you like
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- Place sweet potato, cauliflower, butternut squash and garlic into a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper & spices
- Spread vegetables onto the baking sheets and baking for 30 minutes, flipping midway
- While the vegetables are roasting, prepare pasta as directed
- When done, let the vegetables cool a bit then add to a blender or food processor with cottage cheese, nutritional yeast and liquid. Blend until a smooth & creamy consistency, adding more liquid as needed. Taste it and see if you’d like to add any more salt/pepper/seasoning
- Pour sauce ** over cooked & drained pasta and toss until pasta is fully coated
Notes
* or carrots, or more sweet potato. See below for more vegetable options
** you will likely not need to use all of the sauce. Options for storage/freezing below!
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What kind of pasta should I use?
You can use any regular or gluten-free pasta. If you opt for a chickpea pasta or bean-based pasta, then you get a bit of extra protein and fiber.
Can I use any other vegetables?
Yes, just about any of your favorite vegetables will work in this recipe! In this case, I like using orange vegetables like sweet potatoes, butternut squash or carrots as it lends to that “cheese” looking sauce (especially when trying to fool a picky toddler ;))
Do I have to roast the vegetables?
No, you could cook them any way you’d like to (steam, air fry etc.). I like to roast vegetables only because it tends to add more flavor.
Can I use frozen vegetables?
Yes! Fresh or frozen vegetables would work just fine.
What should I do with leftover sauce?
Since this recipe yields a lot of sauce, I recommend making more pasta. In addition, you can pour it over vegetables or chicken. Also, it’s easy to freeze the remaining sauce in an ice cube tray. Now, I like this method because I can pop some out for (individual) use in the future. I try to use it within 2 months of freezing.
As always if you make this Protein Packed Hidden Veggie Cheesy Pasta or any of my other recipes, be sure to tag me on Instagram @hungry.blonde so I can see how it turned out! xoxo GG
You might also like:
Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
Cauliflower Cream Sauce
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