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A pumpkin, corn, and pea veggified macaroni and cheese that takes comfort food to a whole new (much healthier) level.
I love macaroni and cheese just as much as the next person.
While I follow a mostly plant-based diet, I make exceptions from time to time- normally when a craving for eggs or cheese hits. I don’t know what it is about macaroni and cheese, but for me it is the epitome of homey, comforting food. Unfortunately, the foods that make me feel like a kid again are often not the healthiest options (macaroni and cheese, pb & js, grilled cheese, etc.). Lucky for me, I am totally on board with eating these foods in moderation and have found some great healthy alternatives. So when a craving hits… I run with it!
I have tried making vegan macaroni and cheese at home in the past, but have yet to find a recipe that I really love (link them in the comments if you have a good one!). As a result, I generally tend to go for the real deal. And by “real deal,” I mean boxed mac and cheese. It turns out that I generally lack much motivation on the days when my comfort food cravings hit… so boxed mac and cheese it is!
Not just any boxed mac and cheese, though. I like to stick with Annie’s Homegrown brand. I have eaten other delicious brands in the past, but now that I am a health-conscious adult, I want a boxed mac and cheese that contains real ingredients. I love that Annie’s macaroni and cheese does not contain artificial ingredients (I can pronounce everything in there), colors, or preservatives. I also love that their ingredients are non-GMO and many are organic. Oh, and quite possibly most importantly, their cheese is REAL cheese. If I am going to eat cheese out of a box then I definitely want it to be cheese.
Now you know I could not just eat mac and cheese by itself though, right? I do not call myself the Clean Eating Veggie Girl for nothing!
I used Annie’s boxed mac and cheese as a base and then put my own veggified spin on it. The more veggies the better, if you ask me. I imagine this recipe would also be great for the not-so-big fans of veggies, too. Those darn pesky eaters! <– That totally used to be me 😉
Veggified Macaroni and Cheese with Pumpkin, Corn, and Peas
Serves 2
Ingredients
6 cups water
1 box Annie’s Homegrown Shells & Real Aged Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
3 TB milk (I used unsweetened plain almond milk)
2 TB canned pumpkin
1 tsp Annie’s Organic Yellow Mustard
2/3 cup cooked frozen peas
1/2 cup cooked frozen corn
Directions
1. Boil 6 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, stir in macaroni pasta.
2. Boil the pasta for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the macaroni is cooked to your liking, drain in a collander. Set aside.
4. Add milk, pumpkin, mustard, and cheese powder into the empty saucepan. Whisk together over medium-low heat until clump-free.
5. Stir in drained pasta, peas, and corn until well-combined.
6. Serve warm.
Oh, to feel like a kid again!
This bowl, however, was much healthier than the macaroni and cheese I ate fifteen years ago. I guess that makes me a healthy big kid!
Have you tried adding veggies to your macaroni and cheese? What is your favorite addition?
If you like what you see with this one, please pin it on Pinterest and share it on Facebook and Twitter with the buttons below!
This Giveaway is Now Closed
Now as if a big ‘ole bowl of macaroni and cheese wasn’t good enough, Annie’s wants to share the cheesy goodness with one of you! Annie’s sent me everything above and one lucky winner will receive this fun giveaway package, too! The giveaway items include:
Three boxes of Annie’s Homegrown Macaroni and Cheese
Annie’s Homegrown Organic Cheddar Squares
Annie’s Homegrown Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks (my co-workers and I loved these!)
One coupon for a free Annie’s Naturals condiment
Annie’s t-shirt
Annie’s chino bag
Annie’s spork
To enter, please leave a comment answering the following question:
“Have you ever tried an Annie’s product? What did you think?”
The giveaway will be open until 11:59 p.m. CT on Friday, September 19th. Good luck!
Do you love Annie’s Homegrown products? Join Team Annie’s here! #TeamAnnies
Comments on this entry are closed.
Wow love the added veggies and pumpkin. Annie’s is certainly the best option if you are going boxed Mac and cheese. Around Christmas my cousins and I always have a dinner reminiscent of childhood and a few boxes of Anniss are always devoured. So delish! Thanks for this pumped up recipe!!
I eat Annie’s everything! Granola bars, cheddar bunnies, bunny Graham’s, Mac and cheese, and fruit snacks! I NEED that’s spork!
We do really like their mac and cheese; who wouldn’t love the cute shapes!
I love Annie’s products, especially the gluten free bunny cookies!
I love Annie’s! I actually ate it with the recipe I posted today (with veggies mixed in, naturally). I love that you stirred in pumpkin, that sounds so tasty. Definitely a sucker for their aged cheddar mac.
For a vegan mac and cheese, have you tried this recipe? It’s less like traditional mac and cheese because it has buffalo sauce and Brussels sprouts, but still has the creamy texture and the taste of cheese. It’s Josh’s #1 favorite meal (which is saying something considering how much he loves real cheese)
http://www.hiddenfruitsandveggies.com/2013/03/11/vegan-buffalo-veggie-mac-and-cheese/
Thanks Kelly! I will check that out 🙂 I do LOVE buffalo sauce!
WE LOOOOVE ANNIES and adding the vegggggggies here too.
We love the frozen meal of mac & cheese. I’d love to give your recipe a whirl, too.
I don’t eat dairy, but my mom loves Annie’s! I have had their GF mac and cheese years ago though, and was pretty impressed if I do so remember 😉
Macaroni and cheese is my favorite dish of all time haha. So I’m always down for trying new twists on an old favorite! Looks yummy!
I’m a huge fan of annie’s mac n cheese! I’m a teacher, and the school lunch program offers it as an option, so when there are leftovers, the teachers get them. The kids love it, too 🙂
I have always liked Annie’s products and hope nothing changes with the recent news.
Mac and cheese is such a comfort food! I love adding protein and veggies to it!
Having two little kids it’s easy to say we are OBSESSED with Annie’s. We love all of their products especially the mac and cheese. I’m quite bummed Costco stopped selling the jumbo packs!
I love Annie’s. I recently had to remove wheat from my diet and their gluten free Macaroni and Cheese is amazing! I love to add peas, carrots, and corn to my kiddos’ mac and cheese. Sometimes I will stir in a pouch of tuna to pump up the protein. They love it!
I have never tried an Annies product!! Crazy, right?!
My whole family loves Annie’s mac and cheese. The kids also love the fruit snacks and salty snacks from Annies.
Since becoming a vegetarian, my husband (a bone fide carnivore) and I don’t agree on much for dinner. What we DO agree on is macaroni and cheese from a box. Annie’s is a staple in my pantry and we serve it with steamed broccoli or peas. Super yummy!
I have been eating Annie’s products for years! It was the only boxed mac and cheese I would eat, of course the white cheddar type and I love their cheddar bunnies! I would to try their cheddar squares and have the mac and cheese ready for nights I get back to my apartment late and don’t want to cook (of course throwing broccoli in)
My hubby LOVES the Mac and cheese and I love the bunnies! We are big kids! Haha thanks for the chance to win!
I LOVE Annie’s products – I’m pretty sure theres a box of the bunny mix and mac and cheese in my pantry right now. Which is why I would LOVE to win more products to try out! Thanks fro the opportunity.
We do use different Annie’s products and love them. I like the Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks and my son loves any of the mac and cheese. I do like to add spinach or broccoli to the mac and cheese.
I LOOVE Annie’s bunnies the gingersnap and snicker doodle ones are my favorites and my boyfriend loves the fruit snacks
Annie’s mac n’ cheese is my jam! And I love that you healthified it. This definitely looks like my kind of comfort food.
#teamannie all the way! And that spork is too cute, haha. 🙂
I’ve never tried Annie’s but they look yum!
I have tried a lot of Annies products; mac and cheese (love) the bunny crackers (the whole family loves). chicken and shells frozen dinner meal (very good). The salad dressing is amazing too
Oh goodness I love me some mac & cheese! Mac & Peas is a must, but I never would have thought of adding pumpkin! Sounds like something to try this fall!
I buy Eleanor the Annie’s Bunnies – they are a great on-the-go snack
So glad to know I’m not the only grown-up that still loves boxed mac & cheese once in a while. Annie’s is my favorite, I make it with veggies for my husband and I all the time. I love that it’s something he’s perfectly capable of making on his own if I’m busy with college as well because it’s impossible to mess up. We like to make it with a little non-dairy milk, organic chicken seasoning, and squash, kale, or peas. Haven’t tried it with pumpkin yet but I can see that being a great idea with a little sprinkle of nutmeg. Thanks!
Heck yes I’ve tried an Annie’s product – the white cheddar shells. GLORIOUS!
I love Annie’s Mac and cheese and honey bunnies!
White cheddar shells are my favorite boxed mac and cheese – liquid gold. The bunny graham crackers are a great sweet treat too. YUMMY
Annie’s rocks! The white cheddar mac is my fave, but I also serve up the gluten free mac and cheese for one of my good friends.
I’ve never tried Annie’s before, but I’m going to try it now after reading your recipe! It sounds delicious 🙂
Love Annie’s and I love your addition of pumpkin!
Kraft Mac & Cheese was a staple for me growing up… I am so glad Annie’s offers an alternative that isn’t chemical laden!
I never have tried any of the products but would love to…I only hear fabulous things about Annie’s : )
Mac and cheese was always my favorite meal growing up! I still love it as pure comfort food. I loved how you jazzed this up with the pumpkin and peas! Happy monday friend!
I’ve actually never tried Amy’s before!
Pumpkin? That caught me off guard! Sounds good though. I love Annies Mac n cheese, but I’m like you- I love adding veggies to my food.
Absolutely love Annie’s Mac n cheese. So yummy when I grow broccoli in with it!
Yes! I love Annie’s macaroni and cheese too!!
I’ve had Annie’s fruit snacks… Mmmm 🙂
We tried the chedder bunnies and my son loved them!!
I have never tried Annies products before, but after seeing and reading your recipe you made with Annies, I can’t wait to try. My kids and I love macaroni and cheese! Thanks for the chance!
I LOVE Annies products- their mac and cheese is great but I also love there cheddar bunnies!
Yes we have tried Annie’s products, we love the mac n cheese, the crackers, and the fruit snacks.
My son loves their fruit snacks!!
I don’t believe they sell Annies around here…but I’d love to try it!
I love Annie’s Mac and cheese and their fruit snacks
I have tried some of the frozen foods. I especially like the Frozen Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese
I’ve tried their dressings and some of their snack crackers-AWESOME! I really need to try this mac-n-cheese. 🙂
We have tried the macaroni and cheese, as well as several varieties of the frozen pizzas. Both of them are just as good, if not better than anything else on the market. I find them to be a little more expensive than the non-organic varities, but if you time it right you can get them on sale. I usually buy the pizzas when Whole Foods has them on sale for $3-$4.
I’m a sucker for Annie’s Mac & Cheese once in a while too. Saw that Earth Balance makes boxed Mac & cheese now, but I haven’t tried it. I’m really excited about it though because it’s vegan. Have you tried it?!
I love Annie’s grahams!!
We love Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese! My kids love the fun shapes (bunnies and Arthur characters) and I love knowing what I am feeding them is better form them than the other Mac and Cheese alternatives. We also love their bunny grahams!
We have tried many Annie products and so far haven’t found one we didn’t love. I would rather make my kids meals from scratch, but when I am pressed for time, their Mac and cheeses is great and I don’t feel bad feeding it to them.
I love Annie’s mac and cheese! I totally lived off of the instant white cheddar mac and cheese in high school and college.
Wow, that recipe sounds so tasty! What made you think to add pumpkin to Mac and cheese? I love pumpkin, but prefer using it in savory dishes over sweet ones, so this recipe is just perfect for me. And we love Annie’s crackers in our house, and have a box of bunny mac and cheese waiting to be tried for the first time. Maybe I will make this recipe with the bunny mac and cheese this week!
I always put vegetables in my mac ‘n’ cheese, but it’s usually loaded with them. I also just boil my own pasta and melt diffetent types of blocked cheese.
I have not but would rely like to! Are they available anywhere on Maui, in Hawaii? Just let me know Mahalo!
I haven’t met an Annie’s product that I haven’t loved!
I’ve tried Annie’s Mac and Cheese and loved it! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
We love Annie’s Mac n cheese and cheddar bunnies. My kids ask for them by name. I love that I’m giving them real food. Thanks for your recipe idea, I’m always looking for fun ways to add more veggies to our diet.
Is is a great recipe! Can’t wait to try it out! Thank you!!!!! I adore Annie’s! There products are perfect for when you need something that’s both quick AND nutritious! I’m young and the first person in my family to start striving for a healthier and organic lifestyle, but even the people in my family who don’t choose organic and prefer to stick to their stereotypes have to say, “wow this stuff is acutally really good” when you serve them Annie’s! 🙂 Plus it’s affordable for a college budget! I would LOVE to win this set! Wow!
My kids love Annie’s! My nine year old makes it for her and her brother for lunch on Saturday’s.
I LOVE Annie’s! I have recently been experiencing issues with certain foods. They irritate my stomach to no end. While pregnant with my first baby I would eat regular mac and cheese and end up with stomach pain… no matter what brand, UNTIL Annie’s made her way into my kitchen! It is literally the only kind I can eat, oh my is it tasty!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE Annie’s, i am so thankful that there is someone out there who cares about what goes in their bodies, and others!!! THANKS ANNIES!
I LOVE Annie’s. It is the only mac and cheese that doesn’t upset my stomach. It is the only kind of Mac and cheese that enters our house 🙂 Thanks Annie’s for a great, REAL product!!
I love annie’s food – very healthy and of course organic – I am going to try that recipe tomorrow – looks and I am sure delicious
We love Annie’s Homegrown products! Give me some piece of mind to give this food to my son as a “snack”! This recipe is a great idea too! I usually just add broccoli to the mac n cheese, this will be fun!
Yes we love Annie’s! My DD cannot get enough of their fruit snacks.
The only way I make Mac n cheese for my kids is with veggies. I usually buy the whole wheat white cheddar Annie’s Mac n cheese. I’ll cook the noodles for 10 min as directed but at the end I add a cup of organic frozen veggies. Trader Joes has a foursome of carrots, peas, corn and green beans. I blanche them in the boiling water with the noodles for two minutes; drain and mix in milk, butter and cheese packet as directed. So easy; the kids like it; and it makes a simple box of Mac n cheese go farther by adding the veggies to it (I can feed all three of my kids from one box).
Yes! Annie’s g-free products are my favorite for my kids and myself!
I love all of the Annie’s mac and cheese varieties. My son loves their canned pasta as well. I’d have to say the white cheese mac and cheese is the BEST!
We eat a lot of Annie’s products in our house- cheddar bunnies, fruit snacks, mac and cheese, skillet meals, frozen meals… We love them all!