One Pot Cheesy Veggie Mac
This One-Pot Cheesy Veggie Mac is a slam-dunk on nights when you need a simple meal that everyone will eat, is ready in about 20 minutes, and sneaks in some veggies for good measure.
The Background Story of Cheesy Veggie Mac
This one pot wonder is a total throwback to my college days. I had my first apartment, with my first little kitchen, and my roommate and I would take turns making dinner for each other.
I was never big on frozen vegetables growing up, but as a penny pinching college kid, I quickly learned that frozen veggies were cheaper, and lasted longer than fresh vegetables.
It’s been long discontinued, but one of the frozen food brands made a frozen veggie mac side dish that used Radiatori shaped noodles, matchstick carrots and peas, covered in a decedent creamy cheese sauce. I loved it.
We’d make chicken on our George Foreman grill, served the Veggie Mac on the side, and praised ourselves for the healthy, home cooked meal we made for dinner instead of making a Taco Bell run.
I craved that Cheesy Veggie Mac for years, and since I now have a child of my own that loves peas, carrots, and things mac n cheese, I decided that I needed to take a shot at making my own version.
A few years ago I set out to recreate it, and boy was I successful. My version tastes exactly as I remember, and quickly became one of our “go-to” weeknight dinners because its such a quick and easy recipe.
Why You’ll Love This One-Pot Wonder
- Easy: Minimal prep and cleanup (one pot!).
- Kid-Approved: Creamy cheese sauce with fun-shaped pasta.
- Nutritious: Includes vegetables for added vitamins and fiber.
- Budget-Friendly: Uses affordable, pantry-staple ingredients, and less expensive frozen veggies.
Ingredients
- Radiatori pasta (like this)
- milk (I recommend 2%)
- Velveeta cheese, cubed
- sharp cheddar cheese
- frozen peas and carrots mix ( I like the match stick carrots)
- Salt
Instructions
In a large pot, add approx 6 cups of water and 1T salt to a boil. Note: I use course salt. If using table salt, use less.
Add 12 oz of pasta and cook for about 5 minutes until pasta starts to become tender. Add 1 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrot mix to the pot as well. Cook pasta and veggies together in the boiling water for another 3 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked to al dente. Tip: Stir a few times during cooking process to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
Drain pasta water from noodles and veggies in a colander, but do not rinse. Set pasta aside.
Using the same warm saucepan (you can rinse the pot if you want), warm 8 oz of the Velveeta and 1 cup of 2% milk over medium heat. Tip: Keep a close eye on the sauce and be sure to stir frequently to avoid scorching.
Once the Velveeta is mostly melted, stir in 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese. Note: its important to use freshly grated cheese as pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that prevents it from melting well, and may cause clumps.
Add the cooked pasta and veggies back into the pot and give everything a good stir to combine. Warm on stove over low heat for a few mins to make sure the pasta is completely coated in the cheese sauce, and everything is warmed through.
Scoop into individual bowls and serve warm as a meal on it’s own, serve as a side dish along side a protein or sandwich.
Why Use Radiatori Pasta?
Truth be told, the pasta is sort of the magic of his dish. Radiatori pasta gets its name because it looks like little radiators.
All of those little groves create perfect crevasses for the cheese sauce to settle into. The more you mix, the more the cheese sauce sneaks into the all of the folds of the pasta, and the cheesier each bite gets.
If you cannot find Radiatori pasta, make sure you choose another short shaped pasta with deep ridges or crannies like Rotini, Cavatappi or Elbow. The sauce wont stick to the flat, slick surface of peas and carrots nearly as well, so selecting a noodle shape that the sauce can grab onto, will really make this dish spectacular.
Shredding Your Own Cheese
Shredding your own cheese is so much better than buying pre-shredded in the store. It’s less expensive, tastes better, melts better, and its healthier for you!
Pre-shredded cheese contains an additive called cellulose powder to prevent it from clumping while it sits on the grocery store shelf. While it prevents it from clumping, it also prevents if from melting well.
I use this Kitchen Aid attachment to shred a block of cheese in seconds. Then I store shredded cheese in a ziplok bag in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Easy peasy.
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One Pot Cheesy Veggie Mac
Equipment
- 1 large sauce pan
- 1 colander
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large pot, add approx 6 cups of water and 1T salt to a boil. Note: I use course salt. If using table salt, use less.
- Add 12 oz of pasta and cook for about 5 minutes until pasta starts to become tender. Add 1 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrot mix to the pot as well. Cook pasta and veggies together in the boiling water for another 3 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked to al dente. Tip: Stir a few times during cooking process to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- Drain pasta water from noodles and veggies in a colander, but do not rinse. Set pasta aside.
- Using the same warm saucepan (you can rinse the pot if you want), warm 8 oz of the Velveeta and 1 cup of 2% milk over medium heat. Tip: Keep a close eye on the sauce and be sure to stir frequently to avoid scorching.
- Once the Velveeta is mostly melted, stir in 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese. Note: its important to use freshly grated cheese as pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that prevents it from melting well, and may cause clumps.
- Add the cooked pasta and veggies back into the pot and give everything a good stir to combine. Warm on stove over low heat for a few mins to make sure the pasta is completely coated in the cheese sauce, and everything is warmed through.
- Scoop into individual bowls and serve warm as a meal on it's own, serve as a side dish along side a protein or sandwich.
