Quinoa “Mac” & Cheese

Don’t be fooled, just because quinoa is swapped for traditional pasta, this is your creamy incredibly cheesy mac and cheese of your childhood dreams.

You know those times when you need some down-home creamy mac and cheese?  Everybody has those moments if you say you don’t then you are either lying or extremely lucky.

So lucky that I want you to pick the lottery numbers mmmkay?  Because there ain’t a soul on earth that doesn’t crave the creamy cheesy mac and cheese from your past.

But tell me, friends?  Which team are you on?  Homemade Mac & Cheese or team or boxed macaroni and cheese?

I’ll tell you the sad truth, even though I’m posting a damn delicious homemade “mac and cheese” recipe, I’m team box all the way.  It’s so bad for you, it’s literally all powdered chemicals.  Even the healthy versions aren’t that great for you, but damn they are good.

Mr. Hungry, however, is team homemade mac and cheese.  He loves it, and the creamier the better. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to throw some Velveeta in there.  But, since who really knows what that stuff really is, we will leave that out of this recipe.

Don’t get me wrong, I ate this up, I appreciate a good bowl of homemade mac and cheese any day of the week.  Especially my three-cheese spinach mac and cheese. There is just something about that boxed stuff, but there is no way you get 14 grams of protein in the boxed stuff unless you specifically add chicken or something!

Luckily this did satisfy my cravings for Mac and Cheese enough to keep me away from the boxed stuff.  Whew, that was a close one!  Trust me, you guys will definitely want to make this one – cheesy, creamy, and just a bit healthier by swapping quinoa for pasta.  Quinoa is naturally higher in protein and fiber than most grains so it’s more filling, plus it’s fluffy and fun to eat.

Alright, I’ve got to run it’s been a busy week friend, as usual, and today is the taste lab.  It’s where the students I teach learn if they are a supertaster, medium taster, or nontaster it’s pretty interesting to me every semester because it isn’t something I typically talk about on a daily basis.  Hope you are having a wonderful week, let me know if you try this recipe!

More Fun Things To Do With Quinoa:

• Healthy Quinoa Recipes
• Chicken Quinoa Soup
• Spicy Quinoa Skillet
• Quinoa Enchilada Skillet
• Quinoa Breakfast Bars
• Carrot Cake Quinoa Muffins
• Mini Pizza Quinoa Quiches
• Spanakopita quinoa casserole
• Kung pao quinoa casserole
• Creamy chicken casserole

Question of the day: are you team boxed mac and cheese or homemade????

Quinoa “Mac” & Cheese

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3.43 from 14 votes

Quinoa "Mac" & Cheese

Don't be fooled, just because quinoa is swapped for traditional pasta, this is your creamy incredibly cheesy mac and cheese of your childhood dreams.

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 cups

Calories: 344kcal

Author: Kelli Shallal MPH RD

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon butter or ghee
• 5 tsp flour or gluten-free flour blend
• 2 cups milk I used original almond milk- but any will work
• 1 cup cheddar shredded
• 1 container 5.3 ounces of 2% plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1-2 cups quinoa (see notes)
• 1.5-3 cups water or chicken broth

Instructions

• Cook Quinoa according to package directions using broth instead of water. I cooked mine in the instant pot. (Instant pot directions:  add quinoa and water/broth to instant pot in a 1 to 1:1.5 ratio.  Set to cook on high pressure for 1 minute then let naturally release for 10-15 minutes before fully releasing.)
• Turn on the burner to medium-low and melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and ½ cup milk until completely smooth.
• Add flour mixture to skillet followed by the remaining milk (1.5 cups). 
• Turn skillet up to medium and heat for 7-10 minutes until sauce mixture is thickened.  Whisk constantly!  If flour begins to stick to bottom remove from heat and turn it down before returning to heat.  You will know your sauce is done when you feel some resistance on your whisk.
• Remove from heat add in greek yogurt, cheese, and seasonings.  Whisk until all the cheese is melted and a smooth creamy sauce is achieved.
• Pour sauce on top of cooked quinoa and mix until well combined. Garnish with parmesan cheese and green onions.

Video

Notes

This mac and cheese will be creamier the LESS quinoa you use.  I usually use two cups of dry quinoa for 4-5 cups cooked quinoa, however, Mr. Hungry prefers when I make 1 cup of dry quinoa for 2-3 cups cooked quinoa so the finally product is creamier!  Decide how much quinoa you want to use based on if you want it creamier or not!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of recipe or ~1 cup | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 12g

Tried this recipe?I'd love to see what you made! Tag me @hungryhobbyRD or tag #hungryhobby if you try this recipe!

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You may also like this broccoli cheddar oatmeal bake!  It’s basically the same recipe, but with broccoli and oatmeal!

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