Sometimes a little twist on a classic recipe makes it all the more fun! These Veggie Macaroni & Cheese Muffins take a go-to favourite, mac & cheese, and turn it into fun, portable muffin cups. Perfect for lunchboxes, quick dinners, or freezer-friendly meal prep.
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Why You’ll Love These Veggie Macaroni & Cheese Muffins
- Portable, kid-friendly, and freezer-friendly
- Easy to incorporate vegetables into
- Great for lunchboxes
- Meal-prep friendly: make a batch, freeze extras, grab and go whenever you need!
These Veggie Macaroni and Cheese Muffin cups are honestly such a lunchbox lifesaver! They are so easy to make ahead of time and add into a school lunch. And if you’re looking for more easy, meal-prep friendly recipes like these to add to lunchboxes, check out my Apple Cinnamon French Toast Muffin Cups, and these Easy Mini Veggie Egg Bites or my round up of top 15 Easy Cold School Lunch Recipes!
Here is an example of a lunchbox with these Veggie Macaroni & Cheese Muffins. I served them with a little avocado, grapes (sliced lengthwise), watermelon, yogurt and a few goldfish crackers. With lunchboxes, I like to use the formula of:
Protein/main + Fibre-Carbohydrates + Healthy fats + Colour (fruit & veggies) + fun!
Toddler Tip
Let your child help choose a veggie to include in the muffins. Offering choice encourages curiosity towards food! If you’re looking for other tips or ideas for involving your child in the kitchen, I have a full blog post on this topic!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients you will need to make these mac and cheese muffins. I love adding additional veggies in, like grated zucchini, so feel free to finely dice some additional veggies to add in. And not in a sneaky way! I am all about being transparent with vegetables with my kids. Let them see you add them in, or better yet, let them help add them to the dish!
- Macaroni pasta noodles – I encourage a whole grain pasta for added fibre and nutrient boost. If your family isn’t a fan, there are some pastas available that have fibre added back, in such as Catelli Smart Pasta (our family’s favourite!).
- Breadcrumbs – these provide a fun crunch on the top!
- Olive oil
- Cheddar cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Milk – We use whole milk, but any milk is fine in this dish. If you prefer a non-dairy milk, soy will have the highest protein, or you can use any unflavoured dairy alternative beverages.
- Pesto – adds a delicious flavour boost!
- Garlic powder
- Veggies of choice – we love grated zucchini in these! But diced bell pepper, grated carrot, or diced spinach also work well.
- Egg (whisked)
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Veggie Macaroni & Cheese Muffins
Here is a basic overview, but you can scroll to the recipe card for the full details.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and transfer to a large bowl.
While pasta is cooking, mix together the breadcrumbs and olive oil.
To the pasta, add the cheese, pesto, milk, garlic powder and any veggies.
Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the beaten egg and mix together.
Portion out pasta mixture into a lined or greased muffin pan.
Top muffins with cheese and the breadcrumb mixture. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, and then remove tin foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Hint: Covering the pan with tin foil is important to keep the moisture in and prevent the pasta noodles from drying out on the top!
Substitutions
- Fibre-boost – Use whole grain pasta instead of refined pasta to increase the fibre, or look for a pasta that is enriched with fibre.
- Veggies – A variety of veggies work well in these cups! We love using grated zucchini, but you could also used grated carrot, cooked and mashed sweet potato or yam, diced spinach, or diced bell pepper.
- Gluten-free – You can use gluten-free pasta noodles and omit the breadcrumbs.
- Dairy-free – This particular recipe is challenging to make totally dairy-free, but I have an actual dairy-free mac and cheese recipe you can check out!
Variations
- Protein boost – stir in finely chopped cooked chicken
Equipment
- Muffin pan
Storage
Once cooled, you can store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They reheat quickly in the microwave, or can be warmed in the oven. You can also freeze the cooled muffins in a single layer, and then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to a month. To serve, thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat straight from frozen until warmed through.
Nutrition Tips
- Whole grain pasta adds fibre and helps keep toddlers full for longer
- Veggies boost vitamins, minerals and colour
- Cheese provides protein and calcium
- You can pair these with some shredded chicken and fruit. They are also great for dipping in ranch dressing!
FAQ
Yes! This dish is great for meal prep, and is so freezer-friendly.
Yes, you can. The breadcrumbs add a fun crunch on top, but these muffins are also great without the breadcrumbs.
Absolutely! Just be sure to de-thaw the first and remove any moisture before adding them into the mixture.
Yes. They are delicious warm or cold. If your child prefers them warm, you can heat them up and put them in a thermos to keep warm until lunchtime.
Recipe
Veggie Macaroni and Cheese Muffins
Equipment
- 1 muffin pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups macaroni or elbow pasta whole wheat or regular
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup milk whole or 2%
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup zucchini grated, patted dry (or other veggies of choice)
- ⅓ cup pesto
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 ℉. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.
- While pasta cooks, add 1 tablespoon olive oil (reserving the other tbsp) and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- To the bowl of pasta, add the remaining olive oil, ½ cup of the cheddar cheese (reserve ½ cup for sprinkling on top of muffins), parmesan cheese, milk, garlic powder, pesto, and zucchini (or other veggies of choice). Stir to combine. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add in the beaten egg.
- Scoop out the mixture into the muffin pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top and top with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Cover the muffin pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes until tops are golden and centres are set.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This helps them set and makes it easier to remove them without breaking.
Nutrition
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Looking for more Toddler Lunch Ideas, check out my Ultimate List of Toddler Lunch Ideas – perfect for home, daycare, and preschool!
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