Stovetop Healthy Mac and Cheese with Kale
by Katie Webster
October 13, 2015 (updated 1/13/22) Jump To Recipe
This 20-minute stovetop healthy kale mac and cheese is a healthy whole grain vegetarian dinner that the whole family will devour!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese with Kale
I’ll admit, I am always the one to go for maximizing the crispy topping on a baked mac and cheese. But today I set out to make this healthy mac and cheese on the stovetop and I wanted it to be ready lickety-split for busy nights and busy families.
And I also wanted to make sure it was extra good for you, so I grabbed a few handfuls of kale from the garden to give it some nutritious veggies. I also used shallot in this recipe, which I don’t normally add to homemade mac and cheese, but I thought it would go well with the kale. It really boosted up the savory sauce and made it so much more flavorful.
I didn’t want the sauce to be too watery, so I only used a cup of non-fat milk and thickened it with flour. The flour helps to stabilize the sauce so that the cheese has something to grab onto and becomes creamy as it melts into the sauce. And for the cheese I added in the cheesiest and sharpest cheddar I could find.
And guess what? It was so creamy and dreamy and comforting! It made me forget all about my overly busy schedule and my affinity for crunchy topping.
How To Make Healthy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
This stovetop mac and cheese is super easy to make, but because the ingredients list is so simple there are a few things you should do to make this dish the best it can be.
Staying Organized For Stovetop Mac and Cheese
To be as efficient as possible, you’ll want to have two pots going simultaneously. One for the pasta and kale and the other for the cheese sauce.
Start the pasta water first since bringing that to temp takes a long time. While it comes up to a boil, you’ll have enough time to prepare the remaining ingredients.
Then while the pasta is cooking you’ll be able to make the sauce.
Cook the Macaroni and Kale Together
Salt the Water:
Don’t underestimate the importance of salting the pasta water. This adds some much-needed flavor to the macaroni and takes the entire meal to the next level.
How To Cook them Together:
To save an extra pot, you can cook the pasta and kale together. But since the pasta takes longer to cook than the kale, you’ll have to add the kale after the pasta has been cooking for a few minutes.
Cook According to Package Instructions:
Since this is a stovetop mac and cheese recipe, you’ll want to cook the pasta completely.
Stove Top Mac and Cheese:
By contrast in a baked macaroni and cheese like my Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese or my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, you actually intentionally undercook the pasta because it will continue cooking in the oven.
Set A Timer:
Here, in this recipe though, it won’t. So you want to set a timer for what the package recommends for al dente.
Add the Kale In Last 4 Minutes:
Four minutes before the timer goes off, stir in the kale. That will give both the pasta and the kale the perfect amount of time in the boiling water.
How To Make Healthy Mac and Cheese Sauce
Make A Roux
Cook some shallot in butter. I only use two tablespoons of butter to keep the calories in check.
I add in the shallot to boost the flavor of the cheese sauce. It works well with the kale.
Add in the flour and make a paste. You’ll just want to make sure the flour is dissolved into the butter so that it will mix with the milk more easily.
Add the Milk
Next whisk in the milk, salt and pepper and bring it up to a simmer, while whisking.
Simmer to Thicken
Take care to get any roux out of the corners of the saucepan! Simmer until the sauce is thick and the shallots have had a couple minutes to soften completely.
Add Cheese Off the Heat
Once the sauce has simmered, the sauce will be stabil, and you can remove it from the heat. It will be hot enough to melt the cheese when you whisk it in.
Combine the Cooked Pasta with the Cheese Sauce
Once the sauce is cooked and the cheese is added you can add it to the pot with the kale and pasta. Stir until it is coated and creamy.
Step-By-Step Photos For This Recipe
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- 1. Add pasta to boiling water and set a timer according to pacakge instructions.
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- 2. Add kale to the pot of pasta in the last four minutes of cooking.
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- 3. Drain the pasta and kale and return it to the pot.
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- 4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Cook shallot in butter until softened.
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- 5. Add flour and stir to form a paste.
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- 6. Add milk and whisk until all of the flour is incorporated, making sure to get any flour mixture out of the corners of the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking often.
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- 7. Remove from the heat and add in cheese.
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- 8. Whisk until smooth.
More Healthy Macaroni and Cheese Recipes To Try
This Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese is ultra creamy and perfect for folks who don’t tolerate gluten.
This Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli is an old favorite here.
This Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese is a great fall varaiation.
This everything but the kitchen sink version of macaroni and cheese has Edamame, Cauliflower and Peas in it!
For more on kale, be sure to check out this Ultimate Guide to Kale!
Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese with Kale
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Description
This 20-minute creamy stovetop healthy mac and cheese is a healthy whole grain vegetarian dinner that the whole family will devour! It only takes 20 minutes to make!
Ingredients
- salt for pasta water plus ¼ teaspoon, divided
- 3 ½ cups dry whole-wheat pasta, such as fusilli, rotini or macaroni
- 3 cups finely chopped kale
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 oz shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- When water boils, prepare pasta according to package instructions adding kale for the last 4 minutes of boiling. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring until the shallot is slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the shallot and stir to dissolve flour into the butter. Add milk, and whisk until all of the flour is incorporated into the milk. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook stirring often until sauce is thick and the shallot is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in cheddar until smooth.
- Stir pasta and kale with the sauce in the pasta pot and serve hot.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups
- Calories: 433
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 386 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 20 g
Keywords: healthy mac and cheese, stovetop mac and cheese,macaroni and cheese with kale
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
Good recipe. A little frustrating that a standard box of pasta is not used. The recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups of uncooked pasta. Who the heck wants to measure out uncooked pasta?!? It would be easier if the cheese sauce recipe was an appropriate quantity to use for a standard box of pasta.
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Love how you added some veggies to this classic dish! Perfect!
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I love this mac and cheese! So hearty and it comes together in a snap, perfection!
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I used spinach because that’s what we had in the house and it was delicious! I am definitely making this again!
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Was it white cheddar? Because the noodles don’t have the yellow color of a sharp cheddar that one normally gets for mac & cheese.
Yes, you guessed it! Where I live, white cheddar is much more common than yellow.
I like the crispy bits on the top of the mac n cheese too, but quick mac n cheese that can be made on the stovetop kinda makes up for that! I alway seem to have a bunch of kale laying around so I love finding new ways to use it! This looks delicious 🙂
Easy peasy and tasty! I love simple and satisfying meal like this. Thanks for sharing, Katie.
You are so welcome and thanks so much for the compliment. Have a great day Angie!
Katie how did you know that I needed more mac and cheese in my life? This recipe looks ahhhhhhmazing and totally up my alley.
So glad to hear it. Thanks for visiting today my friend.
I love that you added kale to your mac and cheese! Oh and that’s it’s all in one pot on the stove. With two little ones pulling at my legs while I cook the faster [and healthier] a meal is the better!
Sometimes you gotta forgo the crusty bits to just get dinner on the table. In this case though, it is an unexpectedly creamy delicious boon. Ha ha. And I remember those days of the pant leg. Now I know they are only to be replaced by other mommy-atention-getting-dramas, so in other words, keep bringing on the fast and healthy dinners.
I love kale, but y kids don’t exactly feel the same way; I bet in mac and cheese they would gobble it up
They do, it’s amazing but true!
That’s my kind of recipe. So easy, comforting, and nutritious. Can’t wait to make it for my vegetarian hubby (and me)! BTW, I got your book and am digging into it this week … and I met your friend Amy up at Proctor Academy this weekend. Her son lives across the hall from my son. Small world 🙂
Hi Liz, glad the book arrived. And that you like this Mac and Cheese. Email me some times we can do the interview for the podcast. I haven’t forgotten about you. I saw Amy yesterday and she mentioned the funny coincidence. What a hoot!
What a simple and delicious recipe. Love that you used whole wheat pasta and added in Kale. That has been my new trick of late, toss in some kale. 🙂
Simple is the name of the game these days! When in doubt add kale! lol 🙂 Thanks for coming by today my friend.
I’m a sucker for mac and cheese so I love finding recipes that are healthy. I like the addition of the kale here
This is such a good one. We loved it! Glad you like it too Allie. Have a great day!
I love the addition of kale in this! i Also love that it’s made on the stovetop, it looks incredible!
Yeah, it really is so easy. Thanks so much Rachel. Have a great day!
Your mac and cheese looks fabulous…perfect comfort food! I love the addition of shallots, and I often throw kale in to our meals…haven’t done it with mac & cheese, but I will now!
Try it. I always love it when my girls eat kale and it works so well in this recipe. I couldn’t believe how much of this my daughter ate. I thought she might pop!
🙂 My daughter’s favorite salad is a lemony kale quinoa salad that I make, and if I don’t make it every week she complains. She takes it for lunch pretty much every single day! Of course my son says it tastes like grass…which of course it does not…LOL
Okay I totally need that recipe! My older daughter loves salad and especially lemony ones. She would be so happy! Is it on your blog?
It is! It should come right up in the recipe index if you type in lemony kale quinoa salad. It is really good and very easy. I make a big batch and it lasts all week, with the dressing on. The kale holds it very well.