Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese – Top 8 Free

This Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese is a great way to sneak some extra veggies into your kids’ meal. It offers vitamins, fiber, and nutrients you won’t find in traditional cheese sauce. The sweet potatoes also add an unexpected richness, so you actually end up using less cheese – but you’ll never notice!

As an added bonus, the sweet potatoes give the sauce a golden color reminiscent of the boxed stuff kids seem to love so much.

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This Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese is:

• Egg free
• Dairy free (use cow’s milk alternatives for butter and milk; use Daiya or other cheese alternative and nutritional yeast in place of cheese – see below)
• Wheat/Gluten Free (simply use GF pasta)
• Peanut free
• Tree nut free
• Soy Free
• Fish and Shellfish Free

This Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese sauce is naturally gluten free, and pairs well with gluten free pasta. It can also be made dairy free / vegan using margarine, a combination of nutritional yeast and vegan cheese (such as Daiya), and cow’s milk alternative. It’s not exactly the same as with regular milk and cheese, but it’s pretty close! We were dairy free at one point in our allergy journey, and this version definitely fulfilled my need for a cheese fix. If you do decide to make it vegan / dairy free, it’s especially important to not overheat the “cheese” and to add it to the sauce at the end.

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RECIPE: Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese (Egg Free, Gluten Free, w/ Dairy Free option)

This Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese has sweet potatoes right in the sauce, and is a great way to sneak some extra veggies into your kids' meal. It offers vitamins, fiber, and nutrients you won’t find in traditional cheese sauce. The sweet potatoes also add an unexpected richness, so you actually end up using less cheese – but you’ll never notice!

This sauce is naturally gluten free, and pairs well with gluten free pasta. It can also be made dairy free / vegan using margarine, a combination of nutritional yeast and dairy-free cheese (such as Daiya), and cow’s milk alternative. See recipe for options.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Author: Lisa Ngo, Safely Delish

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 ¼ - 1 ⅓ cups milk of choice (may use cow's milk alternative)
• 1.5 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ⅓ to ½ cup sweet potatoes – peeled, cooked, and mashed
• 1 cup shredded or grated cheddar cheese ** see Notes for vegan options
• 12-16 ounce box of pasta (either works; a 12 ounce box will just be extra saucy)

Instructions

• Cook and drain pasta according to instructions on package.
• While preparing pasta, melt butter or margarine in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add 1 ¼ cups cold milk and cornstarch to pan and whisk until cornstarch is well combined.
• Whisk in salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard.
• Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens, whisking to prevent lumps. Stir or whisk in mashed sweet potatoes.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted (no additional heat necessary; allow heat from the sauce to melt the cheese). Optional: stir in additional milk if sauce is too thick.
• Pour sauce over hot noodles, and stir to combine. Garnish with parsley or additional cheese, if desired.

Notes

** VEGAN OPTION: Use cow's milk alternatives for butter and milk. In place of cheese, use 3/4 to 1 cup vegan cheese (to taste), OR use 3/4 cup vegan cheese + 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.