We’ll talk about some of our favorite add-ins further along in this post. Adding tiny, tender vegetables to homemade mac and cheese brings the nutrition in this dinner to the next level. Flour thickens the creamy cheese sauce in this dish, and white whole wheat flour works perfectly. Even some homemade mac and cheese recipes call for highly-processed cheese-type foods (Velveeta, we’re looking at you.) We prefer to stick with minimally-processed, whole milk cheeses.

Dellalo makes an excellent whole wheat macaroni noodle you can buy at Walmart. Whole wheat pasta is more accessible now than ever, and kids tend to accept this high-fiber swap in place of regular white flour noodles. Here are the ingredients we trust for making nourishing mac and cheese we feel good about serving our kids:

Homemade mac and cheese is healthy because you make it healthy! And the key to a healthy mac and cheese is to use simple, whole-food ingredients.

Can I Make Mac and Cheese without Flour?.The Basics: How to Make Homemade Stove Top Mac and Cheese.

How to make a cheese sauce for macaroni