A childhood favorite kicked up a notch! This Lentil Macaroni and Cheese is packed with vegetables and lentils for a hearty vegetarian meal.
Hi Friends!
Time for another second-look recipe. This Lentil Macaroni and Cheese is one of my absolute favorites. I first shared it on the blog back in 2012 and I’ve probably made it 100 times since then. What can I say? I love mac and cheese. Always have. Always will. Plain old mac and cheese will probably always be my favorite, but to make it a more complete meal, I’ve added lots of veggies and some extra protein to this version. I can easily make a batch and eat it for lunch or dinner several days in a row. So good.
I made a few tweaks to the original recipe and took some new pics so I thought I’d share it again! The best part about it is that it’s a very forgiving recipe so you can really vary it based on what veggies you have on hand, add extra cheese or a different kind if you want (I’ve been known to throw in some goat cheese!), throw in some meat or beans instead of or in addition to the lentils, etc.
Here’s how you make it.
PrintLentil Macaroni and Cheese
A childhood favorite kicked up a notch! This Lentil Macaroni and Cheese is packed with vegetables and lentils for a hearty vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pasta, uncooked
- 3/4 cup lentils, uncooked
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3–4 cups mixed vegetables, diced (fresh, frozen or combination)
- 5 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed to remove excess moisture (or 3 handfuls fresh baby spinach)
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 5 oz cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Cook lentils according to package directions.
- While pasta and lentils are cooking, melt butter in a large saute pan. Add garlic and vegetables and saute for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle vegetables with flour.
- Add milk and cheese and stir until well combined.
- Stir in cooked pasta and lentils, add spices and serve warm.
I usually make it with fresh spinach and think I like it slightly better that way, but frozen was all I had on hand this time and it worked just as well! If you don’t like spinach, leave it out all together. For veggies, I usually use fresh red peppers and onions and then add a couple cups of frozen mixed veggies. Broccoli, green beans, peas, carrots, etc are all great options. I’ve also added sweet potatoes.
If you’re feeling adventurous, check out my How To Sprout Lentils post and use those when you make it! If you don’t like lentils, sub your favorite protein – it’s a great way to use up leftover chicken or pork and I often add chicken sausage when I make it!
You get the idea. As you can see, this is just a base recipe. Put your own twist on it!
[Tweet “A childhood favorite kicked up a notch! Lentil Veggie Mac and Cheese from @Leangrnbeanblog!”]
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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This was the delicious meal that you were photographing the other day. Can I please hang out at your house? Love how you’ve added some health and color to an old time fav.
Whoa, I’ve seen spinach and broccoli mixed with the mac but never lentils- what a vego protein boost here! epic photos to boot 😉
We are big mac and cheese fans here too because it is so easy. There is no stress in making mac and cheese. This looks awesome!
I possess a child who is 98.9839% mac and cheese.
SUCH A GREAT IDEA.
I like the sneaky lentil’s! Pinning and making soon!
Ughhh so good. Mac n cheese will always be a favorite of mine too, and I love all the veggies you’ve added. Deeeeelicious!
-Never- would have thought to add lentils to mac and cheese, but I’m loving the idea! Definitely blows the hot dog version out of the water 🙂
this looks AWESOME! pinned for later!!!
Yum you are always SO creative in the kitchen! Thanks for sharing xo C
Lindsay I don’t know what inspires you but you are genius! So glad you remade this and shared the recipe because it’s way to smart. All my favorite ingredients (which I have on hand) and its Mac and cheese. Yum!!
I want this for dinner tonight. I love all the healthy veggies and fiber packed lentils added in for health and flavor. Yummy!!
Yum!! My boyfriend is obsessed with mac and cheese, so it’s fun finding a healthier version. I love pretty much anything with lentils, so I’ll definitely be trying this out 🙂
This looks like such a good “use up the fridge” dinner! I have so many random veggies and cheese to use, I’m going to have to try this soon! Love your creativity always, Lindsay!
Ooo my favorite thing to do to boxed mac and cheese is adding veggies to it, whatever I have on hand. I actually did add lentil soup once. It looked kinda gross but tasted good! This looks much better however
in the winter i so often find myself craving hearty pasta dishes like this. never thought to use lentils with pasta!
Lovin’ the legume addition 😉
This is one of the prettiest mac & cheeses that I’ve seen! And it looks so flavorful! Pinning and tweeting now 🙂
Great recipe idea! I love taking recipes that I loved as a kid and adding extras and changing the ingredients to create a whole new healthy food item! I really love adding a bunch of vegetables to noodles and mac and cheese too! Thanks for sharing the great recipe, I will need to try this soon!
Yum! I often add white beans to my macaroni but haven’t tried lentils. Love how colourful it is.
Yum! I love lentils, but the hubby doesn’t. This might get him to eat them though. 😉
Ohhh this looks so yummy!
I’ve seen you posting this on your IG all the time– about time I made it for myself!! I am a huge fan of mac and cheese as well.
I think by the photo you used green lentils? Just curious, because red lentils would probably “hide” into the cheese sauce, but Green Lentils would probably add great texture. Either way – great recipe! I will definitley be making this – even though I have a 4 month old, I’m trying to test and save some “kid friendly” recipes!
I just pinned this post… I don’t cook with lentils nearly as much as I’d like and I love that you turned a classic (and let’s be real–not always healthy) old favorite into a hearty and healthy meal 🙂 Kudos!
So excited you posted this! I love how simple it is and the nice bit of extra protein from the lentils. Gorgeous pics too!
I would have never thought of pairing lentils with mac and cheese… I’ll admit, I’m intrigued! I bet I could even get the kids to try this!
★★★★
I am in love with how veggie filled this is! This is my kinda mac and cheese 🙂
Thanks for linking up to this recipe over at #recipefriday! Pinning 🙂
I am a Mac & Cheese lover too, and I think amping up the veggies and the protein in this casserole is fantastic. Genius idea, and the pics came out fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Hi there- I was wondering how many servings your recipe makes? I am hoping to make it this evening but only using 1 cup of pasta doesn’t seem like enough for 4 people. Thanks!
It will definitely serve 4 people. With all the lentils and veggies in there, I purposely went a little lighter on the pasta but 1 cup uncooked will make more than one cup once it’s cooked and mixed with all the other stuff the servings will be filling! But you could always add a little more pasta if you want
That makes sense! Thanks for the quick reply, can’t wait to make this!
Think I could make this in a crockpot?
i would imagine so. haven’t tried it but let me know how it goes!
I had been searching for days for a recipe with lentil and macaroni cheese, I managed to find this earlier today, I made half of the recipe and served with a side salad, it is absolutely delicious, I will be using this recipe again, thanks loads x