Friends, meet my new favorite lightning fast dish. This Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese requires just 5 simple ingredients, zero prep work, and is just the yummiest pasta recipe!
Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
I am always looking for easy and delicious ways to incorporate more vegetables into my family’s meals and this recipe is one that we’ve all been loving lately. It comes together in less than 15 minutes, is incredibly creamy, and tastes so darn good.
Plus, there’s sweet potato in the mix to add flavor and nutrients. Win!
We have a lot of favorite mac and cheese recipes—one made in one pot with broccoli, another with peas in the mix, and fun Mac and Cheese Bites—but this is one we come back to again and again.
The best part might just be that you don’t even need a blender. Everything just gets stirred together in the pot!
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Pasta: We prefer a small pasta shape, but any will work.
- Sweet potato puree: You can use a pouch or homemade puree.
- Unsalted butter: This adds richness to the mixture.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: This melts right into the mixture, making it super creamy without the need to make a roux. You can use mild cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar cheese.
- Milk: I use whole milk, but any plain milk will work here.
TIP: I prefer small shapes of pasta since they cook faster (and are fun!). You can substitute roasted mashed Sweet Potato Puree.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make this recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- Measure out the sweet potato. (This is a great step for the kids to help with!)
- Add all of the ingredients to the pot.
- Stir together.
TIP: The sweet potato puree transforms the mixture into a nice mac and cheese texture without the need for any fussy roux-making steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer to use small shapes of pasta such as mini wagon wheels, elbows, ABC pasta and the like because they cook quickly and are fun.
I love using a pouch because it means I can skip preparing fresh sweet potato separately. I also love the subtle hint of rosemary that this puree has. Alternatively, you can make your own sweet potato puree and use it in this recipe.
Yes! It stores and reheats really well. Simply store it in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-5 days and reheat in 15-30 second increments in the microwave. (I’ve been making it ahead and serving it for an easy lunch throughout the week.)
How to Store
Store leftovers in the fridge in airtight containers for 3-5 days. Reheat in 15-30 second increments or until warm.
You can also freeze in small portions or in a freezer tray and thaw and warm as you need it.
Best Tips for Success
- Use a small shape of pasta so it cooks quickly.
- Use one a store bought pouch or prepare your own Sweet Potato Puree.
- Stir the mixture together well until all of the cheese is melted.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta.
- Dairy-free: Use a non-dairy cheese and add nutritional yeast for more flavor, if desired.
- Add a little onion or garlic powder for more flavor, if you like.
- I love serving veggies in all sorts of ways to kids—because you never know when they’ll find one they love! We do veggies in muffins, salad, roasted, in popsicles, in hummus, baked as fries, blended into a smoothie, and in mac and cheese.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe if you try it, so please comment below!
Easy Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (such as elbows, mini wagon wheels, or ABC pasta)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup sweet potato puree
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- salt to taste, as needed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
- Melt the butter in the pot over low heat. Add the pasta, sweet potato, cheddar cheese, and milk.
- Turn off the heat. Stir together the ingredients to make a uniformly creamy pasta.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Use a small shape of pasta so it cooks quickly.
- Prepare your own Sweet Potato Puree and use ½ cup. Or use a prepared baby food pouch of sweet potato from the store.
- Stir the mixture together well until all of the cheese is melted.
- Add a simple side of fruit for an easy meal.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in airtight containers for 3-5 days. Reheat in 15-30 second increments or until warm.
- Gluten-free: Use GF pasta.
Nutrition
This post was first published April 2021.
My 21 month old hated it, but I (31) loved it!
Absolutely delicious! Used homemade sweet potato puree. Creamy and so smooth, I enjoyed eating it for lunch with my 1 yr old. Thanks
Absolutely delicious, loved by 1, 3, 36, and 40 year olds. I microwaved a sweet potato and mashed it while the water boiled, no added time and minimal added effort.
My baby girl loved eat! Great simple and fast recipe. Thanks!
Excellent recipe! My toddler who is a picky eater ate this!
My toddler loves this! I just add broccoli to the pasta and usually use chick pea pasta. It taste’s amazing and is part of our regular rotation! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Made this today and it was so incredibly delicious! So creamy and easy; the longest part was boiling the noodles! Such an elevated flavor from just normal mac n cheese. Loved it!
How long would the pasta last if I used formula milk?
Do you mean if you made this with formula in place of the milk?
Hi!
Love all your recipes!!
Do you think I could freeze the leftovers??
I think so! I’d probably freeze in small portions so it’s quick to reheat when you need it
My son loves this recipe!
Thanks for this. My 14 mo is currently loving the frozen Kidfresh mac n cheese with carrot puree. Not a fan of microwaving so happy to find a similar recipe I can make homemade.
Loved this! SO EASY! I love how fast it comes together. I used GF elbow noodles, half barilla and half banza for some added nutrients. My grocer did not have this brand of sweet potato puree so I got the plum organics one, and I’ll say I wasn’t crazy about thatone’s flavor. It gave the pasta a subtle off taste. I just added some extra salt to my serving. Haha I’ll keep an eye out at other stores for this Happy Baby brand. If not I’ll try canned sweet potato. I think homemade would be delicious but that defeats the purpose of it being quick and easy. 😆 Thanks for an awesome recipe!
This looks like a great recipe that I’ll be trying soon! You recommended smaller sized pasta; do you know of any brands that produce small sized pasta in whole grain form? My kiddo loves pasta, but I’m trying really hard to incorporate more whole grain into her diet, and so far have only been able to find larger rotini and/or spaghetti noodles made from WG.
You can use any type of shape that you prefer. Barilla makes whole wheat elbows which would be a nice option.
Looks like such an easy recipe. Think this would work with dairy free milk and cheese? My daughter is DF and we’ve recently discovered Annie’s vegan Mac. Seems like a homemade version is healthier.
If you know of a DF shredded cheese that melts well, I think it would likely work just fine!
This looks like a great idea! If o did use my own sweet potato purée, how much would I use? Thanks!
You’d need 1/2 cup puree if you used homemade!
Although the levels were considered to be trace and naturally occurring, Happy Baby/Organics is on the list of companies with toxic lead, cadmium and arsenic. I would advise to err on the side of caution and make your own sweet potat puree, there are a lot of easy methods to do so. If you cut off 1/2 inch on both sides of the potato, stick it in a 400 degree oven for one hour, you get a perfectly cooked sweet potato. I suppose this is a sponsored post, but I am not personally happy with this company. Their baby/toddler cookbook includes a few popcorn recipes. Just my personal opinion, I have used some of their products in the past for convenience sake, but I honestly wish I didn’t .
Thanks for your comment. I do give the option to use homemade puree in the recipe and that is an easy option too.
But heavy metals naturally occur in most soil grown vegetables including sweet potatoes unfortunately