Today, the macaroni and cheese landscape has vastly transformed. Options abound with well-known brands like Annie’s and Cabot Creamery going up against up-and-comers like Goodles. When it comes to choosing a boxed mac and cheese now, it can be a little overwhelming: Which one is both healthy and delicious? We spoke with experts to help figure that out.
First things first: No matter how great a boxed macaroni and cheese may seem, it’s important to remember that it’s an“We still use it,” she said. “My family is like, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to eat something.’ At least add some protein to it and hopefully some fiber. The reality is, sometimes life makes it hard to avoid the delicious, typically affordable product — but it’s all about balance.”
One way to boost the nutritional profile of boxed mac and cheese is by adding veggies to it or swapping out the milk with plain yogurt . Proteins like chicken or tuna also kick it up a notch. “The important part is looking at the bigger picture, and if you’re serving mac and cheese, you want to serve it with other nutrient-dense foods, like a side of fruit,” said Charleston-based dietitian, opts for this brand, which was founded in 2021. “Goodles has additional protein because they use chickpea protein in their noodles. That also gives them some more fiber,” said Gershberg. “It’s going to keep you satiated. It’s going to prevent you from overeating.
She also appreciates that the noodles have nutrients extracted from different vegetables like broccoli, spinach, kale and pumpkin. “It would be great to get those nutrients from foods, but for someone that might be a picky eater, or with little kids where it’s hard to get these nutrients into them, this would be a great product,” Gershberg said.Gershberg also appreciates Banza, the brand known for its chickpea flour pasta.