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This stovetop Greek yogurt mac and cheese is a healthy take on comfort food! With spinach and Parmesan, it’s pure delicious in under 30 minutes.
This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield. All opinions are our own.
Now that we’re parents of an 11 month old, we think even more about health and wellness. How do we stay well through the cold and flu season? Even if you’re not a parent, beating cold and flu season is key to keeping your commitments and staying well in the winter. And guess what? Not only is this Greek yogurt mac and cheese incredibly delicious: it’s immunity boosting too.
What makes it the best Greek yogurt mac and cheese?
This Greek yogurt mac and cheese takes that classic comfort food and infuses it with some immunity-boosting foods! Cheese and pasta are not immunity-boosting of course, but this pasta adds a nice dose of veggies and probiotics. Here’s what makes this recipe special:
- Greek yogurt is stirred in at the end, to give a creamy texture and provide a shot of live and active cultures and protein.
- Fresh spinach is gently wilted in for all the added nutrients without a strong flavor.
- Turmeric gives a tiny immunity boost and some extra color.
You may be wondering, how does this spinach mac and cheese taste? Though there’s lot of good stuff in it, it’s seriously savory and creamy. The flavor is nuanced with a bit of Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic, which makes the Greek yogurt mac and cheese taste a little sophisticated. But it’s still tasty enough for kids!
Also: Try all our Best Mac and Cheese recipes and Greek yogurt recipes!
How to stay healthy during cold and flu season
Now, we talked a little bit about staying healthy and boosting immunity. To delve into the topic more, I got to talk to an expert: Dr. Tanya Altman. She’s a pediatrician and author who’s all about baby and mama wellness! Here are some of her tips for keeping everyone healthy through the cold and flu season:
- Sleep is key. Getting a good night’s sleep is key to overall wellness and fighting sickness.
- Start the day with protein. That means things like eggs, nut butter, oatmeal, and yogurt!
- Add a fresh fruit or veggie with every meal/snack. That’s why we’ve got spinach in this Greek yogurt mac and cheese!
- Drink water & exercise. Did you know light exercise can fight off sickness? Dr. Altman recommends 60 minutes of activity per day.
- Probiotics help gut health and immunity. Yogurt is full of probiotics, which are helpful for a healthy gut and immunity to sickness. Stonyfield’s Yo Baby is a great choice for kiddos, since it has a strain of probiotics shown to help with baby’s gut health (keep reading).
What is Yo Baby yogurt?
Fact: Larson is a huge yogurt fan. Perhaps it’s the texture? Whatever the case we’ve been feeding him Stonyfield’s Yo Baby and it’s one of his favorite foods. Perhaps you’re like I was a few months ago, wondering: what is Yo Baby? Here’s a bit more about it:
- Yo Baby is organic yogurt with added BB-12 probiotics that promote beneficial gut bacteria and regular stools.
- The texture is thicker than other organic baby yogurts, which makes less mess while feeding, especially for babies/toddlers that are starting to self-feed.
- The packaging made from plants instead of plastic! They’re called PLA cups, which are better for plant-based packaging has a lower carbon footprint.
What to serve with mac and cheese
Now, back to the mac! How to make this Greek yogurt mac and cheese into a meal? Never fear: we’ve compiled all our favorite recipes to go alongside! Here are a few options:
- Spinach Apple Salad This green salad takes just 15 minutes to whip up, and pairs tart apple with tangy balsamic dressing and glazed walnuts.
- Best Steamed Broccoli Let’s add another green vegetable! This steamed broccoli comes together in 10 minutes and tastes fantastic.
- Here are more favorites! Go to 10 Best Sides to Serve with Mac and Cheese!
How to reheat Greek yogurt mac and cheese?
Isn’t eating leftover refrigerated mac and cheese the worst? We found a great way to reheat it so it tastes like new! To reheat this Greek yogurt mac and cheese, do the following:
- Place it in a skillet and add a splash of milk. Use a ratio of about 1 cup noodles to 1 tablespoon milk.
- Heat over medium heat and stir until creamy.
Related: 12 Top Turmeric Recipes
This Greek yogurt mac and cheese recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This stovetop Greek yogurt mac and cheese is a healthy take on comfort food! With spinach and Parmesan, it’s pure delicious in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces macaroni or cavatappi noodles
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves (or chopped standard spinach)
- 1 garlic clove
- 8 ounces high quality sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 ounce (½ cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup Stonyfield plain Greek yogurt or whole milk yogurt
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Prepare a colander in the sink and place the baby spinach leaves in the colander. When the pasta is done, remove from the heat and drain the pasta into the colander, allowing the boiling water to wilt the spinach.
- Meanwhile, mince the garlic and grate the cheddar and Parmesan cheese.
- When the pasta is finished, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the ground mustard, turmeric, and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the pasta and spinach to the skillet and stir until evenly coated.
- Add the cheddar and Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted and evenly distributed. Sprinkle on the kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Remove the pasta from the heat and stir in the yogurt. Serve warm.
Notes
PRO TIP: To reheat the mac and cheese, place it in a skillet, add a splash of milk, and stir until creamy. (Ratio: about 1 cup mac and cheese to 1 tablespoon milk)
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Looking for comfort food recipes?
Aside from this creamy mac and cheese, here are a few of our favorite comfort food recipes:
Healthy mac n’cheese, pah! That wouldn’t taste good would it?? But then… *takes a forkful*… speechless. OH MY. So good. The “Greek ingredients’ add so much flavor and the crunch of the pita chip topping is to die for! So good. Thanks hon, love everything about this healthy recipe! x
This was Delish!! I used a small pot(110g) of Oikos natural yoghurt and 2 cups of cheddar then I sprinkled cheese on top of pan and put in oven to melt the cheese briefly and turned out amazing 👏 thx
Could I use fat free greek yogurt instead of whole milk greek yogurt?
Yes, but it will definitely taste less rich.
We made this last night and it was so delicious and hearty! I loved that there was no need to mess with a roux, everything came together super quick without sacrificing flavor or creamy texture. We topped the mac with roasted cauliflower and loved it so much I think this will be going into the regular rotation! Thanks for another winner!
What a great idea to top with roasted cauliflower — even more savory goodness! Thank you so much — and it’s really Alex who deserves the recipe credit here :) THANKS Jean!
Photo C
Aww thanks for voting!!! You can see the photo that won here!
Our son ate YoBaby yogurt forever! Truth be told, I’m about to experiment with making yogurt at home so I can control sugar content, but man do we love yogurt at our house!
Ooo I love hearing about this! Related to sugar content, we have an announcement coming soon: Stonyfield is removing sugar from one of it’s YoBaby flavors! So that’s exciting — more on our Instagram very soon!
Thanks for the recipe idea Alex and Sonja! I think that it is always wonderful to add a touch of spinach to make something that much healthier. I haven’t thought to add spinach in to the mac and cheese mix but I think it is a great idea! On another note, I think that I am going to have to vote for picture A!
Haha thanks for your vote! Yes, we love adding spinach to any sort of pasta to load it with nutrients. Let us know if you try this out! Oh and you can see the winning photo here!
Definitely going to try this recipe. It looks delicious. The first photo is the winner. Between Larson’s cute face, how happy you look and the dog hoping you drop some food for him, it’s a winner!
Aww thank you! You can see the winning photo here :) And let us know if you end up trying this recipe!
This mac is calling my name! I love the use of yogurt. Also those photos are beyond adorable! :) xo
Ooo thank you! We found yogurt was a great way to add a healthy-ish creaminess. And THANKS on the Larson photos :)