6 Boxed Macaroni And Cheese Brands Nutrition Experts Love
In the ’90s, choosing a box of macaroni and cheese was simple: Kraft reigned supreme. It wasn’t the only brand on the market, but those blue boxes were synonymous with the neon-orange delight.
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 ultra-processed product, said Cayla Bousaba, a registered dietitian in Richmond, Virginia.
“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 (like, say, you have kids or you lack energy to cook yourself a full meal) — but it’s all about balance.”
One way to boost the nutritional profile of boxed mac and cheese is by adding veggies to it (spinach or frozen peas incorporate nicely) or swapping out the milk with plain yogurt (which also makes it creamier). 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 Lauren Manaker. “We don’t just want to eat mac and cheese all day every day with nothing else.”
Here are the brands registered dietitians and nutritionists prefer to keep in their cabinets.
Goodles Cheddy Mac
Pasta: wheat flour with chickpea protein
Protein per 1 cup prepared: 15 grams
Fiber per 1 cup prepared: 7 grams
Aimee Gershberg, a clinical dietitian at NYC Health, 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.
Banza Shells And Classic Cheddar
Pasta: chickpea
Protein per 1 cup prepared: 16 grams
Fiber per 1 cup prepared: 5 grams
Gershberg also appreciates Banza, the brand known for its chickpea flour pasta. Not only does she like the texture of the pasta used in the macaroni and cheese, but it has other positive aspects, too. “I like that they have the protein and the fiber added in there. I think that’s something that’s missing from a lot of the different mac and cheeses,” Gershberg said. “Especially with prepackaged foods in general, it’s easy to miss out on some of those things.”
GoodWheat Classic Cheddar Mac And Cheese
Pasta: wheat
Protein per 1 cup prepared: 12 grams
Fiber per 1 cup prepared: 8 grams
A mom to an 8-year-old, Manaker is no stranger to the various macaroni and cheese brands at the grocery store. While her daughter loves Annie’s, Manaker is a fan of fibrous GoodWheat, which makes its pasta with semolina flour produced from their specially grown breed of wheat, and she appreciates its protein content. “My daughter doesn’t eat a ton of meat, so that’s something that’s appealing to me. I also like that it has 8 grams of fiber and that fiber seems to hold her over, so she’s not asking for tons of snacks before bedtime,” Manaker told HuffPost. “She’s not eating the bean-based or the chickpea-based pasta as much as I would love her to. She just isn’t doing it. So this is a nice option that tastes very similar to the Kraft or the Annie’s with some extra nutrients that helps her feel more satisfied.”
Jovial White Cheddar Mac And Cheese
Pasta: brown rice
Protein per 1 cup prepared: 9 grams
Fiber per 1 cup prepared: 2 grams
For those turned off by the texture of chickpea pasta but looking for a gluten-free option, Boubasa suggested Jovial. “I’ve just found that some kids don’t always like the chickpea pastas and it had a really good texture for gluten-free,” she said. “It’s not as gummy.” The cheese blend for Jovial is also pretty simple, Boubasa found, which bumped up its favor in her eyes.
Annie’s Cheddar Mac And Cheese
Pasta: wheat
Protein per 1 cup prepared: 9 grams
Fiber per 1 cup prepared: 3 grams
As a single mom to three girls, in addition to being a registered dietitian, Malina Malkani knows a thing or two about the convenience of boxed macaroni and cheese. “My girls love the rich cheesy flavor of the white cheddar versions of Annie’s and I love that the brand offers whole-grain macaroni options with more fiber and protein to help keep them satisfied and energized for longer,” Malkani told HuffPost. When she serves Annie’s, it’s usually not the only thing on the table, however. “Sometimes I prepare it as a side for dinner and pair it with baked chicken and a vegetable, or I’ll add peas and carrots and send it to school in a packed lunch,” Malkani added.
Kraft Original Mac And Cheese
Pasta: wheat
Protein per 1 cup prepared: 9 grams
Fiber per 1 cup prepared: 2 grams
Are you surprised to see Kraft on a list of dietitian-approved macaroni and cheeses? As Gershberg points out, most of the “healthier” macaroni and cheese brands are pricier, which is why she wants people to know that if Kraft is the best box within reach, that’s totally fine. “There’s nothing wrong with Kraft or your basic mac and cheese. It’s not so much taking away those types of things, but maybe looking at what we can add to those. So if we can add some protein, if we can add some fiber with vegetables or another protein or something, then anything can be part of a well-balanced diet,” she said.
