Easy, Single-Serving Homemade Mac and Cheese

September 9, 2023  |  3 min read

Emily Van Eps

Emily Van Eps

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If you’re anything like me, finding something for your toddler to eat for lunch each day requires a bit of creativity and a whole lot of prayer. My toddler is feisty and knows precisely what she does (or more often doesn’t) want, and heaven forbid we have the same thing for lunch two days in a row! 

In our house, we have a wide range of food options–we’re not ‘crunchy’ as they say and only stock whole foods for snacks, but we’re also not junk-food obsessed either. We’ve got the organic, home-grown cucumbers, the Welch’s fruit snacks, and everything in between. 

I’m not above serving a lunch of easy mac and hot dogs (a toddler favorite), but I also try to opt for healthier, homemade options when time allows.

Enter this super-easy single-serving homemade mac and cheese. 🙌🏼

My toddler had been so busy playing all morning that she had hardly eaten, and suddenly, we found ourselves in full-blown meltdown mode at 11:30 a.m. After a quick scan of the fridge and pantry, I found no PB&J ingredients and knew that the easy Mac cup would take too long to cook and then get down to a reasonable temp for her to eat. (Isn’t that always the catch?) 

However, I did have some leftover plain cooked pasta, shredded cheese, and milk, so I decided to try making homemade mac and cheese for her. And ya’ll, it was such a hit with her; I couldn’t have been more proud of myself! She downed most of the bowl with some cucumbers and a partial cup of milk, and straight back to playing she went–Mom win!

The beauty of this recipe is you can use whatever you have in your fridge–it doesn’t have to be exactly the ingredients I used:

Ingredients

  • Pasta:  Whatever pasta you have on hand–long or short noodles
  • Cheese:  Whatever shredded cheese you have (within reason–pepper jack would add a nice kick, but feta would likely not work in this case)
  • Milk:  Don’t have whole milk? Use some skim, or maybe coconut, to reduce the amount of dairy.  
  • Extras:  Make it your own, and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries (Unless you’re making this for your toddler and not yourself. Then it’s probably safest to stick to the straight and narrow!)
    • Chives
    • Bacon bits
    • Ketchup (if you’re into that)
Ingredients for single serving homemade mac'n'cheese

Directions

1. Add some pre-cooked noodles to a microwave-safe bowl.

Pre-cooked noodles

2. Add shredded cheese and a splash of milk and put in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending on the strength of the microwave–I did mine for 45 seconds, and it was about perfect).

Noodles topped with cheese and a splash of milk

3. Remove from the microwave and stir until combined and creamy. If the cheese isn’t fully melted and creamy, return to the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Super easy, creamy, homemade mac'n'cheese

4. Once you’ve reached your desired consistency, you can eat it as-is or add whatever seasonings you’d like–I added a dash of onion powder, a dash of garlic powder, a bit of salt, and a pinch of nutmeg (sounds weird but trust me on this–it makes the BEST addition to homemade mac and cheese).

5. Give it a good stir to combine and enjoy!

Cheers to happy homemade lunches with no side of tears!  🥂

Easy, Single-Serving Homemade Mac and Cheese
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Easy, Single-Serving Homemade Mac and Cheese

Recipe by Emily Van Eps
Servings

1

servings
Prep time

<5

minutes
Cooking time

1

minutes

A fuss-free recipe for single-serving homemade mac and cheese perfect for your toddler's lunchtime cravings.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked pasta

  • 1/4 cup shredded cheese

  • Splash of milk

  • Seasonings to taste

Directions

  • Add 1 cup pre-cooked noodles to a microwave-safe bowl.

  • Top noodles with shredded cheese and a splash of milk and put in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

  • Remove from the microwave and stir until combined and creamy. If the cheese isn’t fully melted and creamy, return to the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

  • Once you’ve reached your desired consistency, enjoy as-is, or add some seasonings to spice it up! I like to add a bit of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and nutmeg, but you can add whatever suits your preferences. Some cayenne would give it a nice kick, but careful not to add too much, or you might be breathing fire all afternoon!