This is not your traditional mac and cheese—it’s a completely new take on the bright yellow noodles we all grew up with. Minimalist Baker created this vegan recipe and it’s one of my favorite weeknight meals. The sauce is a combination of onion, garlic, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, cumin, vegetable broth, corn starch, chili powder, raw cashews, and green chilies blended together in a high-powered blender until it’s super creamy. Mix it with your favorite noodles and you’ve got dinner on the table. I use Tolerant Food’s Organic Green Lentil Pasta since it’s gluten free, and the size and shape of the noodles are perfect for tiny fingers just learning how to pick up food. Another tasty pasta is GoGo Quinoa’s red and white quinoa macaroni. It’s gluten free, vegan, and organic.

Visit Minimalist Baker’s website for her Green Chili Mac and Cheese recipe.

Kid approved? Most of the time. Sometimes Hannah loves this meal, and occasionally she will only eat a few bites. If she isn’t thrilled about it, I’ll put some ketchup on her plate and give her the option to dip the noodles in ketchup, and that normally gets the ball rolling. She’s a toddler, go figure!

Baby approved? YES! Parker started eating Green Chili Mac and Cheese at 8 months old, and he loves it!