Want to have a keto mac and cheese that doesn’t use cauliflower? Simply pick a low-carb macaroni product that won’t spike your blood sugar and you can enjoy the classic baked dish again.
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Macaroni and cheese is classic comfort food and something many low carb and keto diet foodies resign themselves to never enjoying it again unless they plan to “cheat.”
However, this low carb mac and cheese recipe is going to change all that! You can now enjoy your favorite comfort goodness and stick to your plan for healthier food choices.
You’re going to absolutely love this recipe!
Can You Eat Pasta On Low Carb?
However, there’s some delicious news for you: there is actually low carb macaroni that can be used instead of the regular high glycemic kind! Using the right pasta makes it possible for low carbers to enjoy a melty, savory baked low carb macaroni and cheese casserole onceagain.
The low carb pasta I used in this recipe and suggest you check out is made by ThinSlim Foods. If you’ve never heard of them, you can check out my review of their sampler pack. I’ve also reviewed their bagels, breads, and snacks.
The texture of the ThinSlim Foods low carb macaroni isn’t exactly like the high carb stuff, but it’s one of the best alternatives I’ve found. I used to use another popular brand, but then it was revealed that their carb counts weren’t accurate and began the search for a new alternative so we could once again enjoy our favorite mac and cheese recipe.
Like Dreamfields, the total carb count is a bit high for a keto mac and cheese, but it will work as a treat. However, the ThinSlim Foods brand does indeed have the net carb impact as stated on the label and it’s great when you want comfort food.
Each serving of this low carb macaroni will set you back about 8 grams of net carbs which, while on the high side, is still better than giving in and going on a carb binge when you get a craving.
Keto Pasta Alternatives
You can also reduce carbs even further and go completely gluten free by using carb free noodles like I did in my shirataki noodle recipe.
Others prefer to use riced cauliflower in lieu of starchy pasta, which can work as well if you aren’t looking for traditional. This recipe isn’t cauliflower mac and cheese, though; it’s actually a pasta based dish meant to satisfy your inner child who still claps her hands at the thought of gooey, melty, cheese covered noodles.
However, if you don’t mind cauli mac and cheese, check out this quick and easy cauliflower mac and cheese. It doesn’t get more simple than this!
Tips For Making The Best Low Carb Mac And Cheese Casserole
So how do you make this amazing, low carb mac and cheese casserole? It’s actually quite easy.
Prepare The Low Carb Pasta
When you cook your low carb pasta, be sure to follow the package directions to get both the best texture and keep the net carb count where it belongs.
Add The Low Carb Cheese Sauce Ingredients
Next, combine all the ingredients (including the hot pasta) in a medium bowl and mix them well. Then put them in your favorite 8x8 baking dish.
The cheesy goodness in this recipe comes from a blend of almond milk, heavy cream, egg, cheddar cheese, and spices.
Some low carb cheese sauces use cream cheese or butter, but this is a simple recipe that comes out like your favorite classic. Try it!
Bake The Mac N Cheese Casserole
All that’s left is to sprinkle some crushed pork rinds on top for that baked mac and cheese crunch and stick your low carb casserole in the oven.
Mac And Cheese Variations
Want to jazz up your low carb cheesy mac casserole?
Go ahead and add some bacon and/or jalapenos to it. You can also add some diced chicken to make it more protein rich and filling.
Try white cheddar instead of yellow or pepper jack. This is also great as a four cheese casserole if you’d like to use a blend.
Serving And Storing Your Low Carb Mac And Cheese
If you’d like to prep this ahead of time, you can rinse the pasta with cold water and combine the ingredients in a dish. Simply cover it well, and bake it when you’re ready.
If you have leftovers, they’ll reheat well in the microwave. Simply sprinkle on a few drops of water, almond milk, or heavy cream and loosely cover it before reheating to help get that fresh from the oven melted goodness back.
This makes a great side dish with crispy baked chicken or paired with your favorite salad.
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Recipe
Low Carb Macaroni and Cheese
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups low carb elbows cooked and drained, see Note
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup crushed pork rinds
Instructions
- Combine pasta, cheese, almond milk, cream, egg, mustard, and garlic powder in medium bowl.
- Pour into 8×8 baking dish.
- Sprinkle crushed pork rinds on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Sherry
Since the ThinSlim cooking directions are so ambiguous and lacking meaningful information, it would be helpful to include a dry pasta volume and approximate cooking time.
Lisa MarcAurele
The 1.5 cups is the dry volume used.
Jolene
Finally! A low carb mac and cheese recipe that ISN'T cauliflower based!
Gale Maag
Thinslim is pricey, but for me it's worth it to have toast with breakfast, a bun for my burger and some pasta with low carb Rao's marinara sauce smothered with Parmesan. Their 0 net carb cinnamon rolls hit the spot too.
Cecile Daniels
Very good cheesy macaroni. I added groundbeef and bacon and no pork rind! It was delicious!
Susanne
Wish there was a decent low carb pasta out there with no wheat/gluten in it.
Lisa MarcAurele
I like shiratake but it takes some getting used to.
Barbie
Lisa....How long did you cook the pasta?
Lisa MarcAurele
I believe it was about 8-10 minutes.
Anika
It was soooo good. It taste just like reg mac and cheese. I may have cooked the noodles too long as they were a tad soft but I thoroughly enjoyed it. YUM!
Lisa
My kids can't tell the difference when I use the low carb noodles.
Sally
Use miracle noodles they come in macaroni and rice too
Emily Kemp
Looks so delicious, love the crunchy topping too!
June Schreiber
I use the Thin slim macaroni too. I have found, however, that because of the fiber content, I have to keep the serving really low. I am sensitive to fiber. I can make a casserole with ground beef, lots of vegi's, chunky low sugar marinara with barely a 1/4 cup of macaroni. I get many meals off that casserole and just a little pasta for that added touch. Works great for me!
Lisa
I too have to minimize my servings of fiber.
Krystal Cain
Try Carbanada pastas. They have reduced carbs so still need to watch. I've also heard that black bean pasta has low(er) carbs as well
Lisa
I've switched to Miracle Noodles which are near zero carb per serving. Love them.
Lee
Hello.
So is dreamfield noodles the same as the Thinslim? Are you taking about the same product?
Is it okay to use the thinslim pasta?
Lisa MarcAurele
Dreamfield noodles had a lawsuit because the stated net carbs did have an impact on people. I don't recommend them anymore because of that. ThinSlim is a much better product for those on a low carb lifestyle.
Heather
Has anyone tried this with shirataki noodles?
Lisa
It's worth a try! I think you would just need to cook to melt the cheese.
Stacy
Please be advised that Dreamfields settled a class action lawsuit in 2014 for their mismarketing and representation of their carb counts in their pasta. So don't be deceived into using this pasta.
Lisa
Thanks Stacy! I stopped using it after hearing reports that it raises blood sugar levels. I'll update all posts using this pasta.
Anonymous
Unfortunately I ordered it immediately as the hyperlink took me right to Amazon before reading your post about it being a false representation. Maybe you could delete the recipe from the page.
Lisa
Sorry! I missed this one. I used to eat it a lot before I found out.
Jane
Little late but I just saw this post. I use ketostix and I continue to use dreamfield pasta and my ketostix does not change. It may be just me but it does not change anything on my low-carb diet
Lisa
It did have an impact on me.
Lenka
I would like to comment on this. Our diabetic son likes pasta and when I found this brand I made first a few blood sugar measurement and calculations. So for him, 1 oz cooked pasta has 2 g net carbs, which makes for him usually lunch of around 10g net carb, which is absolutely fine with me and he is happy. So for his body, it is low carb food, but with one condition, they must be cooked "al dente", not longer, then the "low carb effect" is decreasing. But when I discussed this with our specialist, she said that for some people this pasta are really not low carb, they rise their blood sugar. So it is really individual....
Lisa
Thanks for adding the fact that carb effect does go up the longer the pasta is cooked. If it works for your son and keeps him happy, I'd stick with it. I didn't want to take the risk so I use the shiratake Miracle Noodles now.