Happy Monday! Or happy whatever day it is that you are reading this. And why is it happy, you ask? Because you have just found a really yummy recipe for creamy macaroni and cheese that fits nicely in a low sodium diet.
There are many adventures happening in my neck of the woods. Busy with work, busy on the home front, so it makes me uber happy when I find a quick and easy recipe like this one for super creamy mac and cheese. I’ve tried several different recipes for mac and cheese, and have adjusted and tinkered along the way. I ended up falling back on an old classic from a Betty Crocker cookbook that I grew up with. I used that recipe as a base and tweaked from there, and what I have come up with is a super creamy and satisfying macaroni and cheese.
Creamy Low Sodium Macaroni and Cheese
NUTRITIONAL SUMMARY:
124 mg sodium per serving
142.3 mg potassium per serving
95.3 mg phosphorus per serving
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Ingredients
- 7 ounces macaroni ((about 2 cups dry))
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- Ground black pepper ((to taste))
- 1 cup milk ((I use 1%))
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 oz mozzarella* ((grated))
- 1 oz cream cheese**
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
- While the macaroni is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour, dry mustard, garlic powder, and black pepper into the melted butter. Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
- Stir in milk, about a quarter cup at a time, making sure that the milk is incorporated after each addition. Once you have added all the milk, boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir the nutritional yeast, mozzarella, and cream cheese into the sauce. Heat the mixture long enough for the cheese to melt. Remove from heat.
- Stir the cooked macaroni into the sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION – Yield: 3 servings, about 1 cup each. 95.3 mg phosphorus per serving.
This is best when eaten fresh, but will keep in the fridge for a few days.
* Nutritional information is based on Kraft, which has 150 mg sodium per ounce.
** Nutritional information is based on a generic cream cheese with 90 mg sodium per ounce.
I want to try this recipe, but wouldn’t swiss cheese be lower in sodium? Lauren Radcliff
Yes, Swiss cheese would be lower. I’ve made it with Swiss and it turns out good that way too. We prefer the flavor of the mozzarella and were okay with the sodium being a little higher for Joe’s diet. If you need to have the numbers a little lower, definitely give it a try with Swiss. It will taste a bit different but is still yummy. 🙂
This recipe is easy to make and tastes delicious, thank you!
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I was very pleasantly surprised at how great this tasted! The only thing I tweaked was I only used 1 tbsp of the nutritional yeast instead of 2 (I never heard of it, let alone cooked with it and it smelled a bit weird). We were really happy with the flavor, I think it’s tastier than any brand I have tried from a box. I can’t wait to try your other low sodium recipes!
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This is a delicious recipe! We tried a couple other recipes but this was far superior. It is very creamy. We might add some additional garlic powder next time for even more flavor, but this will definitely go in our “keep” pile! Thanks for sharing and helping make our low sodium diet so decadent!
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Thanks for the comment! I’m really glad you like it. 🙂
Unbelievably creamy! The flavor is really good, too….my first foray into nutritional yeast, and I’m impressed! I did have to add a dash of salt to my portion, but I think it’s because our family is still really new to the reduction in sodium. I’ll be making this recipe again.
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I’m glad you had a good first experience with nutritional yeast. I know it can be an acquired taste, but it has a lot of potential if you can find the right balance. Best of luck on your other kitchen endeavors!
Nutritional yeast is new to me…what does it do for the recipe and where might I find in the grocery store? Thanks! Anxious to try this!
Nutritional yeast is a flaky topping/seasoning that has a cheesy, savory flavor. I love to add it to recipes where I’d usually use cheese or want a bit of a savory flavor (popcorn, eggs, mashed potatoes, soups). It can definitely be an acquired taste, so be careful not to be too heavy handed with it if you decide to try it with different foods. You can find it in the natural foods section of your grocery store.y grocery store sells it two ways – prepackaged (Bob’s red mill and Bragg are two common brands) and in bulk bins. Bragg comes in a bright yellow container (see https://bragg.com/products/bragg-premium-nutritional-yeast-seasoning-salt-free.html). Good luck; I hope you like this mac and cheese. 🙂
Thanks for your help and knowledge!
Tried this tonite — it was wonderful!! This is the 3rd thing I’ve tried of your recipes (1st was the Sliders and then the Shallot/mushroom pizza– need to work on that one a bit) Loved the Sliders and the mac and cheese tonite — even dh thought it was good. Might try a bit of a mix of mozzarella and cheddar (with both meeting the same ounces combined) Thanks for sharing such delicious recipes. The pizza was good but just not a mushroom fan but I chopped them up so finely I tried to pretend they were meat! (although the flavor wasn’t there)
Thanks so much for the feedback! I am really glad that you liked the sliders and mac & cheese and I commend your bravery for making a mushroom pizza when you aren’t really a fan of mushrooms! 🙂
I’ve actually used the filling for the sliders (or a variation) on pizza with pretty good results. Then you get some meat and more flavor than mushrooms bring. Oh and the Bacon and Egg Pizza on the blog packs quite a bit of flavor (thank you, bacon). The other pizzas that I’ve posted have fairly subtle flavors, so maybe that one would be more up your alley if it fits your diet.
Having to switch to a low sodium life-style is very new to us. Want to try out this recipe as it looks delicious, but was wondering if we could opt out of the nutritional yeast if that would change too much? Maybe substitute parmesan cheese? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I haven’t tested it without the nutritional yeast, but I think it will work just fine without it. Fresh parmesan is high in sodium (over 400 mg per ounce), so make sure that if you decide to use it that it will fit within your diet restrictions. Good luck!
This is amazing! I did add a 1/4 cup of mixed Emmenthaler and old Cheddar cheese and a splash more milk. It made enough for 6 side portions. Totally yum!
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So glad you like it!
Very interested in trying this, however, would you know how much potassium is in this? My mom is on a low sodium and low potassium diet. Thank you
Sorry, I don’t know how much potassium is in it. I don’t have a simple way to calculate it for all my recipes, so I haven’t done it thus far. I know a lot of folks would like this so hopefully one day I will have some more time to commit to the blog to get this feature added.
No worries. Thank you! We’re actually gonna give it a whirl tonight. 😁
I have been on low sodium diet for quite some time and I miss eating macaroni and cheese. Thanks to this recipe I can once again enjoy a perfect side with my chicken dinners. I love the flavor of this and it came out perfectly good. I will definitely share this recipe with my friends and family. Thank you so much for this recipe
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So glad you like it!
Great recipe! I thinned it a bit with a touch more milk, and added some smoked paprika, which really enhanced the flavor nicely. Very good and great low sodium addition to my recipe book!
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After making put in 350 oven and baked for 30 minutes, it was delish! Definitely will be making again!
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I’m getting ready to try this recipe, but 2 cups of dry macaroni seems a bit high for 3 servings. The nutrition facts on the macaroni box claim 1/4 dry macaroni per serving, or 3/4 cup total. What to you think of the discrepancy?
Hi there. The discrepancy is just the difference between what I’m calling a serving and what the box of macaroni is calling a serving. I serve this as a main course, so the serving size is bigger. If you are eating it as a side dish or have a smaller appetite, then you will each a much smaller portion. A 1/4 of dry macaroni will make a much smaller portion (about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup cooked), which is realistic as a side dish.
2 cups of macaroni seems high to you for 3 people? My gosh am I the only one here who has a substantial apatite and doesn’t eat like a bird. I mean the whole recipe only has 2 oz of cheese in it not counting the cream cheese. This recipe as written was enough to make 2 sides for us. It most definitely wasn’t enough for 3 people to have a side and most certainly wasn’t enough for a main course. I mean I know everyone is different and eat different amounts but holy cow I would still be super hungry after the couple bite servings this makes. It’s literally 1cup prepared per person. Definitely not enough for main course.
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Can this be frozen if I make a larger batch?
I have read that other people often freeze macaroni and cheese with success, but since I’ve not tried freezing this myself I can’t guarantee results. Good luck!
This came out fantastic, I added 1 ounce of fat free cheddar and I also put in some smoked paprika.
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I made this for Joe last night and got the highest compliment–“this is as good as Kathy’s”! Delicious!!
Very creamy. Thanks for being such a wonderful cook and human being, dear Kathy.
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Oh my gosh! I just made this for a potluck tonight and it is so good!! This is now my “go to” Mac & cheese!
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Is it best to use low moisture shredded mozzarella or fresh mozzarella?
I use low moisture shredded mozzarella (Kraft has the lowest I’ve seen at 150 mg per 1/4 cup). I haven’t tried fresh mozzarella in this and I’m not sure if it would work well because it has such a high moisture level.
can you omit the yeast? or replace with what?
I haven’t tried this yet, but it looks delicious. I just wanted to send an FYI about the mozzarella. In my research for low sodium options I discovered that low moisture mozzarella is higher in sodium that fresh bc of the slight dehydration process low moisture goes through, it bumps up the sodium. Just an fyi if anyone wanted to lower the sodium count a bit more, use fresh mozzarella. And another fyi, masacarpone cream cheese has the lowest sodium and fat in the cream cheese world. Can’t wait to try this recipe! A close friend was just diagnosed with diabetes and CKD III and was put on a low sodium, sugar, protein, fat diet. I love cooking and accepted the challenge to help try to find some good recipes that fit the bill. I know they will be tickled pink when I bring over mac and cheese!
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How kind of you to help your friend with meals! Transitioning to a low sodium diet is tough, and having a friend’s support will help ease that.
You’ve definitely done your homework! You’re absolutely right that fresh mozzarella is lower in sodium (considerably lower) that low-moisture mozz and that mascarpone is a good replacement for cream cheese. Oftentimes I deliberately don’t use the lowest sodium options in my recipes because the extra sodium elevates the flavor. That said, everyone’s dietary restrictions are different, so there’s room to play with some of the recipes.
Good luck as you tinker with the recipes to help your friend on their low-so journey!
Made a triple batch of this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! Nice to have something a bit healthier for my toddler, compared to traditional mac.
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We like things spicy and this goes great with a diced fresh jalapeño, use a fresh pepper if you want to add heat, there’s a disgusting amount of sodium in the canned preparations.
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Hello, I am making this for thanksgiving because my dad is on a low sodium diet. I’m so thankful to find your website with all low sodium recipes! I’m making three different recipes off here for Thanksgiving. My question is, can I make the Mac and cheese ahead of time? Or is it best made the same day? I also have the same question for the low sodium cornbread recipe. Thanks for your help!!!!
The mac and cheese is definitely best the same day it is made. The noodles keep absorbing the liquid and it gets much less creamy. The corn bread will get a bit dryer overnight, but should be okay. I haven’t tested this so it’s a bit of a guess!! Good luck!