Listen, I’m going to tell you right now…you don’t need to buy another boxed mac n cheese again in your life. This homemade bone broth mac+cheese is the only recipe you’ll ever need to make all of your from scratch comfort food dreams come true.
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I asked my Instagram following if they had ever made homemade mac before, and many hadn’t even tried! Some shared that they’ve even tried multiple homemade from others and the word “awful” was mentioned. Yikes. Be thankful if you’ve never had to experience that awkward situation, LOL. Other reasons given were thinking it’d be too complicated to make.
The truth is, this is one of the easiest and simplest things I make in my kitchen on a regular basis, and I can’t go back to boxed now!
Make Homemade Bone Broth Mac+Cheese Your Way
Not only is this recipe super simple, it’s also very forgiving. Don’t have heavy cream? Replace that with all milk. Don’t have bone broth? Just use water, but consider it won’t be as filling or nutrient dense. Don’t want to use paprika? It’s totally optional! Don’t need gluten-free noodles? Use whatever you normally would! Don’t have all of the cheeses listed? Just use cheddar, it’ll still turn out okay!
I’ve made this various different ways over the years. Leftover shredded chicken or sliced and fried grass-fed hotdogs will give a bigger protein punch. Minced steamed broccoli is a delicious and nutritious addition. Make it your way!
Why Avoid the Boxed Stuff?
Sure, there are “better” brands out there these days. Kraft isn’t the only option anymore, and Annie’s even makes a grass-fed option. However, just because there are better options today, doesn’t mean something coming straight out of a box is ever going to compare nutritionally to something created from whole foods you probably already have in your own kitchen. Better isn’t always great.
Are these the worst things you can put in your body? Arguably not. Are there better things you can choose to put in your body? Absolutely.
Consider those ingredient lists above in comparison to what you’d use in this homemade version:
- chicken bone broth
- raw milk
- heavy cream
- salted butter
- sea salt
- sharp raw cheddar
- gruyère cheese
- pecorino romano cheese
- paprika
- pasta of choice (this one from Jovial is my personal favorite)
Not a huge difference between this and the boxed ingredients above, but the differences that are there are worth the quick online search to make sure it’s something you’re comfortable putting into you or your family’s body.
Finding Ingredients for Homemade Bone Broth Mac + Cheese
I’m a huge recommender of homemade bone broth, and this situation is no exception. It’s so much more affordable than buying the good stuff in the store, and the cheaper stuff you can purchase just doesn’t compare to a good homemade broth.
If you’re looking for raw milk in your area, be sure to check RealMilk.com‘s Real Milk Finder. Local to Houston or San Antonio areas like I am? Be sure to checkout Texas Farm to Home‘s home delivery service to source yours. If you’re curious about why in the world someone would buy raw milk, you can learn more on my Raw Milk blog post here.
I love Kalona Super Natural dairy products for things like heavy cream, cottage cheese, and much more. Use their Store Locator to find it near you!
I purchase Kerrygold grass-fed (or Kirkland’s new grass-fed butter), the Gruyère cheese and Pecorino Romano from Costco.
My sharp cheddar cheese is usually this one from Azure Standard, and sometimes this one if the other is out of stock.
As mentioned previously, Jovial noodles are my go-to. I’ve never had better gluten-free noodles, and their ingredients are simply organic brown rice and water, that’s IT! You can use any of their noodles with success in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite noodles!
Give it a Try
If it sounds daunting to skip the pre-made boxed stuff, just make a plan to try this just one time. If you find you never want to try that again, then you don’t have to! You won’t know if it’s something you can manage if you don’t try, so give this homemade bone broth mac+cheese a shot!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
adult servings
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- 2 cups chicken bone broth find my recipe to make your own for best results!
- 1 cup raw milk can also use regular, whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tb salted butter
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
- 12 oz pasta of choice Jovial gluten-free is our favorite
- 3/4 cup sharp raw cheddar
- 3/4 cup Gruyère cheese
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika can use regular, if preferred, or omit
Ingredients
|
|
- Slowly bring broth, milk, cream, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan or heavy enameled dutch oven. Meanwhile, shred your cheese, if needed.
- Add pasta and stir until broth mixture comes to a boil again.
- Reduce heat to a slow and steady simmer. Stir occasionally for 2 more minutes than instructions on box/bag of noodles indicates for cooking time.
- Turn heat off and stir in cheeses and paprika, if using.
- Let stand for a few minutes, serve into bowls, top with fresh cracked black pepper and enjoy!
Ideas to add to this recipe: -sautéed and sliced grass-fed hot dogs -cooked, shredded chicken -steamed, finely chopped broccoli -etc. This recipe is very customizable. If you don’t have the exact cheeses listed above, don’t sweat it! Use what you have, get creative. Bone broth, while an extremely nourishing and protein addition, can also be replaced with water (be sure to cook noodles one minute less if choosing to use water). Can easily double this recipe to feed more! It doubles beautifully. On it’s own, this recipe feeds roughly 4 adults, or in our case: 2 adults and 3 children ages 7, 4, and 1. This recipe was inspired from the recipe on the back of the Jovial Macaroni noodle box, and they have many other fantastic macaroni and cheese recipes available on their blog as well.
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