Recipe: Dr. Uma's Healthy-ish Mac & Cheese
In her book, "Calm Your Mind With Food," nutritional psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo presents a guide to relieving anxiety through diet. She offers "Sunday Morning" viewers a variation on a classic comfort food. She writes:
"Mac and cheese is a comfort food for many; the concept here is to enjoy a healthier version using nutrition science.
"My version of this classic replaces most of the cheese with a cauliflower puree for the fiber and antioxidant goodness. Cooking the past ahead and cooling it fully before combining it into the dish helps reduce glycemic index."
Healthy-ish Mac & Cheese
By Uma Naidoo, MD
Serves 6
Time: 45 mins.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups macaroni
- 2 cups frozen cauliflower florets
- 1 ½ cups almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions:
For the pasta:
At least an hour before making the dish, boil salted water in a medium pot and cook the macaroni per the instructions on the box. This will yield roughly 3 cups cooked macaroni. Drain and cool in the fridge. Macaroni can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For the Mac and Cheese:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the cauliflower in a medium glass bowl and steam in the microwave for 2-5 minutes, or until soft and tender.
Add the cauliflower and milk to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth (if it's too thick, like a paste, add more milk until it has the consistency of a sauce).
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Add the salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, garlic, and herbs, stirring gently. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the cooled macaroni to the warm sauce. Gently mix in the Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Pour the mixture into a 9-by-9-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.
From "Calm Your Mind With Food" by Uma Naidoo, MD. Copyright © 2023 by Uma Naidoo. used with permission of Little, Brown Spark, an imprint t of Little, Brown and Company, New York, N.Y. All rights reserved.
For more info:
- "Calm Your Mind With Food: A Revolutionary Guide to Controlling Your Anxiety" by Uma Naidoo, MD (Little, Brown Spark), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
- Dr. Uma Naidoo
Check out more recipes from the "Sunday Morning" 2025 Food Issue Recipe Index!