I tried a recipe for a single serving of mac and cheese. It's packed with protein and only took 20 minutes to make.

Published Sat, Aug 22, 2026

I tried a recipe for a single serving of mac and cheese. It's packed with protein and only took 20 minutes to make.

Paige Bennett

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The writer is holding a bowl of protein-packed mac and cheese. — This protein mac and cheese is so easy to make and is perfect for one person.
Paige Bennett

I'm an absolute fiend for mac and cheese. Ever since I was a kid, I've loved a comforting, cheesy bowl of macaroni, whether it's from a box or homemade.

Unfortunately, adulthood has made it clear that I can't eat mac and cheese every day. So, when I came across this protein-packed, single-serve mac and cheese recipe from Nourish Nutrition, I knew I had to try it.

Along with roughly 23 grams of protein per serving, this dish takes only 20 minutes to make from prep to plate, making it the perfect weekday lunch option to add to my rotation.

Here's how it went making this spin on one of my favorite meals.

The ingredients were simple enough, but I was thrown by the tofu.

Overhead arrangement of mac and cheese ingredients, including shredded cheese, milk, butter, salt, garlic salt, and tofu. — I was surprised that the recipe called for tofu.
Paige Bennett

When I read "creamy protein mac and cheese" in the recipe title, I honestly expected to see Greek yogurt or cottage cheese in the ingredients list.

So, I was surprised to see that tofu was one of the key components of the dish. I like tofu, but I was worried about how it would affect the sauce's flavor. Would it be too earthy?

Besides the tofu, the rest of the ingredients — salt, elbow macaroni, milk, garlic salt, butter, and shredded cheddar cheese — sounded like the start of a fantastic meal.

I boiled the pasta and got to work on the base for the cheese sauce.

A pot of pasta boils on an electric cooktop beside a blender that is mixing a mac and cheese sauce. — Blending the sauce was much faster than the method I usually use for homemade sauces.
Paige Bennett

I started a pot of salted water on the stove to boil. While that was heating up, I shredded some cheese and measured out the rest of my ingredients.

After tossing the noodles into boiling water, I got to work on the sauce, which simply involved blending tofu, milk, and garlic salt — a much faster method than the roux (a mixture of fat and flour) I typically make for homemade mac sauces.

The blended tofu mixture and cheese melted into an ultra-creamy sauce.

Elbow macaroni cooks in a saucepan with shredded cheddar, butter, and milk on a stovetop. — It smelled delicious once the cheese and the tofu mixture melted together.
Paige Bennett

After the pasta was cooked and drained, I dumped in the shredded cheese, butter, and blended tofu mixture.

It only took about 30 seconds for the cheese and tofu mixture to melt together into what looked and smelled like a very promising, luscious sauce.

I was curious whether silken tofu could really be the secret to a creamy cheese sauce.

The sauce started separating slightly once it was in the bowl.

Creamy elbow macaroni sits in a speckled ceramic bowl on a light countertop. — Even though I shredded my own cheese, there was still some separation in the sauce.
Paige Bennett

I served the entire portion of pasta in a bowl, and I was happy to find that this was a generous single serving.

However, I noticed some minor separation in the cheese sauce, despite shredding my own rather than using pre-shredded, which usually has anti-caking agents that prevent a sauce from incorporating smoothly.

Despite the slight break in appearance, the sauce was incredibly smooth.

Spoonful of creamy macaroni and cheese held above a speckled ceramic bowl on a light tabletop. — I was shocked that I couldn't taste the tofu.
Paige Bennett

After noticing the sauce breaking slightly, I braced myself for a gritty or clumpy texture. But alas, this recipe impressed me.

The sauce was silky smooth, and it wasn't super stringy like some cheese sauces can sometimes be. Also, I didn't taste the tofu at all — only cheesy, garlicky goodness.

The recipe took just 20 minutes to make, and I'd only make one change next time.

The writer is holding a bowl of mac and cheese. — I can't wait to make this again, but next time, I'd add more seasoning or some veggies.
Paige Bennett

Making this recipe took me from 1 p.m. to 1:24 p.m., including the time it took for the water to start boiling and the several breaks I took to take photos.

I really enjoyed this mac and cheese and already plan to make it again for a quick, fulfilling lunch.

Moving forward, I think adding some more seasoning, like extra garlic salt and some paprika, would elevate it even more. As a bonus, I think this would also be delicious with veggies, so I may throw in some broccoli, tomatoes, peas, spinach, or zucchini next time.

Overall, this is such a simple recipe that's easy to customize. I already know it'll be a staple for my future solo meals.