In just 5 minutes you can have a cheesy, protein-packed dinner ready to go! Make this Protein Instant Pot Mac and Cheese for the ultimate kitchen hack you’ll ever do. This Protein Mac and Cheese made in the Instant Pot is made with 100% whole grain noodles, cottage cheese, and a little Greek yogurt for extra creaminess.
FRIENDS.
If you do not have an Instant Pot yet…THEN PRETEND IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND BUY YOURSELF ONE ALREADY.
It took Linley and I almost a year to muster up and buy one and then another year to start using it. Now, we just can’t stop! Linley is really the Instant Pot queen in the Fit Foodie kitchen and I like to call myself the ultimate taste tester. We really are a dream team :P We get the question all the time, what Instant Pot do you have? We have the 6-quart one and it retails for $99. It really seems like the perfect size for everything we’ve made and I’m not sure I’d want to go bigger if I had the chance.
Now that I’ve convinced you to buy an Instant Pot…let’s talk PROTEIN Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.
What makes this protein mac and cheese? The addition of cottage cheese and a little Greek yogurt. Linley and I have been a wee bit obsessed with cottage cheese lately. I feel like in college I was super into cottage cheese, but the nonfat kind. Then, for about 5 years I took a major cottage cheese break. Well, I’m back on the train and now I’m more of a fat-filled cottage cheese kind of girl. It’s just so creamy and delicious and satisfying and yummy and the best snack ever. For this recipe, we used 2%, but you can really use any fat % you want! Let’s check out what else you need for this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese!
Here’s What You Need
- Elbow macaroni noodles
- Chicken broth
- Ghee (or butter)
- Garlic powder
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- 2% cottage cheese (any % will work)
- Nonfat Greek yogurt
- Dijon mustard
Have I mentioned that this protein mac and cheese recipe only takes 5 whopping minutes to make? Well, 5 minutes inside the Instant Pot, that is! I’d say this will take 15 minutes TOPS and there’s no boiling of water involved.
Kitchen Hack: Protein Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
In just 5 minutes you can have a cheesy, protein-packed dinner ready to go! Make this Protein Instant Pot Mac and Cheese for the ultimate kitchen hack you’ll ever do. This Protein Mac and Cheese made in the Instant Pot is made with 100% whole grain noodles, cottage cheese, and a little Greek yogurt for extra creaminess.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 16 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni (normal pasta works too!)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons ghee (or butter)
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese (any % will work)
- 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place macaroni noodles, broth, ghee, garlic powder, and dijon mustard into the Instant Pot and mix well.
- Set your Instant Pot by making sure the pressure valve is turned to seal. Then, press manual. Turn your pressure to high pressure and set time to 5 minutes. Then, let the Instant Pot do its thing.
- When the time on the instant pot runs out, quick release the pressure by turning the pressure valve to vent. Be careful, the steam is hot!
- Remove the Instant Pot lid and give the noodles a quick stir. Then, add the cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, salt and pepper to the noodles. Stir until creamy*.
- Remove mac and cheese from Instant Pot and enjoy!
Notes
*If the cottage cheese isn’t melting, turn on the saute function on your instant pot and stir.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 recipe
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 5
- Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 56
- Fiber: 8
- Protein: 23
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That is all for now! I’m peacing out to Costa Rica tomorrow with Mark, my sister, and brother in law and I can’t wait. Follow me on Instagram to see what I’m up to and get ready for some delish recipes we’ve got coming up next week while I’m gone :D
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