Cheese Club Mac & Cheese Made with Chickpea Pasta

My family loves carby pasta, even though we know it’s not the healthiest food. We try to make it a little better for us by serving the organic no-sugar-added marinara sauce Aldi sells, but still …

Then, we tried pasta made from chickpea flour. Aldi sells it among the other boxed pasta options, and it’s ready to boil and use in your own recipes. It’s closer to the texture of traditional pasta than we expected, and when you serve it with sauce, cheese, and/or a protein like meatballs or grilled chicken, it tastes pretty good. Even better, chickpea pasta has plenty of good-for-you protein and fiber.

Last summer, I discovered some new chickpea pasta selections at Aldi. The grocer is selling boxed chickpea pasta macaroni and cheese kits that you prepare just like your favorite box of Kraft mac & cheese, right down to the envelope of powdered cheese sauce. They come in two varieties: shells with white cheddar or elbows with classic cheddar.

It was an easy decision to drop these in my shopping cart to try at home.

Cheese Club Mac & Cheese Made with Chickpea Pasta is a Regular Buy. That means it should be available year round at Aldi. You’ll find it in the aisle with the other dry pastas and jarred sauces.

We bought this ourselves, and we paid $2.69 per 5.5-ounce box in the summer of 2025. It’s still $2.69 per box as of June of 2026, and I buy it regularly at this point. It comes out to about 49 cents per ounce. Each box contains about two 1-cup servings when prepared.

The boxes state:

Why chickpea? Chickpeas are full of protein and fiber for feel-good benefits that just happen to taste even better with cheese sauce. One bite, and you’ll wonder where these nourishing noodles have been all your life!

The box also mentions this pasta has a “low glycemic index for steady blood sugar” and is “free from common allergies and gluten.” These mac & cheese kits do, however, contain milk.

Nutrition Facts and Ingredients:

The pasta ingredients are chickpea pasta (chickpeas, pea starch, tapioca, and xanthan gum). The pasta in these kits has more ingredients than the dry, plain boxed chickpea pasta Aldi sells, which lists only chickpea flour as an ingredient.

The cheese envelope for the shells with white cheddar mac has the following ingredients: cheddar cheese (cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes), dry buttermilk, salt, disodium phosphate, and lactic acid.

The cheese envelope for the elbows with classic cheddar has the following ingredients: cheddar cheese (cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes), nonfat dry milk, dry buttermilk, butter (cream, salt), salt, lactic acid, disodium phosphate, extractives of annatto, and extractives of paprika.

While these have a few processed ingredients, it’s less than what you’d see on a typical box of traditional mac & cheese.

One 1-cup prepared serving of the shells and white cheddar chickpea mac has 280 calories, 8 grams of total fat (10% DV), 3 grams of saturated fat (15% DV), 578 mg of sodium (25% DV), 40 grams of total carbohydrates (15% DV), 7 grams of dietary fiber (25% DV), 5 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 17 grams of protein.

One 1-cup prepared serving of the elbows and classic cheddar chickpea mac has 281 calories, 8 grams of total fat (10% DV), 3 grams of saturated fat (15% DV), 605 mg of sodium (27% DV), 40 grams of total carbohydrates (15% DV), 7 grams of dietary fiber (25% DV), 5 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 16 grams of protein.

Both varieties have a carbs-to-fiber ratio of 5.7:1, which is good.

Preparation Instructions:

The boxes have directions for preparing this on the stovetop. Bring a medium pot of water (about 6 cups) to a rolling boil. Add noodles and reduce to a simmer. Cook to desired firmness, about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently (expect foam). Strain, rinse with water, and return to the warm pot. Add 1/4 cup of lowfat milk and the cheese packet to the pot. Mix well and enjoy. (Optional: add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter for a richer flavor.)

 

How They Taste:

These are easy to prepare just like regular mac & cheese. They also taste really good. My family likes the shells with white cheddar best, but the elbows with classic cheddar are just fine as well. I’ve been stocking our home pantry with a few boxes for easy lunches or dinner side dishes.

The Verdict:

Cheese Club Mac & Cheese Made with Chickpea Pasta comes in two varieties: shells with white cheddar and elbows with classic cheddar. These have a good amount of fiber and protein, making them better for you than traditional pasta. They include a few processed ingredients, but overall we like the ingredients list for these better than regular mac & cheese kits. Also, these taste good. We like the shells with white cheddar best.