Trader Joe's Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods. Who can resist that carby, cheesy goodness? For this reason, I don’t always keep boxed mac and cheese around the house. We’d probably indulge more often than would be good for us.

For the times when we do enjoy boxed mac and cheese, I’m fairly loyal to Kraft. (I love their three cheese shells.) However, my family has also tried a lot of boxed Aldi macaroni and cheese options over the years. They’re better than we expected, and sometimes downright delicious.

While browsing recently at Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi, I realized we have never tried any of the boxed macaroni and cheese selections from TJ’s. It was time to change that. I picked up an organic shells and white cheddar boxed mac. I also picked up a classic cheddar mac and cheese box.

I’m taking a look at the Trader Joe’s Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese kit here.

I paid $0.99 for a 7.25-ounce box of Trader Joe’s Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese at my local store at the time of writing. That’s around 14 cents per ounce. One box has about three servings, which comes out to about 33 cents per serving.

If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains milk and wheat.

One box contains about three 2.5-cup servings. One prepared serving has 390 calories, 17 grams of total fat (22% DV), 10 grams of saturated fat (50% DV), 670 mg of sodium (29% DV), 52 grams of total carbohydrates (19% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (7% DV), 10 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 9 grams of protein.

Trader Joe's Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese — Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

The box has directions for cooking the mac & cheese on the stovetop. You’ll need 4 tablespoons (half a stick) of butter or spread, plus 1/4 cup of milk.

To make the mac and cheese, boil 6 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Stir in the macaroni. Cook 7-9 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Do not rinse. Return pasta to the pan. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of milk, and the cheese packet. Mix well until smooth and creamy, and serve.

The box states you can enjoy this macaroni and cheese on its own, or add diced veggies or protein for a “tasty variation.”

This was family approved and went quickly when I served it. It’s similar to other classic boxed mac and cheeses. If you’re in need of a basic shelf-stable macaroni and cheese, and if you happen to be at Trader Joe’s, this one is just fine.

The Verdict:

Trader Joe’s Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese is a boxed mac and cheese option at Aldi’s cousin. You cook it up on the stovetop, adding butter and milk, just like Kraft macaroni and cheese. This tastes good and is a perfectly decent option if you’re wanting boxed mac and cheese.