Follow Your Swallow

Pureed Macaroni & Cheese

4

Level 4: Extremely Thick / Pureed · 25 min · serves 2

Pureed Macaroni & Cheese prepared as an illustrative IDDSI Level 4 serving
Serving illustration. Follow the measurements below and run the IDDSI test before serving.

The family’s version

  • Baked macaroni and cheese
  • Browned cheese top
  • Breadcrumbs

The Level 4 version

  • 180 g macaroni, cooked very soft
  • 250 ml smooth cheese sauce
  • 60 ml warm milk as needed
  • 1 tbsp cream cheese
  1. Cook the macaroni well beyond al dente until it breaks apart under a fork.
  2. Blend pasta, warm cheese sauce, and cream cheese until no pasta pieces remain.
  3. Pass through a fine sieve and add warm milk a spoonful at a time if the puree is sticky or too firm.
  4. Check that it holds a soft mound, is not gluey, and slides off the spoon in one cohesive spoonful.
  5. Serve without baked crust, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, or any chewy browned pieces.
EquipmentBlender, fine sieve, spoon and fork for testing
SLP tipPasta starch can turn gluey quickly; extra smooth sauce is safer than blending longer once the pasta is smooth.

Before serving: run the spoon tilt and fork drip tests on the finished plate. Recipes guide you to a texture. Only the test confirms it.

Run the guided test →