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Velveeta Shells & Cheese facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Velveeta Shells & Cheese
Velveeta Shells & Cheese.jpg
Owner Kraft Heinz
Introduced 1984; 41 years ago (1984)
Related brands Kraft Dinner

Velveeta Shells & Cheese is a popular food that mixes shell-shaped pasta with a creamy cheese sauce. It first came out in the United States in 1984. This product is part of the larger Velveeta brand. It tastes and feels very similar to macaroni and cheese. One cool thing about it is that it's a shelf-stable food, meaning it can stay fresh in your pantry for a long time.

Different Kinds of Velveeta Shells & Cheese

You can find Velveeta Shells & Cheese in several exciting varieties.

  • Original Style: This is the classic creamy cheese and shell pasta.
  • 2% Milk Style: This version uses a cheese sauce made with 2% milk. It has 50% less fat than the original.
  • Bold Flavors: You can also find "bold" flavors like chipotle and jalapeño. These come with extra flavor packets to mix in.
    • The jalapeño flavor is known for being quite spicy.
    • The chipotle flavor has a strong taste from Mexican seasonings like cumin.
  • Other Shapes and Flavors:
    • There are versions with larger or smaller shells.
    • You can also find it with rotini spiral pasta.
    • A whole grain version is available for those who prefer it.
    • There's even a bacon-flavored option!

What's Inside: Ingredients

Velveeta Shells & Cheese is made with shell pasta from enriched wheat flour. The creamy cheese sauce is mostly milk-based.

Key ingredients in the cheese sauce include:

  • Whey
  • Water
  • Whey protein concentrate
  • Milk protein concentrate

It also contains small amounts of other ingredients like lactic acid and sorbic acid to help keep it fresh and tasty.

How It's Made and Advertised

Kraft Foods first started selling Velveeta cheese products in 1927. Later, Kraft Foods and Heinz joined together in 2015 to form The Kraft Heinz Company.

Velveeta Shells & Cheese is made in large amounts and sold in different sizes. You can buy it in single-serving cups, in boxes, and in family-sized packages.

Kraft Heinz continues to advertise Velveeta Shells & Cheese. They often share recipes and cooking ideas on their website. You might have seen their TV commercials, which sometimes call the product "liquid gold" because of its smooth, cheesy texture.

See also