Gluten Free Mac and Cheese Recipe

gluten free mac and cheese in white bowl with metal spoon

Fast and easy gluten free mac and cheese is made on the stovetop in 20 minutes or less. Leave the oven off and have everyone's favorite creamy, cheesy side dish anyway!

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 22

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

12 ounces dried gluten free elbow noodles I like Rummo brand GF elbow macaroni
1 ¼ tablespoons (18 g) extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter chopped
¼ cup (35 g) gum free gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
12 fluid ounces evaporated milk at room temperature
1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) (regular) milk plus more as necessary, at room temperature
3 cups (12 ounces) cheddar cheese shredded
½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Instructions

Prepare the pasta

Boil the pasta in a large pasta pot to an al dente texture, according to the package directions.
Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the hot pasta water in a heat-safe container.
Rinse the drained pasta with warm water, and drain it again.
Return the cooked pasta to the pasta pot or to a large mixing bowl, and toss it with olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
Cover the pasta pot or bowl, and set it aside.

Make ahead option

You can place the cooked pasta in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it out at room temperature for up to 8 hours before proceeding with the recipe.

Make the cheese sauce (see recipe notes for alternative sauce)

In a medium-sized, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the butter and cook over medium heat until it’s just melted.
Add the flour blend and whisk to combine well. The mixture will clump at first, and then smooth out.
Cook the butter and flour mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it has just begun to turn a very light brown color (about 2 minutes).
Add the evaporated milk to the roux very slowly, stirring constantly to break up any lumps that might form.
Add 1 1/2 cups of regular milk, and whisk to combine well.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, still over medium heat.
Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened and reduced by about one-quarter (about 7 minutes).
When it's ready, the sauce should coat the back of a spoon and be thickly pourable. If it seems too thick to pour, whisk in a little bit more milk or some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up a bit. If it's too thin, allow it simmer for a bit longer.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and place it on a heat-safe surface.
Add the grated cheese and mix to combine with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until the cheese is fully melted.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and add more milk or reserved pasta water a bit at a time if you prefer a thinner cheese sauce.

Finish the dish

Pour the hot cheese sauce over the cooked pasta in the pot, and fold the pasta carefully into the sauce using a silicone spatula.
Turn it over gently, to avoid breaking the pasta, until all of the pasta is coated in the sauce.
Serve immediately.

Notes

For the gf flour blend

In place of the gum-free gluten free flour blend, you can use an equal amount of superfine sweet white rice flour or half superfine white rice flour and half tapioca starch/flour. You can also use cornstarch, but a sauce thickened with cornstarch tends to leak liquid as it cools.

Alternate flourless cheese sauce

You can avoid using any flour entirely by making a cheese sauce with dehydrated cheddar cheese:

12 ounces gluten free elbow macaroni prepared as described above
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) milk
3/4 cup (84 grams) dehydrated cheddar cheese powder
7 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter chopped

In a small saucepan, place the milk and then the dehydrated cheese. Whisk until very smooth. The powder will resist combining at first. Add the butter, and place the mixture over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking frequently, until the butter is melted.

Cook until the mixture begins to simmer, still whisking frequently. Cook briefly, until the mixture is creamy and slightly thickened.

The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and/or pepper to taste. Fold the cooked pasta gently into the sauce, and serve immediately.

Nutritional information.

Nutrition information is an estimate only per serving, assuming that the dish is divided into 4 equal portions. It is created using an online nutritional calculator as a courtesy and is not to be relied upon.

Nutrition

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