Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. But when you’re gluten intolerant and dairy intolerant and maybe soy intolerant, too, like my daughter is, that sort of comfort can seem out of reach. Well, no more! We’ve taken an old favorite family recipe from my mother-in-law, handed down from her mother-in-law, sadly neither of whom are still with us, but their memory lives on in this recipe. We’ve adapted it to be gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free. The original version of this macaroni and cheese was wonderful and you can certainly use real cheese and milk in this if you want to, but if that’s not an option for you – you will be thrilled with this version! We made it for the first time last week and we all really enjoyed it – food sensitive or not. My daughter liked this mac and cheese so much, she coerced me into making it again this week!
A Healthier Macaroni and Cheese
I don’t normally do pasta all that often, because of the high carbohydrate concentration, but this was brown rice pasta so it’s got some fiber, which helps slow down the glucose going into your bloodstream. And in contrast to the dairy version of this dish, most of the fats, which come from the almond milk and the canola and safflower oils in the cheese, are heart-healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats. There is a small amount of saturated fat from coconut oil in the cheese, the bacon, from which we drain a lot of the fat and the ham, which was 97% fat free, but those meats add a lot of flavor.
Recipe Variations
There are multiple variations you could do on this dish. Cooked turkey sausage is an alternative to the meats used. If you’re vegan, dispense with the meats and fish sauce (soy sauce or chickpea miso could substitute for that) and try a can of drained diced tomatoes and/or spinach wilted in a skillet with a little oil or maybe diced apples – apples and cheese just naturally go together. Or combine some meats and veggies if your diet allows. If you like you can mix some gluten-free breadcrumbs and a little melted margarine and sprinkle on top for a crusty topping. However you decide to make this macaroni and cheese, it’s comfort food of the highest order!
- 10 oz gluten free elbow macaroni – I used Tinkyada brown rice elbows.
- 3 slices bacon
- 8 oz low fat cubed ham – I used a 97% fat free variety
- 2 Tbsp gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free margarine (Earth Balance makes one)
- ¼ cup sweet rice flour (also called glutinous rice flour, found at Asian markets)
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ¾ tsp fish sauce
- 3 cups almond milk
- 1 tsp instant minced onion
- 8 oz Daiya brand shredded mozzarella
- 4 oz Daiya brand shredded cheddar
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions – start tasting it a couple minutes before it’s due to be done so you catch it when it’s al dente – not too chewy, but not completely soft either.
- Chop the bacon and cook it in a large saucepan until browned but not crisp.
- Remove bacon to paper towels and drain off all but 2 Tbsp of the bacon fat.
- Return pan to heat and add 2 Tbsp margarine and melt.
- Add sweet rice flour and mustard, salt and pepper.
- Cook stirring 2 minutes. (It will not brown like a wheat flour roux would.)
- Add the almond milk in a little at a time (to avoid lumps) whisking it around.
- Add the minced onion and fish sauce (this was Worcestershire sauce in the original recipe but that contains soy – the fish sauce works great as a substitute.)
- Cook the sauce over medium high heat stirring frequently until it thickens a bit.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until it melts.
- Mix elbows, sauce, bacon and ham in a 13 X 9 inch casserole dish.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes.
- Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
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