Creamy Mac and Cheese Gluten Free, Dairy Free (Stove-Top Recipe)

LawyerMom's Note:

I could not believe how unbelievable this macaroni and cheese recipe is! It looked just like mac and cheese out of a box (which is what my dd knew and loved) and tasted great. As someone who eats dairy regularly, nothing beats the original. But I have to admit that I would be willing to eat this stuff on its own, it tastes that good, but only if I acknowledge it as pasta in sauce, not as mac and cheese per se. But my dd hasn't had cheese in over a year, and she thinks this stuff is manna from heaven. Takes only about 20 minutes to prepare--and all on the stove! Gluten free, soy free, dairy free, casein free, etc. Heck, it's even a vegan recipe if you get the right noodles! Please leave feedback and advice on any variations. Thanks!

• Total Time: 23 mins
• Prep Time: 3 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 6.0

• 1 (8 ounce) box gluten free macaroni noodles (preferably corn-quinoa blend)
• 3/4 cup mimiccreme brand non-dairy coffee creamer
• 3/4 cup almond milk (or rice milk)
• 1 -2 cup of daiya brand gfcf cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons gfcf margarine (Earth Balance can work too)
• 3 tablespoons potato starch (or corn or tapioca starch)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to box directions. (I prefer Ancient Quinoa Harvest gluten free pasta--that stuff tastes better than real wheat pasta.).
2. Either in a separate pot, or in the same pot (once you remove and drain the pasta), make a roux by melting the margarine and then whisking in the potato/corn/tapioca starch until well blended and you have a thick paste. Use a medium-low flame and work quickly.
3. Add the non-dairy creamer and the almond/rice milk. Continue to whisk to blend well on medium heat. You should have a nice white sauce.
4. Add the Daiya cheese. Stir until completely melted (no lumps). This may take longer than expected--Daiya cheese takes much longer to melt entirely than real cheese.
5. Add the rest of the spices and stir. If you have any other mac & cheese variations, add those ingredients now. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk or creamer; if it's too thin, add more starch (slowly and sparingly).
6. When the sauce is at the desired consistency, pour in your pasta and coat with the sauce. Serve hot! To reheat leftovers, you may need to add more liquid and reheat on the stove since the "cheese sauce" tends to congeal thickly when cooled.
7. Enjoy!

Reviews

[jbrosocal]

This is wonderful! My daughter is both gluten and dairy free and we have been in search of a worthy mac-n-cheese. I have tried all the boxed and frozen options on the market and they are expensive and not at all adequate. I have also been searching the web for various recipes and have tried many...NONE come close to this! Thank you...thank you...thank you. My daughter and I LOVE this, in fact, it is better than "traditional" mac and cheese!

[Nikoma]

Finally! I get my Mac N Cheese fix! I've tried 4 recipes over the past few months trying to quell this craving and none of them have done a thing for me. This one worked out very well. It's the first one that I dared serve my omni fiance as well, and he thought it was good and went back for seconds! After just having had the real thing a few days ago. Yay! As I'm not avoiding gluten I did use regular macaroni, and I'm sure I used more then 8 oz as this makes quite a bit of cheez sauce. I kept adding until I felt it was right. I used all unsweetened almond milk since I never have creamer. Added a bit extra Nutritional yeast and mustard powder. This was so good and creamy! I also tried baking it with breadcrumbs and tomatoes on top. Fabulous. It is missing a little something I can't put my finger on. It needs a little more twang for my taste. Maybe some more spice. But that's personal preference. Thanks for the recipe!