Gluten-sensitive Mac and cheese

I don’t know about you, but there is nothing like a warm bowl of Mac n cheese! I usually make this staple around the holidays, but, since recovering from Covid (and during my sickness) it was all I craved! I am on such a Mac n cheese kick and it does not have to be a super unhealthy dish! You can clean it up by making a few simple swaps.

Use gluten free noodles instead of wheat noodles. Wheat is naturally more challenging to digest for a lot of individuals and can cause bloating and digestive issues. I look for an organic rice flour.

Sneak in more fiber by adding riced cauliflower. You won’t taste it and it will add some vegetable nutrients to the dish!

Use a grass-fed cheddar cheese, or do half vegan cheese and half cheddar. Or if you are completely dairy intolerant you can do all vegan cheddar! I have tried some tasty ones that you would never realize are vegan!

MY MAC N CHEESE RECIPE

1 bag frozen riced cauliflower, microwaved (make sure it’s microwaveable) OR 1/2 head caulifower, chopped and steamed until soft and then riced

1 box gluten free noodles of choice, cooked 3-4 mins less than cooking time (they will cook more in the oven)

1-7 oz block of cheddar cheese or 1 small bag of cheddar (I usually prefer to shred my own block of cheese and find that it melts the best.)

1 heaping tbsp grass-fed butter

1 heaping tbsp gluten free flour (optional but lately I add this to help bind)

2-3 tbsp full fat yogurt or milk of choice (don’t use vanilla milk)

1/2 tsp salt and perhaps a little more

1/2 tsp paprika

Black pepper, to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350. Take a medium sized baking dish and grease with butter or cooking spray. Cook the cauliflower accordingly as well as the noodles. Drain the noodles. Take a large mixing bowl and shred the cheese in the bowl and then add the riced cauliflower and hot noodles. Add the salt, paprika, pepper, butter, flour, and yogurt and stir everything really well until cheese is well combined. Pour into the baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 so everything is nice and set! Enjoy!