Gluten-Free Macaroni Cheese
This Gluten-Free Macaroni Cheese is creamy, comforting and easy to make at home. How to choose the best gluten-free pasta and make the smoothest cheese sauce.
Servings: 8
Calories: 676kcal
Ingredients
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 50 g cassava flour
- 1000 g whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 200 g gruyère grated
- 200 g mature cheddar cheese grated
- 50 g parmesan grated
- 350 g gluten-free macaroni pasta
Extra Cheese Topping
- 20 g parmesan grated
- 50 g cheddar cheese grated
Breadcrumb Topping
- 100 g gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 30 g unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan assisted / gas mark 5 / 375°F.
- To make the cheese sauce melt the butter in a saucepan then turn the heat to low and add the cassava flour. Mix together until a smooth roux has formed and keep on cooking for about two minutes.
- Turn the heat up to low/medium then gradually pour the whole milk into the roux, stirring all the time until all the milk has been added and the sauce is thick and smooth.
- Add the bay leaves, white pepper, salt, nutmeg and Dijon mustard. Stir these ingredients in then keep on stirring until the sauce gently starts to bubble.
- Finally add in all of the cheese and stir in until melted, thick, very smooth and gently bubbling.
- Remove from the heat, cover the surface of the sauce with cling film or baking parchment, then allow to rest whilst you prepare the pasta.
- Bring a large saucepan of water up to a boil with ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Once boiling, add the macaroni. Allow it to come to a boil again and simmer for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat, drain, then pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Remove the cling film / baking parchment from the cheese sauce and whisk it well to remove any lumps which have formed during the resting time.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni pasta and stir to combine them. Pour the macaroni cheese into a large baking dish.
- Sprinkle the extra grated cheese topping over the macaroni cheese.
- In a small bowl combine the gluten-free breadcrumbs, melted butter, salt and pepper until the butter has coated the breadcrumbs evenly.
- Sprinkle the buttery breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the macaroni cheese.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- During this time turn your grill on to pre-heat. After the macaroni cheese has finished cooking, place the dish under the grill for 5-10 minutes until the cheese and breadcrumbs have turned beautifully golden.
Video
Notes
This recipe serves 6-8 as a main dish or 10-12 as a side dish.
Cassava flour. Sweet rice flour can be used instead (not regular rice flour). I don’t recommend using cornflour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour for this particular recipe. Cornflour needs to be used in a slurry which works very well in my alternative quick method sauce. All-purpose gluten-free flour or rice flour can be too gritty and won’t create a smooth velvety result.
- To avoid soggy or overcooked pasta then undercook it on it par-boil. It only needs to cook for about 2 minutes before draining.
- I recommend adding the pasta to the sauce directly after cooking. However, if by any chance, it’s hanging around then the pasta can stick together. You can add 1-2 teaspoons of butter to the pasta after cooking to coat the tubes then lay them out onto a single layer of a baking tray on parchment to avoid this.
- Here's a guide to making your own gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Nutrition
Calories: 676kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 901mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1230IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 746mg | Iron: 1mg