Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese

Today's experiment was all about making a good roux with something other than wheat flour.  I did a little research on the internet and discovered that sweet rice flour was a good choice.  I picked some up at Whole Foods (love them!) yesterday, along with some gluten-free macaroni.  I figured as long as I was making a roux, I could turn it into cheese sauce and make some comfort food!

Here's the recipe I created by blending several old favorites:

3 T Butter
3 T Sweet Rice Flour
1 C Skim Milk
1/2 C Whole Milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
8 oz Gluten-Free Macaroni

I used a combination of skim and whole milk to lower the calories while still enjoying a little bit of the flavor and consistency of the whole milk.

First I started the macaroni boiling so it could be working while I made the sauce.

For the sauce, I melted the butter in a pan, then added the flour and whisked to blend.  I let it boil for 5 minutes to make sure the flour was cooked well.  Then I slowly added the milk while whisking, and when mixed, I let the sauce boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  As soon as I started adding the milk, I could see that it was going to thicken up nicely (see the picture).  The picture looks like oatmeal, but the sauce smoothed out nicely as soon as I whisked it.  I gradually added the shredded cheese, allowing it to melt completely.

Once the macaroni was done, I added it to the sauce, mixed well, and poured it all into a casserole dish.  It baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 


Here's what it looked like when it was done.

Some gluten-free bread crumbs would have been great on top, but I didn't have any. Oops! If you'd like to make it a little healthier, you could try adding some veggies. Most kids won't mind some veggies when they are smothered with mac and cheese!

For the macaroni, I used Orgran rice and corn pasta macaroni. My family and I thought the flavor and texture were very good. Other websites have recommended Jovial, Schar and Ancient Harvest for good gluten-free pastas. I'll have to try them another time.

I didn't tell my husband or mother-in-law that it was gluten-free when I served the dinner. They both liked it and didn't know the difference. I figure that's the best endorsement possible!

Now that we have a good roux recipe, there's all kinds of things that we can make! I'll try converting some more recipes soon.

What have you been cooking lately?