Rosy Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Ok, full disclosure: I did NOT cook this! Nope, fabulous my husband did.  I told my husband the other day that I was in the mood for comfort food, i.e. mac ‘n’ cheese.  He said what he always says, “ok.”  It was Saturday morning and I proceeded to walk out the door to go grocery shopping. 

When I arrived home from the store, I found him and my son sitting in front of the TV, pen in hand, watching America’s Test Kitchen.  It happened that they were making mac ‘n’ cheese on the episode, so dear husband was writing down the ingredients.  Can you say perfect timing?

Now here is the kicker: The version of mac ‘n’ cheese they were making had tomatoes in it.  My husband is allergic, and I mean really allergic, to tomatoes.  I took one look at him and said, “I am not making two different dishes for dinner.”

To that he responded, “Ok, I’ll do it.”

Not cook dinner?  You don’t have to say that twice! 

Not only did I get great mac ‘n’ cheese for dinner, but I didn’t even have to make it.  Talk about a good night! 

As mentioned, this recipe is adapted from America’s test kitchen. 

*If you are not gluten free, use regular pasta and the recipe will still be great.

Rosy Mac ‘n’ Cheese

1 lb gluten free pasta* (I like Trader Joe’s gluten free rotini)
2 cups half & half
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 – 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
4 tbsp oat flour or brown rice flour (or regular flour if you’re not gluten free)
3 tbsp butter
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook pasta until it is al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water.  Place in bowl and add can of tomatoes with liquid. Stir thoroughly.  Let sit for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The pasta will soak up all the excess liquid from the tomatoes.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat.  Add flour and stir to create rue.  Once mixture is bubbly and starting to turn light brown, remove from heat.  While stirring, add chicken broth and half and half.  Return to heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Simmer 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and add cheese and seasoning until well mixed. 

Combine pasta and sauce.   Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes, covered if you want all cheesey, uncovered if you like the top crunchy.

Gluten Free Creamy Mac ‘n Cheese

Tonight I was in the mood for some comfort food so I made mac ‘n cheese. It has been a long time since I made it! I love homemade mac ‘n cheese, so I thought I would share my recipe.











Gluten Free Creamy Mac ‘n Cheese

4 tbs butter
¼ brown rice flour
2 cups milk
½ lb Beecher’s Flagship cheese, grated
½ lb extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb gluten free pasta – I used Trader Joe’s brown rice penne pasta

I suggest measuring the milk and grating the cheese before you start cooking, as the rue requires constant supervision.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add the brown rice flour to the butter while stirring constantly. Continue to stir until the butter/flour starts to bubble slightly and darken. Remove from heat and slowly add milk while continuing to stir. Once combined, return to the stove and stir constantly until the milk is hot and thickens. Add all of the Beecher’s cheese to the sauce pan with the milk and stir until it has melted.

Cook pasta as instructed on package. Once drained, coat the pasta with the sauce evenly. Put half of the pasta in the casserole dish and distribute half of the extra sharp cheddar on top. Repeat with the remaining pasta and cheese so the top is covered with cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes until heated through.