Three Ingredient Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese

Gluten-free macaroni and cheese? A homemade traditional recipe? Or, perhaps a boxed mac and cheese? Regardless of the style, any good mac and cheese requires three simple ingredients - pasta, cheese, and milk. Before we dive into my gluten-free recipe, let’s learn a little about the history of how this delectable little comfort dish developed.

Mac and cheese is historically a European dish that dates back three centuries. No one really knows when macaroni and cheese was invented. According to one source, it was first made in a pie dish by the British and Scottish in the 1400’s. According to another source, the dish originated in Northern Europe in the late 1700’s.

The Swiss are known to have started making mac and cheese after purchasing a macaroni pasta making machine in 1730. In the early 1800’s the dish made its way to and became popular in the United States by Thomas Jefferson and his chef, James Hemings. Canada learned about macaroni and cheese from the British in the mid-1800’s. The country now consumes 25 percent of all the boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese that is produced.

The invention of processed cheese in the early 1900’s changed the mac and cheese game for the world. Boxed brands that use a powered processed cheese to homemade varieties that call for Velveeta, nacho cheese, or American cheese slices has made mac and cheese a convenient, portable, and non-perishable food item.

Boxed mac and cheese is yummy, but ever since discovering how easy it is to make it from scratch, I haven’t stopped making it this way! Read on for my simple, gluten-free take on this popular dish.

Ingredients:

1. Pasta. For macaroni and cheese, my favorite is a medium width Thai rice noodle. A long noodle is not a traditional mac and cheese shape. But, they are weirdly not weird for cheesy macaroni and cheese that is traditionally made with a rounded, condensed noodle shape.

2. Cheese. For the cheese, two slices of American cheese is my staple for a single serving. Yep, good ol’ American cheese. It’s processed. It has 4 grams of protein per slice. And, Kraft American Cheese slices are naturally gluten-free.

3. Milk. For milk, I usually use an unsweetened soy milk. Plant-based milk is what I usually have, and it thickens and makes a sauce just as savory and creamy as a dairy milk.

   
   

Cooking instructions: 1 serving

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Boil a pot of water. When the water is boiling, add in your noodle of choice. Boil until noodles are cooked to your preferred consistency. Test a noodle to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly. Strain noodles and run under cold water. Set aside.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Add in about ⅔ cup of your milk of choice. Heat until it starts to slightly bubble. Turn down the heat to medium low and add in two slices of American cheese. Stir the milk and cheese together until the cheese melts, thickens, and becomes creamy.

When the cheese sauce is melted together, add in the cooked rice noodles. Heat until the noodles are properly coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Voila! That’s it!

Add in steamed broccoli, or other veggies for added nutrients.

Bon appetit!

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Written without AI.