creamy gluten free mac and cheese in a bowl with a basil garnish

It’s a good day to talk mac and cheese (aka any day.) Gluten Free Mac and Cheese, to be exact! Get. Ready!

bowl of homemade gluten free mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is one of those meals that’s not inherently gluten free but is a cinch to adapt, especially because my version has no flour roux. Just 5 ingredients (including salt!) tossed in a pot then stirred to create the creamiest gluten free mac and cheese that tastes like it has loads of cream and butter but is actually made with, get ready for it…

SKIM MILK.

If you don’t have skim milk – no problem! Use whatever you’ve got in the fridge. This recipe is pretty fool proof!

fork taking a cheesy bite of one pot gluten free mac and cheese

How to Make This Recipe

Start by rinsing 2 cups gluten free pasta under cold water. I like shells but you could use any short cut pasta. The weight should be 6oz.

One-Pot-Gluten-Free-Mac-and-Cheese-iowagirleats-04

Add the rinsed and drained pasta to a saucepan with 2 cups skim milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Turn the heat to medium then stir constantly until the milk comes to a simmer (mine took about 12 minutes.) Turn the heat down to low then stir constantly until the pasta is tender, another 12 minutes or so.

Be sure to stick to low heat because if the milk cooks off too quickly there won’t be enough left to cook the pasta. See how thick the skim milk gets by stirring with the starches released from the pasta?

gluten free pasta cooking in skim milk

Once the pasta is tender add 1 cup freshly shredded cheese then stir until the sauce is smooth, adding in a splash of skim milk if you need it.

This is the fun part of the recipe because you can play around with the cheeses you like and/or have in the fridge – you really can’t go wrong! If you want to stick with a more classic sauce though, choose medium-hard cheeses like cheddar, gouda, and fontina.

shredded cheese for one pot mac and cheese

Let the mac and cheese thicken for a few minutes with the lid on the pan, then scoop and serve! Make this once and you’ll be whipping it up from memory at least once a week – it’s definitely a keeper. And you can, of course, use regular pasta in place of gluten free pasta, too. Mac and Cheese for all!

creamy gluten free mac and cheese in a bowl with a basil garnish

 Similar Recipes

Gluten Free Mac and Cheese

5

Description

Gluten Free Mac and Cheese is as creamy and decadent as it comes! This one pot recipe is made from fridge and pantry staples in minutes.

Ingredients

serves 3

  • 2 cups dry gluten free shells or other short cut pasta (6oz)
  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup freshly shredded cheese

Directions

  1. Rinse pasta under cold water in a colander then drain and add to a saucepan with milk, salt, and cayenne pepper. Turn heat to medium then stir constantly until milk comes to a simmer. Turn heat down to low then stir constantly until noodles are tender, adding an additional 1/4 cup milk if noodles have absorbed all the liquid but aren't tender yet. There should be a bit of milk left in the saucepan to create the cheese sauce.
  2. Add cheese to pan then stir until smooth, adding a splash of milk if necessary to help smoothen the consistency. Place a lid on top for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Adapted from White on Rice Couple

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

Video

Photo collage of gluten free mac and cheese