Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. package of Gluten Free elbow or other small pasta of your choice
  • Olive Oil (to sauté’ vegetables)
  • 2 Cups Portabella Mushrooms, sliced thick
  • 1 cup Green Peas (frozen)
  • ¼ cup Butter
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 2 Tbsp Potato Starch or Flour (thickens the cheese sauce)
  • 2 cups Cheddar Cheese
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
  • 1 tsp Paprika (just to sprinkle on top)

Crunchy Topping:

  • ½ cup Puffed Rice Cereal (Gluten Free) OR Panko Bread Crumbs if non-gluten diet is acceptable
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • 3 Tbsp Butter, melted

As good as the pre-made, packaged macaroni and cheese options are there’s nothing quite like the homemade goodness of made-from-scratch varieties. Here’s one recipe which is sure to stir up a little comfort-food lovin’ in the kitchen.

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Prepare an 8-qt baking dish by spraying with a non-stick spray or a thin layer of butter

Directions

1 – Cook the pasta according to package directions. Once cooked al dente, set aside in a bowl until you’re ready to mix it with the cheese sauce.

2 – In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and peas and sauté until the mushrooms are soft. Add the vegetables to the same bowl where your cooked pasta is cooling.

3 – In the saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted add the potato starch and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the milk, whisking constantly until smooth.

4 – Remove the white sauce from the stovetop and add the cheeses. Mix constantly until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

5 – Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and vegetable mix and stir thoroughly. Pour this into the prepared casserole dish.

6 – To prepare the crunch top, combine the puffed rice cereal, parmesan cheese and butter and mix to the consistency of a crumble. Scatter this on top of the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle with the paprika,

7 – Back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the topping is golden.

 

TIP: When I mix the cheese sauce with the pasta, I start by using just half of the cooked pasta then add more as needed to get the desired consistency. Some people like it more creamy so you can achieve this by doing it this way. Enjoy!