afoona
Mac and Cheese
Pasta & Rice

Mac and Cheese – Gluten-free version

Cooked pasta in a béchamel with the cheese melted into it, sometimes baked in a dish with breadcrumbs on top. Gluten-free version: Gluten-free pasta and Gluten-free flour blend.

⏱ 15 min🧩 3 parts

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked pasta

  1. 1
    Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.
    ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePot
    💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
  2. 2
    Drain.
    Colander

For the Béchamel

  1. 3
    Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat, add the gluten-free flour blend and stir 1–2 minutes, until a smooth roux forms and starts to bubble.
    StovePot
  2. 4
    Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly, and cook 5–8 minutes, until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
    StoveWhisk
    💡Add the milk slowly, whisking constantly, so no lumps form. For lasagna, the common ratio is about 7 g gluten-free flour blend per 100 ml milk (4 tablespoons gluten-free flour blend to 2 cups): more gluten-free flour blend gives a thick béchamel, for moussaka; less gluten-free flour blend gives a soft béchamel, for a sauce.
  3. 5
    Season with salt.

To assemble

  1. 6
    Add the cheese to the hot sauce and stir until the cheese melts.
    💡Add the cheese to a hot but not boiling sauce: boiling splits the cheese, and the sauce turns grainy and greasy.
  2. 7
    Toss the pasta in the cheese sauce, adding a little of the cooking water if it's too thick.
720calories
29 gprotein
83 gcarbs
28 gfat
● protein 17%● carbs 47%● fat 36%

Per serving (291 g), of 4 servings

For the Cooked pasta · For the Béchamel · To assemble ·

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⚖ About the ingredients

🔧 Tools needed (4) · 🍳 One cooking vessel

  • Stove · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
  • Pot · Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (less liquid, faster evaporation) · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Wok (For quick cooking)
  • Colander · Also works: Lid (a lid held slightly open over the sink, you lose a little) · Slotted spoon (for small amounts)
  • Whisk · Also works: Hand mixer (None) · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Fork (Beat with a fork, less air)

By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.

🧩 Parts

⚙️ What you can change

  • Possible additions: Mozzarella · Cream cheese · Mustard · Smoked paprika · Cumin · Pepper · Breadcrumbs on top · Baked in a pan (20) · Oven temperature (°C) (180) · Parmesan on top before baking · Fried mushrooms · Butter for frying the mushrooms · Parmesan for serving

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