Every kid likes mac and cheese, right? And let’s admit it folks…adults do too!
And I admit I used to buy the boxed kind. Only, I was too cheap back then to even spring for the Kraft! I still try and watch the grocery bill. Who doesn’t these days? But cooking allergy free also means an increased grocery bill whether you like it or not. I’m getting used to the higher prices of allergy free cooking. All this to say the homemade macaroni and cheese is more expensive when you add in dairy free cheese and gluten free pasta, but it is worth it to sit down to some yummy, creamy, “cheesy” mac and cheese that you and your children will eat.
Honestly, I cringe at the thought that I used to make and serve the boxed kind of macaroni and cheese. There isn’t a whole lot of nutrition in those boxes and back then I thought I was doing good to buy the white cheddar kind because it lacked the yellow food dye in the regular kind. Now, I will admit that even this allergy free version of macaroni and cheese cannot really qualify as a health food. But it’s got to be a little better. After all, the cheese I use is cholesterol and trans fat free. That’s got to count for something right?
So, get back to enjoying some macaroni and cheese, please? And if you are not on allergy free diet, won’t you give making a homemade version a try? If you look in the recipe below you will notice it is written for either allergy free or “regular.” And trying to keep it honest here….I adapted this from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, but did make 6 changes.
Shared also on Cybele Pascal’s Allergy Friendly Friday and Allergy Free Wednesday.
Also shared at Melt In Your Mouth Monday and Mom’s Test Meal Monday.
Dairy, Soy, and Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
- 2 cups uncooked gluten free elbow macaroni (or whole wheat macaroni)
- 1/4 cup dairy and soy free margarine (or butter)
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour (or whole wheat flour)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
- 1/16 tsp. onion powder
- 1/16 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 cups rice milk (or cow’s milk)
- 2 cups dairy and soy free cheese-preferrably Daiya (or cheddar cheese)
Directions:
- Cook macaroni according to package directions.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and spices.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.
- Remove from heat and add rice milk. Put back on stove and heat to boiling stirring constantly.
- Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat.
- Add cheese and stir until melted.
- Drain macaroni and gently stir it into the cheese mixture.
- Pour into ungreased 2 quart casserole dish and bake uncovered 20-25 minutes.
Oh my goodness this looking amazing – so rich and creamy. Thank you for sharing with us on AFW!
Pinning this one for sure! 🙂
Be Well,
–Amber
Yah!
That looks SO creamy! How do you like the daiya? Is it soy-free?
I LOVE Daiya. It’s the only “cheese” I’ll use. And yes it is soy-free as well as milk free and gluten free. I wrote a review on here…scroll to the bottom or the previous page to read it if interested. Thanks for writing!
Hi There,
Wanted to let you know I made this and it turned out so amazingly delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!!! I have this in my weekly dinner rotation. 🙂
Have a great weekend.
–Amber
OH, I’m so glad you like it! I think I need to make it again soon too!
I found your recipe through Pinterest because our family is fairly new to being gluten and dairy free. I’ve made this a few times now and it’s a really good recipe the whole family likes. The first time I made the mistake of grabbing the vanilla flavored almond milk and that didn’t go over real well. This last time I had only original hazelnut and I used half the amount and used water for the rest to dilute the sweet flavor. It worked well.
The only thing I would do different, just because of our family’s tastes is I doubled the pasta because we didn’t like how much cheese sauce it had the first time. Doubling it worked perfect for us. Also, I will be sure to use a firm pasta if I don’t have elbow. I used spiral a couple times and it came out kind of mushy. Plus under cooking it a little helps too.
We also used the Daiya and liked it. I am pretty sure this is an easy enough recipe that it will be used all the time for our mac n cheese. Thank you so much for posting it! It’s a little bit of normal in a new allergy free world for us. 🙂
I’m glad to hear this worked for you and your family. I may try to up the pasta amount now that you mention that. Great idea! If you are a regular on Pinterest you can follow me there and see when I post new things. And I’d love to have you subscribe or something too! Thanks for coming by and commenting. I love hearing from people. Make sure to check out the archives and find the dairy free popsicles and ice cream and more! 🙂
I’m very new to the allergy free world but my four year old’s happiness is at stake. LOL. I am going to make a trip to a Whole Foods to try to figure out what to feed her now that we have to be milk, egg, wheat, and walnut free. However, I can’t seem to figure out the whole “pinterest” thing and how to follow people. I made a pinterest account but I don’t know how to find you and ‘follow’ you and where to access things once you pin or follow them. Can you please help me out? It seems like you would be a wealth of information!
Thanks for coming by. I know it can be daunting at first, but cooking allergy friendly will become second nature after awhile. To follow me on Pinterest, simply head to the top of my site. There you will see 4 buttons next to my logo. Click on the “P” button and that will direct you to my Pinterest page. Click on follow. Then you’d have to check Pinterest to see when I post new things. An easier way to keep track would be to subscribe to get an email every time I post something. To do this, click on the last button on the right (right next to the “P” button) and enter your email address.
Make sure to check out all the archives and categories and you will be sure to find some things that a 4 year can eat. If you need anything else feel free to email me at peggy@allergyfreetestkitchen.com
Does this taste like Daiya cheese? I know it is supposed to be the best nondairy option but I find it truly unpalatable.
If you don’t like Daiya, you probably wouldn’t care for this. I don’t notice the taste too much, but it is there.
What kind of Daiya cheese did you use? Cheddar, mozzarella, jack, shreds, or a combo?
Thanks!
I used the cheddar! Still love it. By the way…you may be interested in my new cookbook…Great Food Gluten and Dairy Free. Go to home page to read more about it. It’s on Amazon as a paperback and Kindle.