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This southern-style creamy homemade stovetop mac and Cheese has all the cheesy goodness you love made gluten-free and is ready in minutes!
This homemade stovetop mac and cheese is one of those dishes that my entire family LOVES. I always have to make a double batch of it when I make some because our oldest and my husband will eat it all before anyone else can even get their hands on some, haha. I'm talking they will stand in the kitchen waiting for me to make it and start eating it right out of the pot while I make the rest of the meal; they love it so much.
Funny story about mac and cheese; My husband grew up on the boxed Kraft kind, and when we were first married, he asked me to make some of that (before he knew I knew how to make it from scratch). Not even kidding; I totally failed at it, not just a bit, like it was a TOTAL flop. My husband still makes fun of me to this day about it, and so do our girls. Whenever they are in charge of making macaroni and cheese (boxed gluten-free kinds these days), he's usually the one to make them. When they want the real deal, good homemade mac, and cheeses, this recipe I make them.
It's been over fifteen years, and I'm still making my family homemade stovetop mac and cheese. Sure, the pasta might be gluten-free now, and a few tiny tweaks to keep it that way, but don't worry, this is still the real deal, classic comfort food we all love and need in our life!
Ingredients in Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
- Gluten-free Pasta of Choice
- Milk
- Heavy Cream
- Butter
- White Cheddar Cheese
- Medium/ Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Cream Cheese
- Corn Starch or 1:1 gluten-free flour
- Ground Mustard
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Salt and Pepper
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Ingreidnet Substitutions
- Cheese - When it comes to cheeses for macaroni and cheese, I always find a mixture that works best to get the full flavor. However, if you don't like a specific kind or have one hand, just sub in the total amounts for the cheese you want to use; it will still be delicious. Make sure that you have at least one kind of soft melting cheese. For this recipe that is the cream cheese. Avoid cheeses like parmesan that do not melt as well.
- Corn Starch - I don't recommend subbing this out for something like tapioca in this case. The reason is the way the sauce ends up sticking to the pasta. I've tried tapioca and arrowroot starch for this, and it just doesn't yield the same smooth, thick texture that macaroni and cheese needs. If you can't use corn starch you can substitute equal amounts of a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
How to Make Macaroni and Cheese
- Make the pasta and set it aside.
- Make the sauce
- Combine and enjoy!
Why is my mac and cheese sauce grainy?
Making stovetop mac and cheese sauce is not hard, but a few tips and tricks keep it from becoming grainy and the cheese from separating.
- Do NOT skip hydrating your starch of choice for making the roux. This simple step helps to hydrate the gluten-free starch which tends to take more liquid than traditional flour.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Making sure that all the ingredients are at similar temperatures helps everything come together without being shocked. I like to keep everything at room temperature for about 30 minutes before I start cooking.
- Do NOT use preshredded cheeses. Shredding your cheese is one step that can really make a difference to a creamy cheese sauce and keep the cheese from separating in the sauce.
- Slowly add the cheese. Do not add all the cheese at once. Add it slowly in small amounts and let it melt before adding more.
How to keep gluten-free pasta from becoming mush.
There are so many different varieties of gluten-free pasta. The one thing they all have in common is that they are much starchier than traditional pasta. Here are a few of my favorite ways to keep them from becoming mush.
Each packaging has directions, but even these can be wrong. I always start by looking at the package and subtracting 2-3 minutes from the cooking time. Set your timer for that and begin checking the pasta. Add time in 30-seconds increments until you get the pasta to the consistency you want.
Cook the pasta in double the water you would for traditional pasta. Gluten-free pasta has a higher starch content, and because of this, it needs more water to have space to cook without becoming mush.
Yes, salting gluten-free pasta is just as important as salting traditional pasta. Salt the water once it comes to a boil before adding the pasta. The salt in the water helps to season the pasta as it cooks.
Gluten-free pasta tends to stick to itself as it cooks. This can cause it to cook unevenly and become mushy. I've found that gently stirring the gluten-free pasta a few times throughout the cooking time helps keep it from sticking to itself and from sticking to the pot.
Can you bake gluten-free mac and cheese?
The short answer is this recipe is not meant to be baked. For baked mac and cheese to have the right consistency, it needs a different ratio of liquids to keep it from drying out. This mac and cheese recipe is a stovetop recipe. It comes together fast but still has all the classic mac and cheese flavor you love.
Storing leftover mac and cheese.
Stovetop mac and cheese can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Do not freeze leftover mac and cheese. Cooked pasta never freezes well, whether it is gluten-free or not.
Reheating mac and cheese.
I do not recommend microwaving leftover mac and cheese for the best results; warm leftover mac and cheese in a pot on the stove over medium heat. I add about ¼ cup milk to the cold mac and cheese and gently stir it until it is warmed through about 5-7 minutes.
Can you make stovetop mac and cheese ahead of time?
While this recipe is best served fresh from the stove, there are a few ways you can cut your time and make it ahead of time.
- You can make the sauce ahead of time. Once you are ready to serve it you will just need to cook the pasta and warm the sauce before tossing it together.
- You can also make it ahead and store it in the fridge. Then you can warm it up just like you would if it was leftover mac and cheese.
More Recipes to Love
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Skillet Bacon Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Creamy Gluten-free Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Box Gluten-free Pasta of Choice Most gluten-free pastas come in 12 ounce boxes.
- 1 ½ Cups Milk
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ¼ Cup Butter
- ¼ Cup Corn Starch or 1:1 gluten-free flour
- 1 ½ Cups White Chedar Cheese
- 1 ½ Cups Cheddar Cheese
- ½ Cup Cream Cheese softened
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Mustard
- ½ Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
Cook the pasta.
- Boil the pasta and set aside.
Make the cheese sauce.
- While the pasta is cooking shred the cheeses as needed and set them aside and let the cream cheese come to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ½ cup of the milk and set it aside.
- In a pot over medium heat melt the butter.
- Add the corn starch slurry, remaining milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Let the mixture cook, occasionally stirring until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce starts to thicken a little bit.
- Stir the spices into the sauce.
- Once the sauce has started to thicken, reduce the heat to low and add a little bit of the cheese to the pot and stir until melted. Add the remaining cheese in increments and continue to stir until all the cheese is completely melted in the sauce.
Make the mac and cheese
- Combine the pasta and the sauce and enjoy!
Notes
- Do NOT skip hydrating your starch of choice for making the roux. This simple step helps to hydrate the gluten-free starch which tends to take more liquid than traditional flour.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Making sure that all the ingredients are at similar temperatures helps everything come together without being shocked. I like to keep everything at room temperature for about 30 minutes before I start cooking.
- Do NOT use pre-shredded cheeses. Shredding your cheese is one step that can really make a difference to a creamy cheese sauce and keep the cheese from separating in the sauce.
- Slowly add the cheese. Do not add all the cheese at once. Add it slowly in small amounts and let it melt before adding more.
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.