Homemade Mac and Cheese

The ultimate comfort food! Creamy and cheesy Homemade Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese! Topped with lightly buttered breadcrumbs for just a little crunch, it's indulgent-tasting and so delicious! Bonus: super EASY recipe!

easy homemade mac and cheese gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com
Homemade Mac and Cheese

Easy, Creamy, Cheesy and Delish!

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Is there anything more cozy than a big pan of homemade gluten-free Mac and Cheese?

It is classic comfort food that works just about anywhere, anytime!

A few years back, my son was asking for a homemade mac and cheese that is truly creamy and cheesy and really, really yummy.

We’ve tried many recipes and this one is the favorite!

This recipe is adapted from the 365 Ways to Make Pasta Cookbook and it’s been on repeat. Each time it’s a HUGE hit.

easy homemade mac and cheese gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

I love that it super easy to make and makes a large quantity so that we can enjoy it when it first comes out of the oven (so, so good!) and was reheat it throughout the week when my son comes home from school hungry (as in always ravenous) or needs a second dinner  (can you say teen boy?)

And it’s exactly what he asked for…. creamy, cheesy, flavorful and really, really, yummy!

Oh, and it is topped with lightly buttered breadcrumbs for just a little crunch.  So good!

So how do we make it?

You’ll need 9 pantry ingredients:

Milk

butter

sharp cheddar cheese

gluten-free all purpose flour (we used GF Jules – Affiliate link)

gluten-free elbow macaroni (we used BioNaturae – affiliate link)

gluten-free panko breadcrumbs (we used Aleia’s, affiliate link)

yellow mustard

salt and pepper.

easy homemade mac and cheese gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

As an aside, purchasing through an affiliate link generates a small percentage of the sale for me, but does not change your cost at all.  So purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!

Back to the Gluten-free Mac and Cheese….

It comes together quickly!

All you do is make the cheese sauce while the pasta boils….

  • Start with melted butter (it’s only 3 tablespoons!), then whisk in some flour (this will help thicken the sauce as it cooks)
  • Whisk in some heated milk and bring to a boil… it will get thick and creamy.
  • Then you add in the mustard, salt and pepper for seasoning

Then add in the cheese and cooked pasta.  Mix together and you’re almost done!

Spoon the pasta mix into a prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with remaining cheese, top with bread crumbs and bake!

So who wants a big scoop?

easy homemade mac and cheese gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Hope you love it as much as we do!

PIN it!

gluten free homemade mac and cheese

Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment if you try.

Recipe

 

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4.84 from 6 votes

Classic Mac and Cheese

This classic homemade Mac and Cheese is creamy, cheesy and the ultimate comfort food! Topped with lightly buttered breadcrumbs for just a little crunch, it's indulgent-tasting and so delicious! Bonus: super EASY recipe! Keeps well in the refrigerator and reheats well in the microwave. Recipe adapted from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta Cookbook
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner, Pasta
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: easy gluten-free dinner recipe, easy gluten-free side dish or appetizer, gluten-free mac and cheese, gluten-free pasta recipe, gluten-free comfort food
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter or dairy-free butter
  • 3 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour we used GF Jules (affiliate link]
  • 3 cups milk preheated (we've used both 1%, 2% and whole milk and all have worked well)
  • ½ teaspoon yellow mustard sometimes we use only 1/4 teaspoon so start with 1/4 and taste
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • large pinch of black pepper
  • 12 oz gluten-free elbow macaroni we used BioNaturae- affiliate link
  • 3 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded divided

Buttered Bread Crumbs Topping (Optional)

  • ½ cup Panko or Plain Bread Crumbs we used Aleia's - afiliate link
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter or dairy-free butter, melted

Instructions

Buttered Breadcrumbs

  • If using buttered breadcrumbs, combine bread crumbs with melted butter and mix together with a fork or spoon. Set aside.

Make the Pasta

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees and lightly butter a 9x9 or 9x7 baking pan. Set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Heavily salt boiling water (this will flavor the pasta better than just salting the sauce) and cook elbow macaroni according to package until al dente while you make the sauce. Drain. (I tend to put the pasta in the water when I add the milk to the roux or flour/ butter mix)

Make cream sauce

  • While the pasta water boils, melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth. Cook, stirring over low heat, about 2 minutes. This will be the roux or thickening agent for the sauce.
  • Gradually whisk in hot milk until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Lower to low heat and continue cooking until thick and smooth, about 10 minutes.
  • Season with mustard, salt and pepper.

Mix together

  • Add 2 cups of cheese and the cooked pasta to the sauce. Mix to combine well.
  • Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
  • Top with Buttered Breadcrumbs if using.
  • Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until browned on top and bubbly. If you assemble and bake later, it will take closer to 30-40 minutes to get warm and bubbly.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

 

13 thoughts on “Homemade Mac and Cheese

  1. We love this recipe! I use it for both gluten free pasta and regular pasta. it has been successful in converting my kids to homemade rather than the box kind. Upside is now I will actually eat Mac and cheese with them.

  2. 5 stars
    Wow! This was so good!! I used a blend of cheeses-colby-jack, smoked cheddar, and mozzarella. And I used Dijon mustard, along with the buttered toasted gluten-free panko bread crumbs. This was seriously delicious. Will definitely be my go-to recipe. Thanks.

  3. Made tonight! I have had horrible luck with homemade Mac and Cheese recipes. This one was so easy and a hit with all!!!

  4. 5 stars
    I made this recipe and decided to not cook it in the oven the rest of the way because it is so delicious! I even adding a little extra cheese and salt to add a more cheesy flavor! We are trying gluten-free cooking and I LOVE all of your recipes! Thank you!

  5. Odd question, but has anyone ever tried making this with non-dairy cheese? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mac and cheese, but recently went gluten and dairy free ☹️

  6. 5 stars
    This was excellent! I used Jovial penne and subbed 1/2 gruyere cheese and mustard powder. Will definitely be making again!

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