Super yellow g-free mac’n’cheese

Have you ever been turned off of a particular food because of its colour? I have. As many of you know, I don’t like green split peas. But what about the colour of some processed foods? Recently, two bloggers spearheaded a movement to get Kraft to stop using food colour in their famous Kraft Dinner. I don’t want to knock these bloggers (I’m always impressed when the ‘little guy’ rallies the troops for positive change), but I have to ask, why not just stop buying Kraft Dinner? Omitting the dye will not suddenly transform this popular dish into a healthy lunch option.

I didn’t grow up eating KD. My brother and I grew up with homemade meals, and I actually learned how to make mac’n’cheese from scratch at a relatively young age. I’ve adapted my mom’s recipe to make it gluten free, and I even found a way to make it that distinct bright yellow colour. Want to know the secret?

Corn pasta.

Yep. There you have it. You can make your own macaroni and cheese gluten free and vibrant yellow to boot.

My homemade gluten free mac’n’cheese

To tell you the truth, I only eat corn pasta. Rice pasta is alright, but I find it a tad on the gummy side. Corn pasta, on the other hand, is not gummy, and it sits lighter in my stomach. It’s also incredibly quick to cook in boiling water. And I’m impatient, so this is a good thing.

If you’re interested in making your own mac’n’cheese, read on. It’s a delicious gluten free comfort food that’s healthier than the store-bought boxed version, and naturally yellow — if you like that kind of thing.

What you’ll need

• ½ tbsp. brown rice flour
• ½ tbsp. tapioca flour
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1.5 – 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese
• Ground black pepper
• Corn pasta

What you have to do

• On a low stove top heat, cook the flours and butter together to make a roux
• Stir in milk
• Gradually add the grated cheese, melting and stirring it in. You may need to play with the heat (you don’t want the cheese to burn!). Depending on how thick you want your sauce, you can determine whether or not to add more grated cheese. I find this is enough for my liking.
• Add a few sprinkles of ground black pepper (2 or 3 twists of your pepper grinder will do)
• Let your sauce sit on a low heat while you boil your corn pasta. When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain the water out, mix into your sauce — and voila!

Side notes

• My mom puts a bay leaf early on into the sauce pan for extra flavour. I always liked the extra ‘something’ it added, but I don’t have a bay leaf plant of my own.
• For years I made this dish with just cheddar cheese and it tasted fantastic. I only recently started adding additional cheeses to the cheddar. You can also try adding Swiss cheese or Havarti.

If you have any other cheese combinations you think would be good in this macaroni and cheese, let me know!