There are few foods that remind me of childhood like the rich, ooey, gooey, goodness that is mac n’ cheese.

Going gluten and dairy free made me realize how much I had loved the comforting creamy goodness of mac n’ cheese…and how much I missed it!!  The store-bought versions in the refrigerated/freezer section had eggs (to enhance the texture, I imagine) and the boxed varieties contained onion powder. Obviously, those were out of the question for me. 

But when my son stopped eating dairy I felt re-energized and began my quest anew for a plant-based, onion free, nut free mac n’ ‘cheeze’ that mimic’d the traditional one I knew and loved.  

After four years, I think I’ve got it down. I served this stove-top mac’n along side traditional mac n’ cheese (read: dairy-based with ‘regular’ gluten-containing noodles) at my son’s 5th birthday bash. Turns out I had forgotten to label the bowls and, to my delight, the kiddos and parents were interchangeably eating seconds and thirds of both versions (what?!)

That’s when I realized this recipe was ready to share with you 🙂

​*Note: To boost the nutritional profile, you can easily add up to 2 tablespoons of cooked/pureed vegetables of choice without making any other adjustments in the recipe. My faves include sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spinach, kale or broccoli. 

This recipe is vegan, gluten free, allium free, nut free and soy free. 

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Stove-Top Mac N’ Cheeze

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free, Low FODMAP, no garlic, no onions, nut free, plant-based, soy free, vegan

Calories: 310kcal

Ingredients

• 12-14 oz Macaroni noodes uncooked
• 2 tbsp non-dairy buttery spread
• 4 tbsps gluten-free flour blend
• 2 cups non-dairy milk
• 1/4 tsp ground dry mustard seeds
• 1.25 cups non-dairy cheese shreds
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup non-dairy cream cheese

Instructions

• Melt the buttery spread (or heat the oil) in your sauce pan at medium heat
• Add the flour. Whisk the mixture for ~1 min being careful not to let the flour burn. It may look clumpy. That is fine.
• Add milk and bring to a boil. Whisk as needed to remove any clumps. I usually give it a quick 10 second whisk at the beginning and then revisit it periodically as it comes to a boil. At this point the sauce should be like a creamy yet easy to stir (like a medium-heavy gravy)
• Add the dry ground mustard seeds and cheese shreds. Whisk and continue to cook at medium-low heat for another 3-5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt properly and incorporate with the sauce. Mix occasionally to make sure the sauce isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.**
• Add the lemon juice, salt and cream cheese and simmer for another 3-5 minutes at low heat. Continue mixing as needed to allow the cream cheese to incorporate into the sauce.
• At this point the sauce is ready to serve! Add the plant-based-cheese sauce to your noodles and serve with a side of steamed or roasted veggies. Yum!

Notes

Depending on the type of gluten-free flour you choose, more flour may be needed to achieve the desired thickness. This is because each flour blend will have different types of flours (i.e. rice, sorghum, legumes) and varying levels of starch content.

To achieve the desired thickness of your plant-based cheese sauce, start the recipe with 3 tbsp of flour.  If, after completing ALL of the steps, you feel the sauce is too runny, add 1.5 tsp of flour to the sauce and bring to a boil. Continue this process of incrementally adding flour until you achieve the desired thickness. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken as it cools so I don’t recommend adding any more than a total of 2 additional tbsp of flour (totaling in 5 tbsp). At this point you may need to add another ½ tsp of lemon juice and additional salt to taste to balance the flavor.
 
**To boost the nutritional profile of this recipe, add up to 2 tbsp of your favorite, fresh pureed vegetable of choice during step 4 of this recipe without making other adjustments to the ingredients.