Wheat & Dairy-Free Macaroni & Cheese

Name: Wheat & Dairy-Free Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients: 3 cups Cooked wheat-free or gluten-free elbow macaroni; 1/4 cup Dry sherry; 2 ea Green onions, thinly sliced; 2 ea Plum tomatoes, coarsely sliced; 2 Tbsp Chives, minced; 1 tsp Cornstarch; 1 cup Cold vegetable broth; 1 cup Shredded dairy-free cheddar; 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard; to taste Gluten-Free Worcestershire sauce (optional); to taste Freshly ground black pepper; to taste Salt; 1/2 cup Toasted wheat-free or gluten-free bread crumbs

November 24, 2018 Robin R. - Editor

About

As a kid I loved my Mom’s macaroni and cheese casserole (and still do). The recipe below is a pretty good alternative for those who are wheat and dairy sensitive.

The wine really enhances this recipe. Macaroni casseroles usually call for very sharp cheese for flavour. Dairy-free cheese is generally mild-tasting so the wine helps in this respect.

I drizzled a little Worcestershire sauce on my serving which enhanced the flavour even further (note that some brands contain malt vinegar which is not suitable for people on a gluten-free diet). I think this would taste better if it was added to the sauce so I modified the recipe to include Worcestershire as an optional ingredient.

Ingredients

Cooked wheat-free or gluten-free elbow macaroni		3 cups
Dry sherry		1/4 cup
Green onions, thinly sliced		2 ea
Plum tomatoes, coarsely sliced		2 ea
Chives, minced		2 Tbsp
Cornstarch		1 tsp
Cold vegetable broth		1 cup
Shredded dairy-free cheddar		1 cup
Dijon mustard		1 Tbsp
Gluten-Free Worcestershire sauce (optional)		to taste
Freshly ground black pepper		to taste
Salt		to taste
Toasted wheat-free or gluten-free bread crumbs		1/2 cup

Directions

Lightly oil a 1.5 quart baking dish and pre-heat oven to 375 F.
Place cooked pasta in a large bowl.
In a skillet, bring sherry to a simmer. Add green onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and chives. Sauté 2 minutes until tomatoes are slightly softened. Toss with pasta and set aside.
In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in cold broth and pour into skillet. Heat to simmering. Add dairy-free cheese and whisk over low heat until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in mustard, pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce (if using).
Spoon into casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes.

Helpful Hints

I used gluten-free brown rice elbows in this recipe, though quinoa would be a better choice if you wanted to boost the protein. If gluten isn’t an issue for you, but you still want a wheat-free dish, you could try noodles made from spelt or kamut.
I did not have any sherry so used white cooking wine instead.
I made this dish with NuTofu soy cheese. It did contain casein which some people need to avoid. Luckily, some excellent brands of dairy-free cheese have come onto the market since I first tried this recipe. I would recommend Daiya cheddar shreds. They melt just like cheese and have no dairy-based ingredients.
There are a few gluten-free Worcestershire sauces on the market such as Wan Ja Shan and The Wizard’s. The Spice Lab makes a gluten-free Worcestershire powder. You can also make your own Worcestershire sauce. Check out this recipe from The Gluten-Free Palette if you are so inclined.
To punch up the protein you could add slices of cooked sausage to the noodles. Vegetarians could use marinated tempeh instead.