Gluten-free Mac n' Cheese

I don’t normally eat mac ‘n cheese but many people told me it was the only thing they could eat after chemotherapy treatments. So when I started chemo for my breast cancer I decided to come up with at least a healthier version of mac ‘n cheese. I tried a brown rice pasta from TJ’s but wasn’t crazy about it. The best gluten free pasta I found was from Field Day.

While I ultimately didn’t eat a lot of it, my various caretakers were delighted to have it, and didn’t know or care that the dish was gluten free and organic! I like to use a grass fed aged white cheddar but different cheese or combinations can be used.

Leftovers of this mac ‘n cheese will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp grass fed organic butter or ghee

1 small onion, diced

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

2 cups whole organic grass fed milk

2 tbsp arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 tbsp water

2 1/2 cups grated aged organic grass fed cheddar cheese (or other white cheese)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch nutmeg

12 oz gluten free penne

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Grease a 3 qt baking dish and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta for about 6 minutes making sure to leave it par-cooked because it will cook more in the oven. Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.

Heat butter or ghee in a dutch oven or heavy pan over medium heat. Once the fat starts to sizzle add onion and sweat them for about 7 minutes. Stir occasionally as they cook. They should get translucent, not browned.

Add milk, turn heat to high and bring just to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer, then add the arrowroot water mixture. Dutch ovens hold a lot of heat so you may need to turn heat dial low. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to thicken. Turn off heat.

Set aside 1/2 cup of grated cheese for the top, and add cheese to the sauce. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir well.

Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix to combine evenly. Transfer this mixture into the greased baking dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until top starts to bubble and slightly brown. Let it cool 15 minutes then serve.