We never use boxed mac and cheese because the high lactose content makes me ill every time, but it’s just about easier to make it from scratch anyway.
This is one of the rare times I’m going to tell you that you really SHOULD use the non-wheat pasta even if you aren’t allergic to wheat.
Get a good quality brown rice pasta. Trader Joe’s penne or fusilli is ideal.
Cook until it is just past al dente, but not quite “squishy” (unless your kids prefer it that way, like I do).
While the pasta is cooking, set up your cheeses. Now, the easy/lazy way is to get already-grated cheeses (Trader Joe’s Smoky blend is FANTASTIC for this). Some people react to the natamycin in pre-grated cheese (we learned this the hard way.)
If you have the patience (and it doesn’t take much), slice up some good cheese. My favorite mix: 1-2 ounces of gorgonzola, 1-2 ounces of Dubliner, 1-2 ounces of gruyere, maybe some gouda and a few curls of real parmesan. It doesn’t have to be grated or even sliced very thin. This works best with about an ounce or two of cheese per cup of cooked pasta. It’s a LOT of cheese. For lactose intolerance, you want more aged cheeses. If you get headaches with blue cheese, avoid the gorgonzola.
Sliced cheddar or even American cheese can be used. This recipe is not fussy. Sharper cheddar will be better for lactose intolerance.
Remove portions for whoever doesn’t want cheese in theirs. I do this by dumping part of the pasta into a strainer. Do NOT get rid of all of the water by upending the whole pot into the strainer. You want to reserve the last 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid from cooking the rice pasta. (Rice starch makes the cheese emulsify better.) If you’re not comfortable eyeballing this, pour the last bit into a measuring cup and then measure it back into the pan.
With the little bit of cooking water in the pan, plus the noodles that you want cheesed, put it back over the burner and dump the cheese in, with a bit of butter if you like. Stir for a couple minutes. If you’re really ambitious, add a bit of seasoning, to taste. If you like smoky, smoked paprika, smoked salt…
This works as a side dish…but sneaky.. you can add veggies to it and already cooked (leftover? precooked chicken strips?) chicken and boom, meal. If your family likes canned salmon, a can of canned salmon (leave the bones in, they’re tasty and nutritious) works well too.
If you’re counting calories, you can use the Finlandia reduced fat cheese slices. Still tasty.
If you really want it to have the highest amount of omega 3, use Dubliner cheese, Kerrygold reserve cheddar, real Italian Parmigiano Reggiano, and grass-fed butter (kerrygold is all grass fed). Then it’s both decadent AND healthy, though quite calorific.
For those who want to avoid dairy, some reserved pasta can be topped with olive oil and fresh herbs, bruschetta… nutritional yeast can add a nice “buttery” note.
Why rice pasta? 1. It’s whole grain. 2. It tastes more like white pasta than whole wheat pasta does. 3. The rice starch in the cooking water makes for the best creamy mac and cheese sauce with the least work.
Sneaky gourmet: Wilt some chopped spinach into the pasta before you take it entirely off the heat, crumble in bacon, and stir in an egg or two for lots of protein and a quickie “carbonara” style pasta dish. Make sure you stir lots and leave it on low heat long enough for the egg to cook!
Egg is a great way to “save” an overly watery mac and cheese sauce. You just need to add it and stir quickly over low heat until it thickens the sauce. Don’t go slow, don’t use high heat, don’t try this when things have cooled down too much, you want the egg to cook just after it incorporates with the liquid you’re trying to thicken.
Carbonara is what I make for people who are having a hard time keeping their appetite up, don’t have energy to eat for very long and are healing from body trauma like birth or surgery. It doesn’t take much to get a lot of calories in, it tastes fantastic and triggers all the appetite buttons, and it has a phenomenal amount of protein.
This recipe is what I use for about half the birthdays in our house. Two bags of pasta for 6-8 people leave MAYBE enough leftovers for one kid’s school lunch the next day.
