Mac and Cheese
I am a homemade Macaroni and Cheese kind of girl. My hubby makes a very good one with a blend of 4 different cheeses, prosciutto and a bread crumb topping. But lets face it, not all kids will embrace this type of macaroni and cheese! My 6 year old likes it, my 2 year old will either put it on his head or throw it on the floor for the dogs to eat!
I make my own copycat version of Kraft’s “Mac and Cheese” because I have had Annie’s GF Rice Pasta and Cheddar and Trader Joe’s GF Rice Pasta and Cheddar and I personally do not like either of them. Mostly, it is because I don’t like the pasta. It is either too chewy or if you cook it a little longer to avoid the chewiness then it is mushy. My boys had gone without mac and cheese since we became a GF household simply because they would not eat it when I bought it. I know a lot of people do like it, but I am not convinced it is because of the taste, but rather because of the convenience!
I started to look around for other ideas to make this quintessential kid favorite and got the idea to use Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Topping in the blue can and just sub in my own pasta. Not bad but not great.
So looking further I decided to try Frontier Natural Products Mild Cheddar Powder and Frontier Natural Products White Cheddar Cheese Powder (as you can see, it is A LOT cheaper, less shipping, on Amazon). I called the company and while they would not say whether or not these products were definitely gluten free, the woman I spoke to said they use Good Manufacturing Practices and clean the lines between products. She said what is listed on the ingredient label is what is (intentionally) in the product. She said because they do not test for gluten in the end product (from cross-contamination), then they cannot say for sure it is gluten free. This is where you will have to make a decision for yourself.
That’s the rub. Do you strictly buy products that are labeled “gluten-free”, and/or “made in a dedicated gluten free facility” or “no gluten ingredients used” or “manufactured in a facility that uses Good Manufacturing Practices,” etc. etc. That is a personal decision that each one of us needs to make until the FDA formally adopts a definition of “Gluten Free.”
After speaking with Frontier, I decided to accept the risk. I think both powders are tasty and thus far I have never had a gluten reaction. BUT, just because I haven’t exhibited any symptoms, does not mean my insides are not reacting… I do however get the celiac blood panel run each year to check my levels and I just had a biopsy in May that showed very happy villi!!
When it comes to pasta, Tinkyada is pretty much it for me, and I always buy the Tinkyada with Rice Bran. It has THE BEST texture of all the GF pastas I have tried. The pastas with Rice Bran also have 2 grams of fiber per serving.
I hardly use butter at all anymore…I use Smart Balance and so far, it has proven a worthy (if not better) replacement in just about everything I have used it in (not so much on popcorn though). I have fried, baked and used it on bread…
So here is the breakdown on making your own Mac and Cheese (I bought a box of Kraft a while back and cut out the directions and adhered it to a recipe card. I also weighed the packet of cheese).
GF “Kraft Style” Mac and Cheese
4 Tbs. Margarine ( I use Smart Balance)
1/4 cup milk (I use Skim)
1 1/2 oz. Cheese Powder
7 1/2 oz. GF Macaroni or other shape
Prepare macaroni as directed. Drain (Do Not Rinse)
Add Margarine, milk, and cheese powder to the pasta and stir well.
Classic Style Mac and Cheese with Tinkyada's Brown Rice Pasta Elbows
White Cheddar Mac and Cheese using Tinkyada's Little Dreams Pasta
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Thank you for publishing this recipe along with photos. I obtained the cheese powder and once it arrived I thought “now what a I going to do with it”. This saves me a lot of trial and error. It looks yummy!
Gail,
You are so very welcome! It is delicious and costs so much less than buying the GF Mac and Cheese in the box. If you don’t already use these noodles, I would highly recommend Tinkyada’s Rice Elbows with Rice Bran added. I have tried every GF pasta out there and these are without a doubt the closest in taste and texture to wheat pasta. They never get mushy like some of the pastas can. They also hold up very well as leftovers.
For “Kraft” Mac and Cheese (I took these directions right off the back of a Kraft box several years ago then weighed the cheese powder and pasta myself)
Measure out the following (If you do not already have a kitchen scale, I HIGHLY recommend getting one. It is especially helpful for making your own “convenience” foods!
1 1/2 ounces of cheese powder
7 1/2 ounces pasta
Regular Preparation:
6 cups Water (I always add some salt to the boiling water)
4 Tbs. Margarine
1/4 cup 2% Milk
Light Prep:
2 tsp. Butter
1/4 cup Fat Free Milk
Boil water. Stir in Macaroni. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally (for Tinkyada macaroni it is about 16 minutes).
Drain. DO NOT RINSE. Return to pan.
Add margarine, 1/4 cup milk and cheese sauce mix; mix well.
Here is another great use for mac and cheese. I cut this off a box of Kraft a few years ago too. The recipes call for the family size box of Kraft Mac and Cheese, so I double the batch using 15 ounces of pasta and 3 ounces of cheese powder. Our favorite is #1.
To the Mac and Cheese add the following (6 different meal combinations):
1. add 2 cups of cooked ground turkey, 2 cups cooked sweet corn and 1 1/2 cups salsa
2. add 2 cups tuna, 2 cups cooked peas and 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3. add 2 cups cooked chicken, 2 cups stewed tomatoes and 2/3 cup chopped green pepper
4. add 2 cups cooked ground beef, 2 cups chopped green pepper and 1 cup BBQ sauce
5. add 2 cups cooked chicken, 2 cups cooked broccoli and 3 tsp. mustard
6. add 2 cups cooked ground beef, 2 cups stewed tomatoes and 2 tsp. chili powder
Heidi