Ridonculous Mac and Cheese

Ridonculous Gluten Free Mac and Cheese got it's name from my good friend Kim Denham.  Let me start by saying that she is a wheat eater who makes a lot of delicious gluten free food for her own family with gluten sensitivities.  I always trust her opinion on what I make because her palate isn't completely biased from only eating gluten free, she isn't afraid to tell me the truth when something stinks and she is a really great baker and cook.  So I dropped off some of this mac and cheese one afternoon.  About an hour later, I got a text saying, "That mac and cheese is ridonculous!"  I blushed.

I have made many variations of this mac and cheese over the years for Thanksgiving mainly. It started with a recipe from Emeril Lagasse.  How dare I adjust his recipe, you might ask?!? Trust me, I respect Emeril's recipes and many other chef's recipes like religion.  That's why I always give credit where credit is due.  However, when it comes to making food gluten free, adjustments have to be made.  Now my recipe only somewhat resembles the original, but certainly is a nod to his awesomeness.

Say Cheese!

To make the cheese sauce, start by heating the butter and garlic in a sauce pan.  Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and some of the half and half to create a slurry.  This will prevent lumps from forming.  If you add the cornstarch in as a dry powder, it won't dissolve in the liquid properly, so the slurry is the solution:-)  Once the garlic is softened and fragrant (but not browned) add the half and half then slowly add the cornstarch slurry while stirring.  Keep stirring while it thickens to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and burning.  When it begins to stick to the sides of the pan, remove it from the heat and stir in the cheeses, truffle salt and pepper.

Don't Cook the Pasta!

I can only speak for the Barilla Gluten Free Elbow pasta, but you don't need to cook it for this recipe.  Let me know if you try another brand of pasta.  I love that there is one less step to the recipe and one less variable to mess up on by using dry pasta, so I have just stuck to what I know works!  So once the cheese sauce is made, combine it with the dry pasta and pour it into a greased casserole dish.

Top it Off!

This topping adds another layer of flavor and crunch.  I highly recommend not skipping this!  It is easy to make too.  Just put all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Stir in a little truffle oil at a time until it resembles damp sand.  Sprinkle it on top of the cheesy goodness and into the oven it goes!  The topping will brown a bit while it bakes and you will be amazed at how ridonculous it turns out;-)

Ridonculous Gluten Free Mac and Cheese is great paired with Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey, Drunk as a Sailor Gravy and Browned Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes.  Some great veggie sides like Roasted Green Beans, Roasted Broccoli or Garlicky Brussels Sprouts would be awesome too!

Ridonculous Gluten Free Mac and Cheese

4.67 from 3 votes

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Servings: 12 servings

Calories:

Ingredients  

2x3x4x

For the Mac and Cheese

• 6 tablespoon butter - plus extra to grease casserole dish
• 2 cloves fresh garlic - finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 cups half & half - divided
• ½ teaspoon truffle salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper - you can use black pepper, you will see the specks
• 4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 ounces grated sharp white cheddar
• 6 ounces grated fontina cheese
• 6 ounces grated gruyere cheese
• 1 box Barilla Gluten Free Elbows - uncooked

For the topping

• ½ cup gluten free breadcrumbs or panko - or use fresh breadcrumbs (see note)
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon truffle salt
• 1-2 tablespoon truffle oil

Instructions

For the Mac and Cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with butter
• In a small bowl combine ½ cup half and half with cornstarch. Stir until there are no lumps and it is well combined. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter over a medium heat. Add garlic, stirring to make sure it doesn’t brown. Once it is fragrant and softened add remaining half and half, then the cornstarch mixture.
• Stir constantly so that it doesn’t burn or stick on the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a low boil and let thicken slightly. It will start to stick to the sides of the pan some. At this point turn the heat off.
• Add the cheeses, truffle salt and pepper. Stir until all of the cheese has melted and it is combined well.
• Add the dry pasta and stir until it is completely combined.
• Pour into the greased baking dish.
• Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes uncovered, then 20 minutes covered. Remove from oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

For the Topping:

• In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
• Drizzle with truffle oil a little at a time, while stirring. When it looks like damp sand, it is ready to go! Set aside while you work on the Mac & Cheese.

Notes

You can easily make fresh breadcrumbs by putting 1 slice of fresh gluten free bread in a food processor.  Pulse a few times until the crumbs are your desired size.  I use 1 slice of Udi's New Delicious multigrain bread from their regular sized loaf.  Once processed into crumbs, it measured 1 cup.  I combined it with the same measurements of the remaining ingredients as the recipe states.  It turns out fantastic.  I prefer it this way, but understand if you find it easier to use store bought breadcrumbs.  I do that too when I need a short cut:-)