Allergen-free Mac & Cheese

A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter Jordan (aka Allergy Kid), was diaganosed with 3 more allergies... Egg whites, soy, and wheat.  Fun, right?  Where things start to get really complicated  are with her original allergies, sesame seeds, peanut, tree nuts, sunflower seeds, and melon.  When looking for wheat-free food, most use a lot of soy to replace the gluten, as well as adding nuts and sesame seeds to upgrade the flavor.  On a trip to Whole Foods (Glen Mills), I found this awesome pasta made from quinoa, and flour made from rice.  Winner, winner, Mac & cheese dinner!!  This recipe can be used for Meatless Monday (which is when we ate it), you can also add veggies or meat to it if you would like.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did (both girls & daddy licked their bowls clean), and it was even yummy as a leftovers' lunch a couple of days later!

Thayers' Allergen-Free Mac & Cheese

Serves 8, Total time: about 40min

Ingredients

16oz cooked pasta, (I used quinoa elbow noodles)

5 cups skim milk (feel free to try unflavored dairy-free milk, if you're allgergic to dairy)

5 tbsp butter + extra to butter baking dish

6 tbsp flour (I used gluten-free flour)

4 cups shredded cheese (I used mozzarella, cheddar, and monteray jack) + extra for topping

salt & pepper to taste

*2 cups of veggies/meat can be added in if you choose

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat milk in a small saucepan.  In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, stirring until smooth, about 1 min.  Slowly whisk in the heated milk, then bring to a simmer, cook for about 5 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper.  Start to add cheese, whisking until all melted and smooth.  Add cooked pasta to pot, remove from heat, and toss until all noodles are covered.  Add veggies if you choose.  Pour pasta mixture into a 3-4 qt buttered baking dish.  Top with more shredded cheese.  Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes or until bubbly & browned!  Enjoy!!!

p.s.  Dairy is no longer an issue in our house, yay, thank goodness!!