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I have received information and materials from JOHNSON & JOHNSON CONSUMER, Inc., McNeil Nutritionals, LLC Subsidiary the makers of LACTAID®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write it.
Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese that’s made with real milk and cheese but is lactose free. It’s perfect to satisfy those comfort food cravings without messing with your stomach.
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Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese (lactose free)
My daughter, Kelsey, is part of the one in five Americans diagnosed as lactose intolerant – she was diagnosed last summer. Since then, she’s maintained a mostly dairy free diet. However, there are times where there’s just no satisfying substitute for real dairy. So, here with are with a gluten free macaroni and cheese recipe that you’ll love!
Classic example – macaroni and cheese. We’ve tried all kinds of dairy free alternatives and have been less than impressed with results. Then last fall, we discovered that aged cheddar cheese is naturally lactose free. (Why didn’t I know that earlier?!)
How to make this gluten free mac and cheese lactose free!
Literally, a light-bulb went off. I don’t have to make dairy free macaroni and cheese, I can just make gluten free macaroni and cheese without lactose! Thanks to products like LACTAID®, I can still make some family favorites without having to fully convert them to be dairy free.
LACTAID® Milk is perfect in the lactose free macaroni and cheese. You just can’t mimic that comforting, creamy, cheesy goodness without the milk and cheese.
Also, in case you’re wondering, there’s no difference in taste between LACTAID® and non- LACTAID® products. If somebody didn’t tell you, you really wouldn’t know.
I also like to use the LACTAID® cottage cheese in lasagna. My Polish husband’s great-grandmother’s lasagna recipe is called “American Lasagna” and is made with cottage cheese instead of ricotta – it’s SO good! If your recipe just calls for ricotta, you can use the LACTAID® cottage cheese in place of that.
Best way to cook gluten free macaroni and cheese:
But let’s get back to this MAC AND CHEESE. I like to bake my macaroni and cheese since that’s the way I grew up with it.
True story: my husband had NEVER had baked macaroni and cheese before I started making it for him. How is that even possible?? All those years of missing out…
Baked macaroni and cheese is totally the way to go. The edges get nice and crispy/crunchy – those are my favorite pieces. A perfect bite includes a crispy piece of macaroni, some creamy pieces of macaroni, and some of the crunchy topping. That right there is the definition of comfort food, my friends.
By the way, this gluten free mac and cheese would go great with my mini bbq meatloaf recipe!
Enjoy!
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Lactose Free Macaroni and Cheese
Lactose Free Macaroni and Cheese that’s made with real milk and cheese but is lactose free. It’s perfect to satisfy those comfort food cravings.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. gluten free macaroni
- ¼ C ghee or dairy free butter
- ¼ C gluten free all-purpose flour
- 2 C LACTAID® milk
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 C cheddar cheese*
- ½ C gluten free bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp ghee or dairy free butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking dish with non-stick spray (use a baking dish that holds 2 quarts).
- Cook the macaroni according to package directions for al dente pasta (you could even cook it a minute less). Drain the macaroni when cooked and set aside.
- Add ¼ C ghee or dairy free butter to the empty pasta pot and heat over medium heat. When the ghee is melted, whisk in the gluten free flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour and whisk in the LACTAID® milk.
- Heat the milk, whisking almost constantly until it comes to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the milk mixture thickens. The milk mixture is thick enough when it can hold a line on a spoon when you run your finger through it without it running. It will take about 5-10 minutes.
- When the milk has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese. Mix until it melts completely. Stir in the macaroni and mix until the macaroni is completely coated with the cheese sauce.
- Transfer the macaroni to the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of melted ghee. Stir to coat the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the macaroni and cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until the top is browned and cheese sauce is bubbling.
Notes
*Real cheddar cheese is naturally lactose free. Use a good quality cheddar and look for one labeled with 0g lactose/serving.
This recipe also calls for ghee or dairy free butter. Ghee is a lactose free product which is what I prefer to use when I make this recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 25gCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 14g
trc
Monday 21st of November 2022
At what point are you supposed to add the salt and pepper listed in the ingrediants?
Shay
Tuesday 22nd of November 2022
I add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce/roux as I make it. I season it to taste.
Pam
Saturday 12th of February 2022
Do you have to use gluten free ingredients ? I’m lactose intolerant I’m fine with gluten.
Patricia Cooke
Thursday 4th of March 2021
Was wondering why gluten free products? I have a lactose malabsorption.. can’t tolerate lactaid, nor any milk products(whey, curds, casein). Any suggestions?
Val
Thursday 2nd of July 2020
This recipe is great! I've made it a few times, as I'm lactose intolerant and was looking for a non-vegan mac that I can make at home. I just have two things to note.
The first is that the ingredient list calls for salt, but nowhere in the recipe does it tell you when to add it. I've been using salted butter in the roux, and then adding additional salt as needed after the cheese is mixed in. I also added dijon mustard which gives a nice zing to the sauce that I believe was missing.
The second is that I recommend ONLY using panko breadcrumbs for the topping. We tried regular breadcrumbs initially and it weighed the whole dish down a ton. Panko are much crispier and will lead to a better end result in my experience.
Danielle
Monday 14th of October 2019
Believe it or not, lactose is the only sugar in cheese (except specialty cheeses like cranberry holiday cheese or chocolate chip cheese) so because of this the sugar content on the nutrition label tells you how much lactose is in the cheese (0g sugar= 0g lactose). Also, real butter is almost always safe for people with lactose intolerance, I'm lactose intolerant and have no issues. People who are EXTREMELY sensitive may have a problem with butter and if so ghee is a great substitute. Just sharing because a common misconception about people who are lactose intolerant is that they can't have any dairy/cheese or much of anything.