Matt's Mac and Cheese

Of course I had to cheat a little bit and try a dairy recipe during my week Tribute to the Dynes Family Cook Book.  So thank you to my sister Michalle and, as the title of the recipe suggests, more thanks to her husband Matt.   The devil on my left shoulder was saying "Try it, Try it" while the angel on my right shoulder was whispering "All that dairy is going to give you a stomach ache," and you know what- I'm so glad I flicked that angel right off my shoulder and pressed on with this recipe.  The minor belly ache was totally worth it.

And, for the record, I cut this recipe in half since I just wanted a light afternoon meal (we had plans for a dinner party that evening), and it was still a big enough portion to use as a side for 2 -3 meals, but if you have a large family or guests, I'm sure the suggested measurements would work wonderfully.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup flour (I used brown rice flour)
• Water
• 3-4 cups milk
• 4 TSBP butter
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 onion, minced OR 1 shallot, diced
• 2-3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 (20 oz.) box noodles (again, since I cut this recipe in half, I used ~ 4 oz. whole wheat penne and ~ 4 oz. brown rice penne)
• 1 lb. cheese, cubed
• 1 TBSP wheat germ (if not going gluten-free) OR 1 TBSP ground flax seed
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 oz. spinach, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

SUMMARY:  Cook the pasta and chop the veggies - Make the cheese sauce - Finish the casserole(s) and bake - Cook any other sides you want to include

STEP ONE- THE PASTA AND VEGGIES:
Cook the pasta according to directions.  While the pasta is cooking, prep and chop the veggies.

STEP TWO- THE CHEESE SAUCE:
Next, slowly add water into a medium-sized bowl with the flour, until it's a moisty paste- runny pancake-like batter.  Add milk.  Over heat, mix butter and flour mixture into a large pot.  Stir constantly.  Add sea salt and onion or shallot.  Stir until it achieves a chowder consistency.  Stir in grated cheddar cheese.

STEP THREE- PUTTING THE MAC IN THE CHEESE:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 X 13 casserole pan OR (if using 2 different kinds of pastas like I did, spray two 8 X 8 baking dishes.)  I mixed the whole wheat penne and 1/2 the cheese sauce in a large bowl and stirred to coat the pasta. Yes, I selfishly did not include the diced peppers or spinach into the whole wheat pasta portion.  (A) I wanted the veggies for myself and (B) I didn't want to put all the hard work into creating a dish that Avery would reject right off the bat due to the obvious "salad" thrown into it.  I then added my brown rice penne to the rest of the cheese sauce as well as the diced red pepper and spinach and stirred to coat the pasta.   Pour the cheese/pasta into the baking pan(s) and place the cubed cheeses throughout the casserole(s).  Sprinkle top of casserole(s) with wheat germ (if not going gluten free and want to add a sweet taste) OR with ground flax seed (if wanting to add a little nutty flavor).  Bake for 30 minutes.

Quite tasty, and a nice recipe for the times I do like to cheat on my dairy restrictions, but don't want to have to pay a ridiculously high price for a box of not-that-great gluten-free Mac N Cheese.