What's For Supper - Gluten-Free Veggie Mac'n'Cheese

After experimenting with many macaroni and cheese recipes over the years, I think I found the winning concoction. This is my idea of macaroni and cheese. It takes about an hour of preparation and another 25-30 minutes to bake, so pick a day when you can have fun and relax in the kitchen.

Here is your list of ingredients:

12 oz. gluten-free pasta (I used Tinkyada elbow macaroni)
About 14 small to medium mushrooms
Olive oil
One large head broccoli
About 40 cherry tomatoes
About 3 1/2 c. of cheese (I used 2 c. grated cheddar, 1 c. grated mozzarella, 2 oz. brie and 3 T. crumbled gorgonzola)
3 shallots
Fresh nutmeg
Paprika
2 c. milk
1 c. veggie broth
1 T. cornstarch
Fresh parmesan

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Clean the mushrooms and cut off the tips of the stems. Quarter the mushrooms and lay them in a baking sheet. Pour about 2 T. of olive oil over them, then salt and pepper. With your clean hands, mix them all together with the oil and seasoning.

Roast them at 350 for about 10 minutes, until hot and wrinkly.

While the mushrooms are roasting, cut the broccoli into small florets and place in a microwave-proof dish with cover, along with 2 T. water. Set aside for now.

The mushrooms are done! Leave the oven on at 350.

Cut the tomatoes in half. Saute over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and about 1 t. dried thyme (or some fresh, if you have it)!
Saute for only a minute or two - you just want to warm the tomatoes, not cook them. Set aside.

Now grate and cut your cheeses. You can use any kind of cheese you want, but I'm tellin' ya, the combination I used was stupendous! It was just cheese I happened to have in the refrigerator, though. So go look inside your fridge and see what you have!

Now chop your shallots. I love shallots. They have such a mild, delicious onion flavor.

Now it's time to cook your pasta. Tinkyada is excellent!

Even if you aren't gluten-free, it's a delicious pasta. And you can cook it easily by adding it to boiling water, stirring for just a few minutes, then covering it and turning off the heat. It only take about 14 minutes for perfectly cooked pasta!

While the pasta is cooking, saute the shallots over medium heat in a large pot with about 1 T. of olive oil, until translucent. Remember to add a little salt and pepper!

Now it's time to make the cheese sauce. Add 1 c. milk and 1 c. vegetable broth to the shallots.

Into the remaining 1 c. milk, whisk in 1 T. cornstarch. When the milk and broth are hot, whisk in the milk/cornstarch mixture. Stir frequently until the sauce begins to thicken. This takes about five minutes - patience, Grasshopper! While you're waiting for it to thicken, grate in about 1 t. fresh nutmeg

and sprinkle in some paprika. You can add a little more salt and pepper, too, if you like.

Hey, remember the broccoli? You can stick that into the microwave, covered, and cook it for about 5-6 minutes, until it's just soft but retains a little bit of crunch. Add salt, pepper, and some margarine or butter. Set aside.

When the sauce is finally thick and bubbly...

Add the cheeeeeeeese!!!!!

The pasta should be done by now, so once the cheese is thoroughly incorporated, turn off the heat. Drain and add the pasta.

Mmmmm, I'm getting hungry. The broccoli should be done by now, so it's time to add all of the veggies into the pot.

Pour the mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with vegetable spray. Grate parmesan cheese alllllll over the top.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Isn't it pretty? It is so yummy. It really did exceed my expectations. Each ingredient shines through and the rich cheese sauce pulls everything together. Enjoy!