Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

My version of Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is high in protein, thanks to the cottage cheese.

This dish can easily be made dairy and gluten free, and is perfect for a crowd, leaving your family wanting more!

By Rose Huxford

Who can resist Homemade Macaroni and Cheese? Most recipes call for ingredients that

leave your stomach feeling heavy. I’ve tried many different ingredients and finally came up with

this recipe that works for my family, while leaving us feeling good. This recipe makes a lot, so I

split it up into two pans and freeze the other half for another time.

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Pre-heave oven: 425 degree F

Prep-time: 10 minutes

Bake-time: 35 minutes

Total-time: 45 minutes

*This dish can be prepared the day before. When you are ready to bake it, all you need to do is heat it up in the oven!

Ingredients

Pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 box small shell pasta or Gluten Free pasta shells

Cheese Sauce

6 tbsp all-purpose flour or Gluten Free all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cup cottage cheese or Dairy Free cottage cheese

2 cups oat milk

1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese or Dairy Free sharp shredded cheese

2 cups mild shredded cheddar cheese or Dairy Free mild shredded cheese

3 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dry mustard

2 tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp smoked paprika

Breadcrumb Mixture

6 tbsp dry breadcrumbs or Gluten Free breadcrumbs

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F.

2. Lightly grease a 9x13 deep baking dish and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, olive oil and seasonings and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk ½ cup oat milk and 6 tbsp flour. Blend until smooth.

5. In a large heavy saucepan, heat 1 ½ cups oat milk over medium heat, until steamy.

6. Add the oat milk and flour mixture to the hot oat milk. Whisk constantly until well

incorporated. Stir in cottage cheese, sharp and mild cheese, salt and pepper and seasonings.

Bring to a slight boil to thicken the sauce, then allow it to simmer while stirring frequently.

7. Cook pasta shells according to the package.

8. To the prepared baking dish, add most of the seasoned breadcrumbs to the bottom. Spread

evenly.

9. Drain the pasta shells and return back to the pot.

10. Pour the sauce over the pasta shells and stir to bring everything together.

11. Then, pour into the prepared baking dish over the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the remaining

breadcrumbs on top of the cheesy pasta. *(You can allow this to cool, cover with foil, and refrigerate until the next day).

12. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly, and pasta is slightly golden brown.

Enjoy with your favorite roasted veggies!