When I was growing up, there were few things I would eat. Not joking. This list included: mac and cheese, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets, to name a few. My mother was not pleased, but as a young athlete, she also wanted me to have food in my system. It still shocks her daily, I’m sure, that I turned out to be a dietitian, but yet, here I am.
That all being said, I have not had mac and cheese in ages. Why? Well, mostly because I overdid it as a kid AND I found out gluten is not my friend back in grad school. There are some gluten-free mac and cheeses on the market, I know, but none are quite as good as the homemade recipe my mom used to make.
Not to mention, none are packed with vegetables. So, I decided it was time to take a stab at adult mac and cheese (gluten-free style).
Hello, beautiful!
Protein-Packed Pasta
When I went to Expo East this year, I was walking past Banza’s booth and was gazing for a bit too long. One of the girls locked eyes with me (you know how awkward that is, you can’t just run and hide, you’ve been CAUGHT) and asked if I wanted to try some chickpea pasta. I thought, “hm, sure, why not?”.
I was a little hesitant, being Italian and all, as I have high expectations for pasta. Now, when gluten-free, beggars can’t be choosers so I tend to just abstain from pasta as it seems a waste if it tastes like cardboard. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
Now, I am not going to lie to you and tell you it tastes exactly like homemade Italian pasta, but it is a dense, FLAVORFUL, protein-packed pasta. There are 14g of protein per a 2 oz. serving ( or 25g in a 3.5 oz. serving), so it leaves you satisfied for a good amount of time. That good amount of time usually depends on if I worked out that day, what else I’ve eaten and if I’m bored/sad/stressed (enter any emotional word I should not give into as a dietitian, but I’m human) or not.
This pasta makes for an incredibly tasty and comforting dish. Now, usually this time of year it’s cold, but in Upstate NY we are holding on to summer a bit longer, so comforting food is not always a top hot outside food. Good news is that it will be a staple for you this winter AND you don’t have to turn on your oven so you can make it year-round.
Okay, enough small talk already, it is time for you to make this gluten-free, veggie-loaded, bacon-containing, flavor-filled, protein-packed, mac and cheese! Let me know how you like it.
Pro tip:Make sure you do not let the milk come to a boil and stir frequently so that the milk does not curdle! You may need to allow the pot to cool for a few minutes before adding the milk to prevent curdling. Have patience here. (And yes, you cook the pasta in the milk, kill 2 birds with one stone.)
