:: Mama approved Mac and Cheese that littles will love ::

My 3 year old loves Mac and cheese. I mean, he REALLY loves it. This kid would eat it for every meal if I let him. We typically buy a gluten-free boxed Mac and cheese and he eats it once a week-ish for lunch. Last week he asked for it, but we were all out- I noticed however that we had all of the ingredients for homemade, so I put my Mom pants on, and decided to get a little fancy. 

I whipped up a quick version of homemade Mac, and I was surprised how fast and easy it was! It probably took about five minutes longer than boxed, but the end result was something I felt so much better about feeding my kids. It had all of the cheesey goodness, but none of the ingredients that I couldn't pronounce or neon orange color. It was a total win in my book! 

It was so quick and easy that it had me wondering why I bother buying the boxed junk. For an extra few minutes of my time I could feed my kids something infinitely more nourishing. Now I'm not saying that we'll never eat boxed again- let's be honest, it has it's place, because some days I just can't even. But I'll definitely be making this more often. 

What you'll need:

1 package of Banza noodles (or other GF noodle)
2 Tbsp Kerry Gold butter 
2 tsp Namaste gluten-free flour
1/2 cup whole milk (grass-fed is my prefrence)
1 1/2 cups grated raw cheddar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

How to:

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Strain and set aside.
2. Melt butter on medium heat in saucepan. Once butter is melted whisk in flour and cook for approximately one minute while continuing to whisk. 
3. Slowly add in milk while whisking to create a smooth "roux". Add salt and pepper. Whisk in cheese (leave out a handful in you're planning to bake).  
4. Stir the noodles into the cheese sauce. At this point you can serve it up (my littles prefer it like this) or bake it (my preference). If you're planning to bake, transfer to a buttered 9x9 casserole dish and sprinkle extra cheese on top. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. 

That's it! Super simple and SO worth the extra few minutes. 

Do your littles love Mac and cheese? Do you ever make them homemade? Let me know in the comments! 


*I'd say this serves 4 adults as a side dish.