Lactose Free Mac n’ Cheese
The Story:
I host an annual Friendsgiving dinner for my friends, and the list of dietary restrictions in our friend group creates some interesting menu challenges. A few years ago I decided to make a lactose-free Mac n’ Cheese that could accommodate both my Vegetarian and Lactose free guests. I raided every grocery store in my neighborhood to find a carton of Goat’s Milk and some Sheep and Goat milk cheeses, as they are naturally lactose free, and found many delicious cheeses that I have since worked into my regular diet. Though this recipe was experimental, I waited until the day of the event to try it out, as the cheeses I found were quite expensive and I didn't want to make it twice. The day of, as I nervously put the sauce together, I was delighted to find that these cheeses melted into the bechamel even more smoothly than typical cheddar would. I was glad to find that goat’s milk has a richer flavor than cow’s milk. The sauce was the silkiest cheese sauce I'd ever seen.
Once it came out of the oven, I was surprised by how much it looked like any other mac n’ cheese - all the cheeses I used were white, but the top of the casserole had darkened to look more like the usual orange-ish color. Once I tasted it, I knew I'd be making this dish many times again. The whole table was raving about it, and couldn’t believe it was completely lactose free. Goat’s milk and pecorino cheese have now become standard ingredients in any mac n’ cheese I make, even if I'm not making a lactose free dish.
Tips and Tricks:
Depending on where you live, you may have access to different cheese products than I'm able to find here in the Northeastern US. Any cheeses made from Goat’s milk or Sheep’s milk will work - these can often be found in the artisan cheese area by the Deli Department, rather than the Dairy Aisle. Products like Pecorino, Manchego, and Chevre should be readily available in most stores - if these are all you can find, this will be enough to make a delicious cheese sauce. I love adding Kashkaval, Kefalotyri, and Kefalograviera cheeses when I have time to traverse the city for the Greek and Eastern European grocery stores. Feel free to try any other sheep or goat cheeses you find in your local stores, as it will only add more flavor. I would recommend avoiding wine-infused or fruit-infused cheeses with bands of color, as they will make the sauce an unpleasant color and taste less like a typical mac n’ cheese. This won’t be the cheapest mac n’ cheese you ever make, but for special occasions like holidays or birthdays, the expensive cheese is worth it.
Always melt your cheese into the bechamel sauce after turning the heat off. I find harder cheeses melt best when the heat was just turned off, while softer cheeses melt best after a few minutes. If you have both hard and soft cheeses, add the hard cheese first to cool the mixture down, then add the soft. If you only have soft cheeses, wait about 2 minutes after turning the heat off before adding the cheese to the sauce.
All seasoning quantities are approximate, taste as you go and add more as needed. I like to make the sauce taste a bit more intense than I’d want the final dish to be, as it mellows out once you add the pasta.
Ingredients:
½ cup Flour of choice (All-Purpose, Gluten Free All-purpose, Rice, Oat, Corn, etc.)
½ cup Ghee (Beef Tallow, Lard, or Olive oil will work if Ghee doesn’t agree with you)
3 cups Goat’s Milk
(1) 4oz. Container of Chevre Cheese
3 cups grated cheese(s) of choice. Options include:
Pecorino
Manchego Cheese
Kashkaval
Kefalotyri
Any other Goat or Sheep milk cheese you find (see Tips and Tricks above)
24 oz. or 2 boxes Pasta of choice
If using Gluten Free pasta, I recommend Barilla Gluten Free Penne
1 tbsp Mustard
1 tbsp Paprika (sweet or smoked)
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes or Black Pepper
Salt to taste (varies depending on salt content of the cheese)
1-2 cups Breadcrumbs for topping (Gluten Free will work, quantity varies depending on size of casserole dish)
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Set a large pot of salted water to boil.
In a large saucepan, add the flour and ghee and sautee on medium heat, stirring constantly, until the flour starts to become slightly golden in color, about 3-5 minutes.
Slowly add the goat’s milk while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Once all milk is added, keep stirring until the texture is uniform and the mixture comes to a simmer.
Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.
Turn off the burner, and slowly add the cheese while vigorously stirring to avoid clumps. See Tips and Tricks above for how to melt in different cheese types.
Once all cheese is added, stir until you achieve a rich, thick, silky sauce with no visible lumps or streaks of cheese. If lumps or streaks of cheese are still visible after a few minutes, turn the burner back on low for about a minute, gently stirring constantly, until the lumps are fully melted and incorporated.
While the sauce cools, add pasta to the pot of boiling salted water. Boil for half the time recommended on the pasta’s packaging.
Strain pasta, and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Combine pasta and sauce. If the sauce isn’t fully coating the pasta, add a bit more goat’s milk or water and more cheese until the sauce evenly coats all the pasta. The sauce will be absorbed by the par-cooked pasta, so it’s ok if it seems a bit soupy.
Put mixture into a greased casserole. Top with breadcrumbs, optionally add extra paprika to the breadcrumbs for color.
Bake at 350 until breadcrumbs are browned and pasta is al dente, about 20 minutes.
Cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
