Spicy PERi-PERi Gluten Free Mac and Cheese - A comfort food classic with a few twists; a little spice from Per-Peri sauce and pasta made from corn & quinoa!
A big thanks to Degustabox USA for providing me with a complimentary subscription in exchange for a blog post. As always, all photos, words, thoughts and general ramblings are my own!
I love when I come home after a long crazy day with the kids and find a Degustabox waiting for me! I think I've said it before, I feel like a contestant on Chopped every time one of these boxes arrives. I never know what is going to be in it and the second I start to go through the contents, recipes immediately pop into my head. I can only imagine this is what it feels like when the baskets are opened on Chopped.
Degustbox is a subscription box which arrives once a month. There are about 10 items in each box. So far, as I can judge after three months with them, the variety is great. My kids usually find something to pull out and snack on and there have been some really cool beverages too.
If you want to see the items in my past Degustabox's just click on these links:
So, because I couldn't wait two freak'n minutes, while I was unpacking the box, I drank the Sparkling Bitters. I had to try it. I'm a huge fan of carbonated waters. Sorry. So the poor Sparkling Bitters never made it to the photo. My bad.
My fave box picks from this month:
Here's the complete list of this month's box:
popCORNers - gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan AND tasty!
Sparkling Bitters - flavored sparkling water with bitters added
Toosum - gluten free oatmeal bar
BustaNUT! - How can you not love a product with that name??? (Top quality nuts with flavor)
Sam Mills Pasta - Gluten Free Corn Quinoa Fusilli, free of wheat, soy, egg, dairy, tree nuts, nuts, fish and shellfish
Entenmann's Little Bites - mini-muffins (my son LOVES these)
Nando's PERi-PERi - versatile sauce used for dipping, dashing, splashing, or adding a kick of flavor to any dish.
English Provender - Clean, all-natural, small batch jars of chutney, spreads etc.
Michel et Augustin - COOKIES!
Hak's - One Pot sauces
Zollipops - Sugar free, gluten free, vegan, kosher drops that can help reduce tooth decay and dry mouth
Want to try out Degustabox for yourself? If you do, I can give you a discount code!
I know, I'm too good to you, aren't I? That's okay, here it is, just click through the picture below BEFORE 9/29/2016 to get your discount!
So what does this Degustabox have to do with my Spicy PERi-PERi Gluten Free Mac and Cheese? Well, duh, I pretended I was on a Chopped episode and I used two ingredients from the basket, er, um, I mean box.
I'm not generally a gluten free kind of cook. My daughter has enough food allergies that I don't pay much attention to gluten since we don't have to avoid it. But, I always like a challenge and I thought it would be fun to stick with the theme since it seemed most items in this box were gluten free. When in Rome, right?
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at the texture of the pasta. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. As I started to make the cheese sauce, I realized very quickly that flour couldn't be my base. I tried cornstarch and it worked great. Someone told me not all cornstarch is gluten free so just be sure to check your labels.
Also, you can totally adjust the amount of the PERi-PERi sauce. I like a good amount of kick but if you don't like that much just use a tad bit less.
Enjoy!
So, let me ask a question, are you interested in this Spicy PERi PERi Gluten Free Mac and Cheese recipe because you are are gluten free or just because it looks awesome?
Printable Recipe Card
Spicy PERi-PERi Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz Gluten Free Pasta I used SamMills Corn & Quinoa Fusilli
- 1 T corn starch gluten free
- 1 C milk I used 1%
- 1 T butter
- ½ teaspoon salt kosher
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 oz white cheddar cheese cubed or shredded
- ¼ C Peri Peri Sauce
- Non stick spray / butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, place cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk in milk. Place over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, add in butter, salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and reduce heat to low. Stir until cheese has completely melted. Stir in Peri Peri sauce.
- Spray non-stick spray (or coat with butter) on the bottom and sides of a 2Q baking dish. Pour pasta into dish. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir well to combine.
- Bake 20 minutes.
- Enjoy.
Karyn Granrud says
Sounds like a great dinner! I'll have to look into that Peri-Peri sauce.
Lora @savoringitaly says
I have a dear friend that is GF and I'm always thinking of what to make her when she comes by for dinner...this is what I will make next!! Love the spicy kick!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says
This sounds like such a fun box to receive every month! I've always enjoyed Peri-Peri sauce, and I bet it adds some nice heat to this mac & Cheese!