Yummy, fresh, & filling!
For this meal, we used a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut the watermelon which added a fun spin and amused the kids big time! For the main entrée, we simply headed over to the local market and grabbed a box of Annie’s Home Grown! Hey, sometimes parents need a little hand so we’re grateful for brands like Annie’s!
If you’re still determined to make the dish from scratch- we got you! Here’s a tasty recipe from Gluten Free Girl:
You will need:
12 ounces gluten-free pasta
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
A little over a cup of grated cheddar cheese (here is where you can choose to do ½ white, ½ yellow or all white cheddar- it really is up to your preference)
A little over 1 cup of grated gouda cheese (a little more than a cup for us)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add in the pasta along with some olive oil. Be careful to keep an eye on the pasta from here on out as you only want to cook it until there is still a bit of a crunch to it, as Gluten Free Girl advises, if you cook gluten free pasta for too long, you will end up with a mushy mess. Trust your taste instead of the timing on the package. Drain in a colander, toss with a little bit of oil, and set aside.
In the same pot, melt the butter and milk and swirl together. When you have a bubbly liquid, add handfuls of the cheese and stir. Add more handfuls of the cheese and stir until all the cheese has been melted fully and you’re left with a sort of cheese sauce. Make a little slurry with the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir it well, then add a bit into the cheese sauce and stir. The sauce will thicken immediately (you may not need all of the cornstarch concoction!)
Season the “sauce” with salt & pepper and pour over the pasta, stir.
You can either serve + eat now but we like to take Gluten Free Girls extra step and brown the pasta at this point in the oven at 400 degrees to give it that extra decadent crunch. Serve with veggies & salad and prepare for that amazing, indescribable feeling that comes with eating delicious comfort food! Plus, you won’t have to worry about the discomfort that comes with gluten filled white pasta!
And of course, be sure to check out Gluten Free Girl for more awesome gluten-free recipes.
