Whenever I think of comfort foods, macaroni and cheese usually falls high on my list. Another dish truly missed by the lactose-intolerant. But not any more – this delicious version, with a few tasty additions, will leave you more than comforted. My tasters did not even know they were not eating real cheese! Enjoy!
Gourmet dairy-free macaroni and cheese (totally modified from this recipe)
1/2 pound hot Italian chicken sausage
1/2 teaspoon prepared Oriental chili paste
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound macaroni, cooked
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil cooking spray
Cheese sauce:
2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups non-dairy creamer, heated for 1 minute.
1 cup grated soy Cheddar cheese
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Make the cheese sauce: Melt the margarine in a medium saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly but not brown, about 1 minute. Add the hot nondairy creamer, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring to a boil, and add salt and pepper. Lower the heat and whisk in the soy cheese. Cook, stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes more.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole with cooking spray.
Cook the sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat until well-crumbled and browned. Stir in the chili paste.
Put the cooked macaroni, sausage tomatoes, and basil into the casserole. Pour the cheese sauce over it and mix gently but thoroughly. Spread the crumbs over the top and spray with vegetable oil.
Bake, uncovered, until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Serves 4.
Awarded to me by 
That looks yuuuumy!
I love how you overcome what to many would be an insurmountable challenge. You are an inspiration to all those with dairy issues.
Thanks so much for sharing with Presto Pasta NIghts.
What brand of soy cheddar did you use? This is intriguing, as I’m learning how to make a non-lactose sauce out of nutritional yeast flakes that also tastes pretty good (http://wishiwerebaking.blogspot.com/2008/12/drive-by-blue-box.html). It’s still a work in progress, however; this sounds very finished and quite good.
I like to use Veggie Shreds, which I find in our local supermarkets. They come in many different styles of cheeses – parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, swiss. This tastes so close to the real thing that most of my tasters never know that they are not eating cheese.
[...] when I had to cut dairy out of my diet. I’ve tried my hand before at mac and cheese here and here, and I was quite pleased with the results. But I think that today’s recipe, from [...]
This is so delicious!! The cheese sauce is the best esp. since I am not able to eat the real thing.