Ingredients
- 10 ounces gluten-free elbow pasta
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
Topping:
- 2 gluten-free bread slices, toasted and broken into crumbs (optional)
- 1 teaspoon butter, softened (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite for 8 minutes. Drain. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir salt and mustard powder into melted butter and remove saucepan from heat. Whisk milk and cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth and stir into butter mixture until well blended. Return saucepan to stove and cook milk mixture and stir it constantly, over medium heat until sauce is thickened for about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir 3 cups Cheddar cheese into sauce until heat from sauce melts cheese. Add pasta to cheese sauce and stir well and pour into the prepared baking dish. Combine remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese, gluten-free bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon butter, and paprika in a bowl and sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake in the preheated oven until top is crunchy for about 30 minutes.
