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Gluten-free harissa mac and cheese by Jane Devonshire

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A dish of gluten free harissa mac and cheese, ready to be served

How do you fancy a stunningly smooth, creamy cheese sauce with a harissa kick, generously enveloping perfectly cooked pasta and topped with a sprinkling of impossibly tempting cheese? And how about if the whole dish is gluten-free?

Well, thanks to MasterChef UK 2016 Champion Jane Devonshire, I have the perfect recipe for you that ticks every single box that good mac and cheese should tick – it’s comforting, creamy, smooth and delicious.

This harissa mac and cheese recipe is featured in Jane’s debut cookbook, Hassle Free Gluten Free, which has been released in association with Coeliac UK, and features 100 delicious and easy-to-make recipes.

Hassle Free Gluten Free by Jane Devonshire

Jane’s inspiration comes from feeding her 14-year-old son, who has coeliac disease – a lifelong autoimmune disease that means it’s essential he doesn’t consume any gluten. With so many years of experience creating comforting meals for her family, it’s no surprise that Hassle Free Gluten Free is packed with fantastically tasty dishes that everyone will love.

In Jane’s book, you’ll find everything from soups, to pasta, cakes, to arancini – there’s something to please everyone.

I decided to make her harissa mac and cheese to share with you all. It’s a wonderfully creamy, moreish dish, and the addition of harissa is absolutely inspired. We all love it.

About this dish, Jane writes:

“If I fed Ben his favourite mac and cheese every day, he would be in heaven – I think it’s the whole teenage carb-loading thing. This recipe is for my standard cheese sauce, which works perfectly every time with this quantity of pasta. The addition of harissa gives it a bit of spice and a lovely warming feel for those cold nights, however I have been known to throw leeks, ham, lots of vegetables and other things that need eating up into the pasta just before it goes into the oven – it’s one of those wonderfully adaptable dishes.”

Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients

  • 400g (14.1 oz) gluten free pasta
  • 6 tbsp cornflour
  • 800ml (1.7 pts) milk, plus a little for making the cornflour paste
  • 250g (8.8 oz) extra-mature cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 50g (1.8 oz) parmesan, grated
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste, check pack to ensure gluten-free
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the pasta and parboil for 6-7 minutes; it needs to be about half-cooked. Drain the pasta and set aside.

Mix the cornflour with a little milk until it is the consistency of double cream.

Cornflower in a pan

Milk boiling in a saucepan

Put the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and slowly add the cornflour paste, stirring or whisking all the time. Keep stirring/whisking for a couple of minutes – the milk will thicken quickly but you need to cook out the cornflour.

Milk poured into a pan, ready to make the harissa mac and cheese sauce

Remove from the heat and immediately add the Cheddar and Parmesan. Beat in until you have a smooth, thick cheese sauce.

Making the cheese sauce for this harissa mac and cheese in a pan

Add the harissa paste and salt and stir in.

Add harissa paste to the mac and cheese sauce

Harissa mac and cheese sauce in a pan

Add the partially cooked pasta, stir through.

Adding partially cooked pasta to the cheese sauce

(Look at how gorgeous and creamy it is!!)

Pasta coated with cheese sauce, ready to bake in the oven

Place in a baking dish (my pan was ovenproof so I didn’t need to) and sprinkle over a little extra cheddar cheese (I put quite a large handful on because J and JD like a crisp cheese top on their mac and cheese with all the creamy goodness beneath).

Pasta in cheese sauce, topped with grated cheese

Place in the oven for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. This is best eaten as soon as you can without the cheese burning your mouth.

Close up of harissa mac and cheese

We are so impressed, Jane! This recipe out-of-this-world delicious! Don’t forget to pick up Jane’s book for yourself. It’s available to buy now!

If you’d like to print this harissa mac and cheese recipe to try later, just hit PRINT on the recipe card below.

Gluten free harissa mac and cheese

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Author: Jane Devonshire
Smooth, creamy cheese sauce with a harissa kick, generously enveloping perfectly cooked pasta and topped with a sprinkling of impossibly tempting cheese? This gluten-free mac and cheese ticks every box – it’s comforting, creamy, smooth and delicious.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Metric - Ounces

Ingredients

  • 400 g gluten-free pasta I use penne or fusilli as gluten-free macaroni can be hard to find
  • 6 tbsp cornflour
  • 800 ml milk plus a little extra for making the cornflour paste
  • 250 g extra-mature Cheddar cheese grated, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 50 g Parmesan grated
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste make sure it's gluten-free
  • pinch sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the pasta and parboil for 6-7 minutes; it needs to be about half-cooked. Drain the pasta and set aside.
  • Mix the cornflour with a little milk until it is the consistency of double cream.
  • Put the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and slowly add the cornflour paste, stirring or whisking all the time. Keep stirring/whisking for a couple of minutes – the milk will thicken quickly but you need to cook out the cornflour.
  • Remove from the heat and immediately add the Cheddar and Parmesan. Beat in until you have a smooth, thick cheese sauce. 
  • Add the harissa paste and salt and stir in, then add the partially cooked pasta, stir through, and place in a baking dish.
  • Sprinkle over a little extra Cheddar cheese and place in the oven for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. This is best eaten as soon as you can without the cheese burning your mouth.

Nutrition

Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 14.7% | Vitamin C: 1% | Calcium: 55% | Iron: 2.6%
* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published.
Course: Pasta meals
Keywords: gluten free, mac and cheese, pasta
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @amummytoo on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I can't wait to see your posts!

What did you think of this delicious gluten free harissa mac and cheese?

Pin for later

This harissa mac and cheese is creamy, smooth and gluten free! #recipe #macandcheese #glutenfree

For more gluten free pasta dishes, try this red lentil penne alla puttanesca or this black spaghetti with roasted tomatoes.

Bloomsbury sent me a copy of the book. Recipe reproduced with permission.

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  1. Natalie says

    29 October, 2018 at 5.15pm

    Oh good old mac & cheese. I LOVE that dish. But what I love about this recipe that is so much healthier than others I know. I’m saving this to try. My family will be delighted when I serve them this for dinner.

    Reply

  3. Karyl Henry says

    29 October, 2018 at 10.37am

    I’ve never heard of harissa, but I love to try out unique spices. I’ll definitely have to check it out. I love this creamy mac & cheese too! Looks divine

    Reply

  5. Daniela says

    28 October, 2018 at 10.22pm

    Wow! I love the color that the harissa gives this gluten-free mac and cheese. And I can only imagine how warm and spicy it makes it taste. Delicious!

    Reply

  6. Jyothi (Jo) says

    28 October, 2018 at 3.56pm

    Yes, i’m a person who can put harissa on every dish. Because i love all things spicy. This is probably the best gluten free mac and cheese recipe I have come across. YUMMM

    Reply

  8. Marisa Franca says

    27 October, 2018 at 7.39pm

    What a delicious looking mac and cheese and certainly this is a heaven sent recipe for those who are gluten intolerant. I’m not too familiar with harissa but I’ll have to change that real soon.

    Reply

  16. Veena Azmanov says

    25 October, 2018 at 7.11pm

    I love having gluten-free options just because I don’t always eat a lot of bread. I’ve been wanting to buy a book on gluten-free and Since you recommend this, I’m definitely going to look at it.
    This recipe sounds so amazing

    Reply

  23. Preet says

    25 October, 2018 at 12.16pm

    Oh, I am badly craving for this! This is so good, this will be a huge hit! This would disappear in no time at our house!

    Reply

  27. ANkana says

    25 October, 2018 at 8.21am

    Just what the doc ordered for a meal on a thursday . Going to whip this up for dinner, hope the kids will enjoy it !!!

    Reply

  31. Kiki Johnson says

    25 October, 2018 at 1.15am

    This is genius! Hubby is a sucker for mac and cheese (like all Canadians, I guess haha) but this version might even get me on board! I can really see the spicy harissa paste heightening the flavor and contrasting the creamy cheese perfectly!

    Reply

  32. Ashley says

    25 October, 2018 at 12.53am

    Yum! This looks and sounds so good. Mac and cheese is such a comfort food, and with colder weather, I’ll be wanting more of that. Adding this recipe to my list!

    Reply

  34. Kansas Bonanno says

    24 October, 2018 at 9.51pm

    most defiantly going to make this for my kids, we are always looking for new things to cook and add to our menus.

    Reply

  41. Aleta says

    24 October, 2018 at 4.50pm

    Wow what a great recipe for beautifully thick and creamy gluten free pasta! I bet her cookbook is loaded with other delicious recipes like this, definitely worth checking out!

    Reply

  43. Catherine Santiago Jose says

    24 October, 2018 at 2.46pm

    Mac and cheese are one of my favorites dishes to have on every occasion and I am sure that this is a winner recipe for my family.

    Reply

  47. catherine shane says

    24 October, 2018 at 10.27am

    Wow what a delicious cheesy i love this thanks for sharing this delicious recipe i will make it this coming christmas., yummmy

    Reply

  48. Anosa says

    24 October, 2018 at 7.46am

    I love the quote from Jane, my mum was the same if she sounds dished we loved as teenagers she made them regularly and creatively. Love the look of this mac and cheese

    Reply

  53. Alexandra says

    23 October, 2018 at 11.12pm

    What a clever idea and interesting twist on this dish! I love the addition of Harissa – brings some added warmth.
    Sounds utterly beautiful!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Alex xx
    itsnotcomplicatedrecipes.com

    Reply

  56. Karla says

    23 October, 2018 at 8.04pm

    Thank you for this. We have two family members that are gluten free and recipes have been hard for me. This looks pretty simple and I know they’ll love it.

    Reply

  57. Chad says

    23 October, 2018 at 7.18pm

    I’ve heard of Harissa before but i thought It had chicken, not sure tbh. Thank you so much for the great recipe, will definitely cook it this weekend.

    Reply

  58. Sonia Cave says

    23 October, 2018 at 6.57pm

    This looks so delicious. It is the favourite meal of our twin 1 so I will be giving this version a go. Love all things gluten free as I think it is better for us anyway

    Reply

  61. Joanna says

    23 October, 2018 at 5.29pm

    I can imagine how delicious this recipe is! I do like harissa for the kick it gives to eastern foods, but I never imagined that it could be used in mac and cheese. I’d love to try this recipe!

    Reply
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