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.
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
- 400 g (14.11 oz) gluten-free pasta I use penne or fusilli as gluten-free macaroni can be hard to find
- 6 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 800 ml (1.69 pint) whole milk plus a little extra for making the cornflour paste
- 250 g (8.82 oz) extra-mature Cheddar cheese grated, plus extra for sprinkling (vegetarian if required)
- 50 g (1.76 oz) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese alternative grated
- 2 tbsp harissa paste make sure it's gluten-free
- pinch sea salt flakes
Equipment
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.
Add the partially cooked pasta, stir through.
(Look at how gorgeous and creamy it is!!)
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).
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.
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!
What did you think of this delicious gluten-free harissa mac and cheese recipe? Will you give it a go?
Print this gluten-free harissa mac and cheese recipe
Gluten Free Harissa Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g (14.11 oz) gluten-free pasta I use penne or fusilli as gluten-free macaroni can be hard to find
- 6 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 800 ml (1.69 pint) whole milk plus a little extra for making the cornflour paste
- 250 g (8.82 oz) extra-mature Cheddar cheese grated, plus extra for sprinkling (vegetarian if required)
- 50 g (1.76 oz) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese alternative grated
- 2 tbsp harissa paste make sure it's gluten-free
- pinch sea salt flakes
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.
Video
Nutrition
Bloomsbury sent me a copy of the book. Recipe reproduced with permission.
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Marcie says
Holy moly this looks like the ultimate comfort food! And your photos are so appetizing! Yummy!
Emily Leary says
Thank you! I hope you've been inspired to give Jane's recipe a go, it really is delicious!
Preet says
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!
Emily Leary says
This dish taste so incredibly good! I hope that your family enjoy it :)
Nadia says
This sounds like heaven. I love harissa and cheesy pasta so will have to try this one.
Emily Leary says
I'm sure that this truly delicious dish won't disappoint!
Kelly Anthony says
This pasta looks truly fantastic! My kids would love it!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Emily Leary says
Jane's mac and cheese recipe is so yummy - we love it in our house!
Sonia says
Ooh I could just sit and eat a big bowl of this now. Love Mac n cheese x
Emily Leary says
I love mac and cheese too and this dish by Jane Devonshire is really tasty!
ANkana says
Just what the doc ordered for a meal on a thursday . Going to whip this up for dinner, hope the kids will enjoy it !!!
Emily Leary says
I'd love to hear what your kids thought of this delicious mac and cheese dish! Mine love it :)
Helen Neale says
This looks delightful and tasty. My kids would absolutely love this. This is my kind of a weekend treat.
Emily Leary says
I agree :) This is a deliciously moreish dish and a perfect weekend (or anytime) treat!
Jasmine Hewitt says
i love a good mac and cheese recipe. i don t have to do gluten-free necessarily, but the option is nice
Emily Leary says
I hope you decide to give Jane's recipe a go - it's SO yummy!
Lindsay says
Your food photography is incredible and I am just drooling over this dish... and I'm not gluten free! I will definitely be making this one.
Emily Leary says
Thank you so much! It was such a pleasure to make this delicious dish by Jane Devonshire - enjoy!
Kiki Johnson says
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!
Emily Leary says
Yes, this is a really, really delicious dish by Jane Devonshire. I'd love to hear how it goes!