Home Dinner Bacon Broccoli Macaroni & Cheese {Lactose Free}

Bacon Broccoli Macaroni & Cheese {Lactose Free}

by Ann
3 comments

Lactose Free Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #lactosefree #healthy #mac&cheese #comfortfood #recipe

Last month I did a “comfort foods” cooking class at work and I knew I had to include Macaroni & Cheese, the ultimate comfort food. So I planned to make a health-ified mac & cheese using a cauliflower/carrot cheese sauce. I was all prepped for the class, but the day before the class,which was a Sunday, I stopped at work to check who was coming to the class … and one of the people who was signed up to come to the class had told me she has recently realized that she is lactose intolerant. Well, I couldn’t very well make macaroni & cheese if she was going to be at the class with no option for her to eat! So I decided I needed to make a lactose-free macaroni and cheese as well, which I figured shouldn’t be too hard, really, since the sauce I was planning is made creamy by steaming carrots & cauliflower, pureeing them, then adding a bit of cheese. All I needed was some of that lactose free “cheese”, right?


I went to the store and found some “cheddar shreds”, a lactose-free product that claimed to taste and melt like cheese. I can’t say it melts exactly like cheddar, but it works pretty good in a cheese sauce and it tastes quite a lot like cheddar cheese. It turned out really good. You wouldn’t even know there are cauliflower and carrots hiding inside. The sauce is thick and creamy and cheesy tasting … it totally works! I know what the skeptic in you is probably saying right now, but just trust me and give it a try. I think you’ll be surprised how good a cheese-less macaroni and cheese can taste.

And if you don’t have anyone lactose intolerant to feed, go ahead and use real cheese and real milk in place of the lactose-free stuff.

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Lactose Free Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #lactosefree #healthy #mac&cheese #comfortfood #recipe

Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese {Lactose Free}

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 of a large head of cauliflower, broken into chunks
  • 23 carrots, peeled & chopped into large chunks
  • 2 cups chopped frozen broccoli
  • 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
  • 1 cup lactose free cheddar flavor shreds (I used “Go Veggie” cheddar flavor shreds)
  • Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • 4 oz. macaroni (I used veggie macaroni – substitute whole wheat, gluten free or quinoa macaroni if you like)

For the top:

  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 23 slices lean bacon, cooked & crumbled
  • 1/2 cup lactose free cheddar flavor shreds

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a casserole pan or large rectangular pyrex pan with cooking spray.
  2. Put the cauliflower and carrot chunks in a steamer (or a saucepan with a bit of water) and steam until very tender. You can also steam the veggies in a microwave by putting them into a microwave safe bowl, add a splash of water, cover the bowl with a plate and microwave for about 6 minutes, stirring every minute or two until the veggies are fall-apart tender when poked with a fork.
  3. Pour the steamed veggies into a blender cup and add the broth, milk, and cheese shreds. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt & pepper to taste. If you want more flavor, blend in 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or a few fresh herbs. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of chicken broth, coconut or almond milk to thin it a bit and blend a bit more.
  4. Put the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 1 minute. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute or until thawed.
  5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boiling and cook the macaroni. Drain the pasta and pour it back into the pan when fully drained. Pour the cheese sauce from the blender into the macaroni and stir to mix together. Add the broccoli and stir a little more. Pour into the prepared casserole pan.
  6. Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle over top. Bake at 400 F. for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned and crispy.

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2015, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

Lactose Free Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #lactosefree #healthy #mac&cheese #comfortfood #recipe

This recipe was shared at Simple Supper TuesdayTasty TuesdayTreasure Box TuesdayWine’d Down Wednesday, Foodie Friends FridayFoodie FriDIYWeekend Potluck, The Weekend SocialPureBlogLove, Hearth & Soul Bloghop and Retro Re-Pin Party.

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3 comments

Lesa @ Edesia's Notebook February 5, 2015 - 7:48 pm

Actually, most shredded cheddar cheese is naturally very low in lactose. I know Kraft labels theirs as having 0g lactose. The biggest problem with mac and cheese is the milk in the sauce. I use lactose-free milk, which is regular dairy milk with the lactase enzyme added. It comes in skim, 2%, and whole. It has been a life-saver for me.

Reply
Ann February 5, 2015 - 8:16 pm

Nice to know, Lesa! I’m not all that experienced with lactose-free eating since I personally don’t have any trouble with lactose. I was just trying to make something my friend could eat. 🙂

Reply
Cydnee February 11, 2015 - 12:10 pm

Great macaroni and cheese recipe! Delicious! Thank you for joining us at #purebloglove. We enjoy having you every week on Thursday night at 8PM through Sunday night. ~Cydnee

Reply

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