Easy Baked Gluten-Free Queso Mac & Cheese
Creamy Velveeta cheese, zesty tomatoes and chilies, tender gluten-free noodles, and crispy gluten-free breadcrumbs come together beautifully and simply in this Easy Baked Gluten-Free Queso Mac & Cheese recipe. You’re going to love the homestyle comfort food element of this one! AND this recipe is perfect for Cinco de Mayo because of its Mexican influence (tomatoes and chilies with Mexican blend cheese).
This dish is a pour and bake type of meal – place the block of cheese in the center of the baking dish (yes, the whole block, not sliced!), pour the uncooked macaroni in, pour the tomatoes and chilies in (I used Hatch tomatoes and green chilies), sprinkle the cheese, pour the cream … put it in the oven and then finish it up with a topping of breadcrumbs.
The result is a melt-in-your-mouth, warm-your-soul, soothe-your-cravings, extraordinarily comforting dish that you’ll want to share with others.
Check out more gluten-free pasta recipes.
Easy Baked Gluten-Free Queso Mac & Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- Gluten-free nonstick cooking spray
- 1 (16-ounce) block Velveeta cheese
- 12 ounces gluten-free elbow macaroni
- 1 (10-ounce) can Hatch Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
- 4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 4 cups cream or half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ cups gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 12-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Place the block of Velveeta cheese in the middle of the baking dish. Add the macaroni around the cheese. Distribute the can of tomatoes and chilies over the top. Sprinkle with the Mexican blend cheese, pour the cream all over, sprinkle with salt and bake 25 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
- Stir the macaroni mixture in the baking dish and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs over the mixture and bake for another 5 minutes.
Nutrition
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