Sydney's Mac and Cheese-Like

Sydney's Mac and Cheese-Like

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Yeast-Free, Corn-Free, Soy-Free, Peanut-Free

This was an instant hit with my little girl. She especially liked the rice crumbs on top. The sauce does have a light, cheesy flavour to it, even though it is dairy and soy-free!

Ingredients
450 gms rice pasta (elbows or shells work well)
1 cup frozen peas

Sauce
1 small onion, finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tsp dry mustard powder
2+1/4 cups rice milk
3/4 cup non-dairy, rice cheese (no soy) - I used 7 of the sandwich slices.
1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
1 tsp sea salt
Pepper to taste

Garnish
1 cup crispie rice cereal (gluten free), crushed

Method
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Oil a medium sized baking dish with olive oil.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rice pasta according to the directions. Cook only until tender, but firm. When done, rinse under warm water to remove the starch and pour into a large bowl. Add the frozen peas and set aside.

Sauce
In a medium sized pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. When hot, cook the minced onion until it is tender, then add the mustard. Slowly whisk in the rice milk and nutmeg and heat until warm. Add the rice "cheese" and continue stirring until it melts, and the sauce begins to get hot.

To thicken the sauce, remove 4 tablespoons of the sauce and place it in a small bowl or cup. Add the tapioca flour and stir until the flour is fully absorbed and there are no lumps. Whisk the tapioca mixture back into the "cheese sauce" and stir gently until it gets hot and thickens. Season with 1 tsp sea salt and add pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce all over the pasta mixture and toss lightly until it is well coated. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the crushed rice cereal.

Bake for 20 minutes to allow the "cheese" sauce to absorb and the frozen peas to heat up.