Macaroni and Cheese with Toasted Sunflower Seed Topping (gluten-free)

Noodle nirvana. Comfort food. This macaroni and cheese casserole features creamy cheddar cheese sauce and a delicious toasted sunflower seed crust.

Macaroni and cheese. Simply a casserole of melty cheese sauce stirred into hot cooked noodles, and baked with something crunchy on top. This macaroni and cheese casserole is basic sustenance—and easy to make from scratch.

Click here to PIN Gluten Free Sunflower Crusted Macaroni and Cheese!

Switching out three ingredients makes this macaroni and cheese gluten-free:

• The pasta: I used a gluten free brown rice pasta from Trader Joe’s.
• The roux: Brown rice flour (affiliate link) with butter thickens the cheese sauce the same way as all purpose flour would.
• The crust: Simply sunflower seeds, toasted and ground in the blender. Unbelievably scrumptious—gluten free or not–you’ll want to try this as the topping on your mac and cheese.

One more changeup: In this recipe, the liquid is vegetable broth instead of milk. I think you’ll agree that this vegetable broth based “white” sauce has more flavor. And when you stir in all the cheese… nirvana.

Random pasta notes:

• If you tolerate gluten, you can make this mac and cheese using wheat noodles. Likewise, you can use wheat flour in place of brown rice flour. But don’t skip the toasted sunflower seed topping–you will love it!

• Don’t live near a Trader Joe’s? These brown rice pasta shells (affiliate link) would be a good substitute—same ingredients—just brown rice and water.

More yummy gluten-free pasta recipes:

• You’ll also enjoy this gluten free and vegan Thai peanut noodle dish.
• Use what you have on hand. Use those leafy greens and for Penne Pasta with Mixed Greens.

Just so you know, a couple of the links above are affiliates. When you purchase products via my links, it doesn’t cost you anything and I earn a tiny commission, which helps me continue to provide free content here on Letty’s Kitchen. Thank you!!

Growing up, macaroni and cheese showed up on the dinner table menu many a Friday night. Mom’s macaroni and cheese was homemade, not from a box.

This sunflower crusted macaroni and cheese is very much like the mac and cheese I ate as a kid. Same technique–except made gluten free. First you make a roux of rice flour and butter to thicken the sauce. Next whisk in liquid, usually milk, but here we use vegetable broth.

Next melt in the cheese and stir cooked gluten free pasta. Scrape into a buttered casserole dish. Cover with a crunchy topping and bake until bubbling.

Typically, there’s a layer of buttery breadcrumbs on top–Mom put wheat germ and butter on hers. My topping of toasted sunflower seeds adds protein and keeps this baked mac and cheese gluten free.

Mom seasoned macaroni and cheese with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a little bit of garlic powder. With the vegetable broth base you don’t need either.

The other night, I tried a macaroni and cheese with butternut squash recipe. It reminded me of this mac and cheese recipe with the unique crunchy crust. I decided to use my topping instead of a breadcrumb panko crust. So good!

When the world has got me down and I need gooey cheesy comfort food—I head to the kitchen and whip up homemade mac and cheese. Especially this one. I feel better even before it starts to bubble in the oven.

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Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Sunflower Crusted Macaroni and Cheese

Hot bubbly macaroni and cheese, food that comforts the soul—yum! Serve with a mixed green salad. For dessert—how about a couple of pieces of dark chocolate? Serves 3 or 4 persons.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: macaroni, cheese, sunflower seeds, vegetarian

Servings: 4 servings.

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cup lightly toasted sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus some to grease the pan
• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 1 ¼ cups vegetable broth
• 8 ounces brown rice penne pasta
• 8 ounces white cheddar cheese grated
• Pinch cayenne
• sea salt if needed (see note)

Instructions

• Rub a 2-quart casserole dish with butter.
• Grind the toasted sunflower seeds in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat oven to 350° F.
• In a saucepan, melt the first 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Stir in the rice flour. Over medium flame, cook and stir, letting the butter and flour bubble a minute. Gradually whisk in the vegetable broth, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens a bit, not quite the thickness of heavy cream.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in the grated cheese about ¼ at a time. Stir in the cayenne, a small pinch or larger pinch—to your taste. Taste for salt, adding if needed. Set aside while you cook the pasta.
• Stir the pasta into the boiling water. Cook until the pasta is tender, but with a bite, al dente. (Be sure not to overcook as the pasta will plump a bit more with the sauce when it bakes.) Drain. Stir into the cheese sauce. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Spread the ground sunflower seeds on top. Dot with the remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling through the crust.

Notes

• Depending on your vegetable broth, you may or may not need to add more salt.
• If you don’t add the cooked penne to the sauce immediately, rinse well to keep the pasta from sticking together.

Nutrition

Calories: 698kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 660mg | Potassium: 286mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 915IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 435mg | Iron: 2.3mg

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This post is an update of the original from 2014! Enjoy!