A healthy take on a favourite weeknight comfort food that the kids (and mom) will gobble up!
Well it’s the second day of Fall and there’s a bit of a chill in the evening air. It’s time to start thinking about casseroles, hearty stews, and simple comfort foods that warm you up from the inside out. As a kid I loved to heat up a can of Beef-a-roni, so fast and easy. Today, I make most of my meals from scratch so this homemade version had to be fast, super-tasty and gluten-free… bonus! The base of the recipe is Mom’s Awesome Meat Sauce that I sent you last month. Hopefully you took my advise, made a batch, and now it’s waiting in the freezer to be transformed into this Homemade Gluten-free Beef-a-roni in minutes!
I used gluten-free pasta in this recipe, not because I need to for health reasons, but because I love the taste. There are lots of brands out there, but I like Italpasta, GoGo Quinoa or try Chickapea (made with organic chickpeas and lentils). If you are not following a gluten-free diet, don’t let that stop you from trying this recipe. You can use any pasta and any shape you like; elbow, penné or fusilli, they all work well and taste great.
Beef is naturally GF. And full of many nutrients lacking in GF diets like iron and zinc!
You can also add vegetables to your Beef-a-roni… go ahead, blow the kid’s minds! Just stir in and heat through a handful of baby spinach or steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Better yet, serve with a big side salad. It’s a fast and healthy, protein-packed meal that the whole family will love. Enjoy!
Homemade Gluten-free Beef-a-roni
EMAIL Recipe Share on FacebookIngredients
Mom’s Pasta Sauce
- 1 lb ground beef
- 227 g/8oz package mushrooms – white, cremini any kind will work
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 can, 398mL/14 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups gluten-free macaroni, cooked to el dente
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Brown beef, mushrooms and onions in a pan over med-high heat. Add all remaining ingredients, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
- When cooled, divide into 2 containers and freeze. Will keep well up to 6 months. When ready to use, defrost in refrigerator or microwave.
- Place cooked pasta and Mom’s Pasta Sauce in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine and heat through. Top with grated parmesan cheese.
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