Spicy Spinach Mac and Cheese Gluten-Free —oh yes you can!
I’m making this version of Spicy Spinach Mac and Cheese gluten-free because I’m the only GF person at dinner. It’s so good, though I’m getting mine before it is all gone. Unless I decide to double the recipe…I think that might be a wise thing to do.
I have been able to find gluten-free Panko at my local grocery store, but I’m sure Ian’s bread crumbs would work just as well.
**Warning this stuff is addictive. Seriously, if you make this and don’t have a lot of people get your serving and FREEZE the rest. If you eat it all, you’ll be working out for months.
Doesn’t it look delightful?
If you don’t eat gluten-free you can still make Spicy Spinach Mac and Cheese.
The inspiration for this dish came from The Mac + Cheese Cookbook by Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade. I’d recommend picking this book up for the clear directions–best ever for making white sauce and the variety of mac and cheese recipes.
Life moves fast, doesn’t it? There are always emails waiting, laundry piles begging to be folded, and somehow, everyone still expects dinner on the table. Finding time to bake—especially something just for us—often feels out of reach.
That’s exactly how it was when I first spotted these snickerdoodle muffins on Pinterest. They weren’t gluten‑free, so I sighed and scrolled past, already thinking, when would I ever have time to adapt that recipe anyway?
But then life threw me a strange gift. My computer died—completely, utterly unfixable. As much as I groaned about the timing, it also gave me something I rarely get: margin. Extra time. And instead of filling it with a never‑ending chore list, I decided to claim just one piece of it for myself: baking.
(Though in all fairness, the experiment wasn’t just for me. Mr. Quiet, my steady taste‑tester, can testify these muffins didn’t last long at all!)
Somewhere between measuring flour and sprinkling cinnamon, I started to think about how these small pauses—whether baking, walking by the lake in Michigan, or simply breathing in the scent of sugar and spice—make us remember we’re human. We’re not meant to run endlessly. We need rest, comfort, and joy in little things.
Standing by the water on the wedding trip, I was reminded again. The way the waves lapped against the sandy shore—it’s as if creation was whispering, slow down, it’s okay to breathe. Don’t you wish we could bottle that peace and sip on it when life gets overwhelming?
That, for me, is what these snickerdoodle muffins became: a bite‑sized reminder that joy can be simple. Flour, sugar, cinnamon, and a decision to pause.
So, if you’re like me—overwhelmed by too much on your plate, always longing for more hours in the day—I want to encourage you to carve out a sliver of time just for the happy, small things. Bake the muffins. Light the candle. Sit with a book. It matters more than you think.
Tell me—have you ever made snickerdoodle muffins before? What’s your favorite muffin recipe when you need a little comfort baked into your day?
Snickerdoodle Muffins Gluten-Free
1 cup of sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt mixed with 1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour ( I use King Arthur Measure for Measure; it has xanthan in it, if you don’t have that, you’ll need to add xanthan)
1/2 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling
1. Cream the butter and sugar until soft. Add in the vanilla. Next add in one egg, mix, then add the other egg and mix.
2. In a separate shallow bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and nutmeg.
3. Alternately add the flour mixture and yogurt mixture to the egg-butter mixture. Start with flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl so you get it all.
4. Scoop about 1/4-1/2 cup of muffin batter and drop it into a shallow bowl with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin until covered. Put into muffin tins. You should get about 12-14 muffins.
5. Bake about 20-22 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until pretty golden brown.
I had them once at a restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. There is nothing like a soft dough pretzel hugging a burger. That experience was filed in my mind as a ‘never again’ after I learned I had to eat a gluten-free diet. Once in a while I’d pull out that memory like an old vacation photo. I missed the bun but it didn’t bother me since I couldn’t on a whim drive to Nashville and order it.
Then Wendy’s came out with their pretzel bun ads. Oh the pain, the sadness, the misery! I wanted one!
I had to try it. I used the one in the book because it called for less ingredients and it makes less. Since I’m the only one on this diet in our house it made sense to try a smaller recipe.
I’ll post a link at the end of this post for the recipe on-line. Due to copyright restrictions I can’t post the recipe I used.
In Nichole’s new cookbook coming out in November she’s made some new discoveries on making bread. One of these was to add the dry ingredients last. It made a difference in how the dough came together.
Because this was a pretzel recipe and not a bun recipe this made 3 good size pretzel buns.
Slide a cheeseburger between this bun and enjoy. This bun doesn’t fall apart before you finish your meal.
*note mine aren’t as pretty and brown as the one on Eating Gluten Free on a Shoestring’s site. I think it’s because I didn’t know how to make a slurry to get it browned. Should have googled it!
Soufflé –what a fancy word! I’ve always wanted to make one of these, but the fear of it collapsing kept me from trying it.
Then one day I wasn’t feeling well and Giada De Laurentis was making a chicken and cheddar soufflé.
Not wanting to miss an important step I hit the record button in case I dosed off. It’s a good thing I recorded it. I had to go back and watch how Giada folded in the eggs.
The problem with soufflés is that they use flour, being gluten-free that’s a problem. After watching this episode I wanted to try it. I’ve had good results using Jules Gluten-free flour mix in other recipes so I went for it.
So here’s my version of Gluten Free Chicken and Cheddar Soufflé. Giada’s Recipe can be found at foodnetwork.com Giada De Laurentis Recipe for those of you who can use normal flour.
My Gluten Free Version fo Chicken and Cheddar Souffle
Chicken Cheddar Soufflé
Author: Giada De Laurentis redone by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
Butter for greasing the souffle dish, pus 1/2 stick at room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour ( I used Jules)
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 packed cups baby spinach leaves
1 store-bought, rotisserie chicken, breast meat only, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (2 cups)
6 egg yolks, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 slices gluten-free bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 egg whites, at room temperature
Instructions
Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart souffle dish
Arrange on oven rack in the center of the oven.
Preheat to 400 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 stick of butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stir constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Bring the mixture to a simmer and keep stirring until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. (8-10 min.)
Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove from heat, add the cheeses, spinach, chicken, egg yolks and bread cubes. Stir until combined. The mixture will be thick.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites at high-speed with an electric mixer until they hold stiff peaks.
Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the chicken mixture.
Using a spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites.
****important**** don’t stir in the egg whites, fold them, lift and sort of stuff the egg whites under the chicken mixture, do that several times. You should see ‘globs’ of egg white. Sorry, not a cookbook writer so globs is the best I could do. 🙂
Spoon batter into the perpared dish and bake until the souffle is puffed and the top is firm and golden. Giada’s recipe said bake 55-60 minutes. Mine was done in 35 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes
Things to remember
1. take out the milk, butter and eggs early enough to get to room temperature
2. Use whole milk, or it won’t be as creamy
3. Use a metal spoon to check the coating–it slides off of a plastic spoon.
4. I didn’t use a souffle dish since I didn’t have one. I used a 2 quart pyrex dish and it worked fine. We aren’t fancy around here, so I’ll keep using it instead of buying another dish.
Gently fry off 1 chopped onion, 1 tblspn. each of crushed garlic & ginger, & 1 tspn. red curry paste.
Chop & add to pot 1 kg. chicken thighs. Brown off a bit.
Add tin of coconut cream or milk, 1 tblspn. palm sugar (or brown sugar), ½ bunch chopped coriander stems (or a tblspn. coriander paste), & 2 tblspns. fish sauce.
Simmer together about 15 mins. then throw in some diced pumpkin (maybe 1½ -2 cups). Cook another 15 mins. or so.
Meanwhile, cook your rice….we do ours in the microwave. Water level about a knuckle length higher than the rice, 14 mins. on high. Perfect every time!
And then place pappadums around the outside edge of your glass plate, not quite touching, & cook about 1 min. (depending on your microwave). Repeat, repeat…No oil this way, no gluten, it’s so good.
Stick a bowl of these in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. They add a fantastic crunch to your awesome curry.
Thai Red Chicken Curry Gluten Free
Serve, and top with the fresh coriander leaves that you saved from the pot before…:)) maybe some cashews too.
Gorgeous, filling, warming and great for sharing….and; the next day it tastes even better!
Don’t forget to check out Roni’s home on the web: Food that Sings
Doesn’t it look delightful?
and one that is a bit different on her website.
