This fat-free mac and cheese uses steamed potatoes and carrots as the base for a creamy, dairy-free cheese sauce that is gluten-free, oil-free, and safe for people healing from chronic illness or autoimmune conditions.
Key Takeaways
- This fat-free mac cheese sauce is made from steamed potatoes and carrots, with no dairy, oil, nuts, or tofu.
- Steaming the vegetables instead of roasting them keeps the sauce more hydrating and easier on the digestive system.
- Smoked paprika, curry powder, roasted garlic, and onion powder create depth of flavor so the dish is far from boring.
- The recipe is gluten-free when made with certified gluten-free pasta and works for people on Medical Medium® protocols.
- Potatoes, garlic, and onion carry both physical and emotional healing properties according to the Medical Medium® Life-Changing Foods framework.
- The sauce takes under 30 minutes to prepare and can be baked for 20 minutes to develop a slightly firmer texture.
Why this fat-free mac cheese works for chronic illness
Mac and cheese is so comforting, there’s nothing better than biting into warm pasta and a perfectly seasoned sauce. However, the classic American dish is full of butter and cheese. Even plant-based alternatives can use oils, cashews, nuts, seeds, or tofu to replicate a cheese sauce.
For a lot of people eating dairy, gluten, or high-fat foods isn’t an option- this can be because of allergies, healing from chronic illness or autoimmune, or because you’re supporting someone in your household that isn’t eating it.
Whatever your reason for choosing a fat-free mac cheese, this recipe is here for your health. Forgoing high-fat foods in a comfort dish might feel like a compromise. It is not. Whether you are on a healing protocol and your diet does not allow for heavier foods, or you simply want to lighten up your meals, this mac and cheese holds its own.
If you are new to gluten-free eating, see the guide on going gluten-free to heal for how to navigate the transition.
The potato cheese sauce: what makes it work
The base of the sauce is steamed potatoes and carrots. Steaming rather than roasting keeps the vegetables more hydrating. Cooking with water is genuinely different from cooking with dry heat: the texture stays lighter, and the sauce is gentler on the body.
Ample garlic, onion powder, curry powder, and smoked paprika add depth so the fat-free pasta sauce is far from boring. Smoked paprika is the flavor anchor here. It contributes a smoky quality that makes the sauce feel substantial.
Roasting your garlic adds an extra layer of flavor to the fat-free mac cheese sauce. If you prefer more health benefits, blend the garlic in raw. Both work. Taste the sauce once it is blended and adjust seasonings to your preference. There is no salt in the base recipe, but a pinch of high-quality sea salt can be added if your protocol allows.
Tapioca starch is used to thicken the sauce. It is a clean, fat-free thickener that produces a smooth, slightly glossy result. Add your favorite box of gluten-free pasta to the mac and cheese sauce (my favorites are listed in my Amazon pantry) and you have a very satisfying, healthy, dairy-free, fat-free mac and cheese to enjoy.
For another oil-free sauce that pairs well with pasta the fat-free creamy mushroom sauce is a natural companion recipe.
What your ingredients are doing for you
So often I talk about the physical health benefits that the ingredients in my food has to offer, but I thought this time I would instead focus on the emotional and spiritual support that these foods provide. This is given that mac and cheese- whether plant-based or not- is such a quintessential comfort food dish.
Mac and cheese is comfort food. So instead of focusing only on the physical health properties of these ingredients, here is what they offer on an emotional and spiritual level, as described in Medical Medium® Life-Changing Foods:
Potatoes
“Potatoes offer us foundation and strength when we’re feeling blurred, dizzy, foggy, troubled, or adrift in our lives… Potatoes reorient us, help us to feel pleased and gratified by our experiences, and guide us to make choices not based on ego but out of true grounding and stability.
Potatoes come in numbers for a reason: so that, like an army of loved ones, they can fight for you.”
(pg. 468)
Potatoes are a healing staple across many recipes on this site. They appear in the samosa potato salad and the creamy rosemary garlic mashed potatoes, which also has a fat-free version.
Garlic
“When you’re at a fragile point and you feel vulnerable and exposed… turn to garlic. It’s the food to bring into your life when you need protection and shelter…
Take a cue from garlic, and stake out your own nesting each year. In order to build up our physical reserves and spiritual immune systems, we all need a periodic time out from pollutants, pathogens, stress, and those people in our lives who drain our energy.”
(pg. 305)
Onion
“When you’re dealing with chronic frustration, anger, and aggravation… it’s critical to bring onions into your routine. Onions purge anger from the body, helping to loosen up resentment, fury, vexation, and disappointment so you can be free to live your life…”
“The next time you’re in a situation where you’re quick to point a finger, keep in mind the plight of the onion, and take a moment to analyze every angle.”(pg. 455-456)
Fat-free Mac and Cheese Recipe
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl and mixing utensil
- Blender
- Stove top or countertop steamer
- Oven-safe baking dish
- Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- 4-5 organic small to medium potatoes, steamed
- 2 organic carrots, steamed
- 6 organic cloves garlic, roasted or raw
- 2 tbsp organic onion powder
- 2 tsp organic curry powder
- 1 tsp organic smoked paprika
- 1-2 cups pasta cooking water (to thin the sauce and add starch)
- 2 tbsp organic tapioca starch
- 1 box gluten-free pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F if roasting garlic. Cut a quarter inch off the top of the bulb and place it cut-side down in a small baking dish with a quarter inch of water. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Steam your potatoes and carrots until tender.
- Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Set aside 2 cups of the cooking liquid, then drain.
- Once the vegetables and garlic are done, add carrots, garlic, onion powder, curry powder, smoked paprika, 1 cup pasta water, and tapioca starch to a blender.Blend until smooth.
- Add the steamed potatoes and blend again until smooth. The sauce should resemble a mac and cheese consistency. Add more pasta water if it needs to thin out. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta and sauce. Stir until the pasta is fully coated.
- Pour the mixture into an oven-safe dish and bake at 400F for 20 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Mac and cheese has always been about more than food. It is about feeling held, fed, and taken care of. This fat-free mac and cheese gives you that experience without the ingredients that work against your healing.
The potato and carrot base is not a compromise. It is a choice that supports your body while still delivering the comfort you came here for. Steamed, seasoned, and blended into something warm and satisfying, this is the kind of recipe that proves healing food does not have to feel like deprivation.
Make it on a hard day. Make it for someone in your household who is navigating dietary restrictions. Make it because you deserve a bowl of something that genuinely nourishes you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this fat-free mac cheese ahead of time?
What gluten-free pasta works best with this fat-free pasta sauce?
Brown rice pasta and chickpea pasta both hold up well in a baked mac and cheese. Brown rice pasta gives the closest texture to conventional macaroni. Lentil pasta works but can become slightly mushy if overbaked, so reduce the oven time to 15 minutes if using it.
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