Okay, gluten free comfort food literally saved my sanity last winter when I got glutened so bad by a restaurant that I spent three days on the bathroom floor crying over a single crouton. Like, that tiny bastard of a crouton wrecked me, and I swore I’d never feel normal again. Then I discovered that I could make a baked mac & cheese that tastes exactly like the stuff my mom used to make in the blue Pyrex dish, except now it’s with weird gf pasta and a cheese sauce that took me four failed attempts to nail. Fourth time I added smoked paprika and nutritional yeast and I legit whispered “thank you Jesus” in my kitchen at 2 a.m. while wearing pajama shorts and one sock.
Why Gluten Free Comfort Food Still Feels Like a Betrayal Sometimes
Look, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend going gluten-free was some glowing spiritual journey. Half the time I’m standing in Target holding a $9 box of gf brownies that taste like cardboard and regret, whispering “why is this my life.” But then I come home, crank up some sad-girl music (current fave: Noah Kahan on repeat), and make my lazy-girl gluten free eats and suddenly the world isn’t ending.
The Gluten Free Mac & Cheese That Stopped Me From Yeeting Myself Into Traffic
Real talk: the secret is brown butter + a ridiculous amount of sharp cheddar + a topping of gf panko mixed with parmesan and garlic powder. I use Jovial brown rice elbows because they don’t turn into wallpaper paste like some brands (looking at you, Barilla gf). Boil them exactly 2 minutes less than the box says, because they keep cooking in the oven and nobody wants mush. Also I cried the first time this came out perfect. Like full ugly-cry over pasta. I’m not proud.
Gluten Free Lasagna That Made My Italian Grandma Not Disown Me
My nonna is 92 and still thinks “gluten free” is something I made up for attention. But I made her my gf lasagna with Tinkyada noodles (they hold up, fight me) and a ricotta layer spiked with lemon zest and fresh basil, and she ate two pieces and said “it’s pretty good for fake pasta.” High praise. I definitely teared up in the driveway after.
Recipe shortcut because I’m lazy: use Rao’s marinara straight from the jar. Don’t @ me, it’s already perfect.
The One Gluten Free Comfort Food I Still Can’t Nail
Mashed potatoes with gf gravy. Every single time the gravy breaks or tastes like flour water. I’ve tried cornstarch, arrowroot, sweet rice flour, every dang thickener under the sun and it’s always a disaster. Last Thanksgiving I just told everyone it was “deconstructed” and drank an extra glass of wine. Send help.
Anyway, Here’s What Actually Works When You’re Tired and Sad
- Keep a stash of Schär baguettes in the freezer. Toast them straight from frozen with butter and garlic salt = instant garlic bread that doesn’t suck.
- Frozen gf chicken tenders + hot honey + ranch = fake chick-fil-a and I will die on this hill.
- Boxed gf brownie mix (Kodiak or King Arthur) + extra chocolate chips + 5 extra minutes in the oven for that crackly top. I eat them warm with a spoon and zero shame.
So yeah, gluten free comfort food is still comfort food, even when it’s messy and imperfect and sometimes tastes like my tears. But most nights? It’s warm and cheesy and mine, and that’s enough.
What’s your ride-or-die gluten free eat when everything sucks? Drop it below, I need new coping mechanisms.
