Gourmet Jalapeño Mac & Cheese
An American classic, with a fancy twist. Why use processed Velveeta cheese, when you can have a sumptuous blend of international cheeses to give great depth of flavor. Combine that with a bite of jalapeño and cayenne and you have yourself a winner! Perfect thanksgiving addition!
Ingredients
1 lb. elbow pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter (or non-stick cooking spray) for greasing
6 oz. sharp cheddar - Shredded / Grated
4 oz. Gruyere Cheese - Shredded / Grated
4 oz. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 oz. jalapeño sliced pickled peppers - finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs combined with 1/2 cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking dish with butter or non-stick spray (I use a 3 quart rectangular dish).
Place a large bot of salted water over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Add the olive oil to the water and drop in pasta. Cook for 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Mix all the cheeses together in a large bowl, keep to one side.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth and slightly bubbly - be careful not to burn. Slowly and gradually (in a thin stream), whisk in the milk. Whisk in the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, mustard powder, nutmeg, and cayenne. Season with salt & pepper.
Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Continuously whisking to avoid burning. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in 3 cups of the blended cheese mixture and jalapeño's and stir until smooth. Cover the saucepan.
Stir together the cooked pasta and cheese sauce. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with another cup of the cheese mix.
Spoon remaining cheese-covered pasta into the dish and top with the remaining cheese. Sprinkle the panko breadcrumb mix on the top of mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned and the cheese is bubbling at the sides.
Cool slightly before serving.
Additional Tips :
- I use this same recipe of cheese and pasta, add choppes cilantro and roll them into balls, roll them in seasoned breadcrumbs and make mac and cheese balls. An amazing party snack!
- To add extra flavor, depth and texture, I like to also add some chopped white onion and some chopped celery with the cheese and pasta mix.
- Another trick that my husband loves is to fry off some bacon and cut up pieces and mix that in to the mix too. YUM!!!
- If you are sensitive to the spice from cayenne or jalapeño's, then keep them out of the ingredients to make a gourmet mac and cheese as an alternative.
- If you like other cheeses, feel free to experiment with cheeses such as Asiago, Fontina, Compte, blue cheese or emmenthal.
middleeastcoastchef