Put a twist on a classic jalapeño popper appetizer with this easy jalapeño macaroni and cheese! An easy baked mac and cheese with white cheddar sauce, bacon, and bread crumbs.
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CAN. WE. TALK. ABOUT. THIS. JALAPEÑO. POPPER. MAC. AND. CHEESE.
It’s my new favorite thing ever out of all the things ever.
And I’m going to need you to get JA-LA-PEÑ-THIS MAC AND CHEESE BUSINESS.
So that you can get some bites of this cheese-y, bacon-y, pasta-y heap o’goodness JALAPEÑO FACE.
Too much? I’ll stop.
It’s rare I love a new recipe so much it renders me speechless (err…”typed-words”-less? Stupid internet). But here we are.
I keep trying to tell you about this STRAIGHT UP MAGICAL jalapeño popper mac and cheese, but then I get distracted by these perfectly cheesy noodles ⬆⬆ (AAAAHHHHH) and switch from blog-post-writing mode to I-wonder-how-fast-I-could-make-more-of-this-mac-and-cheese-and-also-it’s-ok-to-eat-mac-and-cheese-for-breakfast-riiiiiight? mode.
But seriously. Mac and cheese = acceptable breakfast food? I think yes.
(Especially this mac and cheese! Because there’s bacon in it. Bacon = breakfast-y. Sooooooooo…)
⬆⬆⬆ JUST LOOK AT THAT CHEESE SAUCE. ⬆⬆⬆
I’m pretty sure this recipe falls into the “where-have-you-been-all-my-life” category. I took the best parts of a jalapeño popper (actually, I guess I took pretty much all of the parts of a jalapeño popper) and put them on pasta. A perfectly creamy white cheddar and cream cheese sauce + crispy bacon + a nice kick from fresh jalapeños + buttery, crispy panko breadcrumb topping = bliss. Spicy, cheesy, bacon-y bliss.
PS – Need a little more training to perfect your mac and cheese? Get all of my best tips (plus a video!) for the perfect sauce, bread crumbs, and more in Mac and Cheese 101!
Description
Simple but delicious jalapeño popper macaroni and cheese recipe.
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTA:
- 1 large jalapeno, sliced
- 5 strips thick-cut bacon
- 3/4 lb. cavatappi pasta
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 2.25 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
FOR THE BREAD CRUMBS:
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
FOR THE PASTA:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Set aside about half of your jalapeño slices to use as a garnish on the finished mac and cheese. Dice up the remaining jalapeño slices and set aside. You’ll need 1 heaping tablespoon of diced jalapeño for the cheese sauce (use more or less depending on your spice preferences).
- Cook bacon in the oven or on the stovetop until crispy. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool, then dice into bacon-bit-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Cook pasta in very salty water until 2 minutes less than al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Return pasta pot to stove and melt butter over medium heat.
- Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the diced jalapeño to butter and sauté for 30 seconds, just until jalapeño begins to soften.
- Add flour to butter and whisk to form a roux. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Slowly add milk to roux, whisking constantly to work out any lumps. Cook, whisking occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Whisk in salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Add cream cheese to sauce and whisk until cream cheese has melted and sauce is smooth.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in shredded white cheddar cheese.
- Reserve about 1/5 of your bacon pieces for garnish. Stir the remaining bacon into cheese sauce.
- Add cooked pasta to sauce and stir to combine.
- Divide mac and cheese into individual baking dishes (this is what I did) or put it all in one large casserole dish. Set aside while you toast the bread crumbs.
FOR THE BREAD CRUMBS:
- Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Add bread crumbs and stir to coat with the melted butter. Toast, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes until breadcrumbs have just barely started to brown. Remove from heat.
- Spread bread crumbs over mac and cheese in an even layer, then bake at 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until bread crumbs have browned up a bit more and pasta has just started to crisp up around the edges.
- Top mac and cheese with reserved bacon and jalapeño and serve immediately.
Notes
If you can’t find white cheddar cheese, just use a regular sharp cheddar.
This pasta has a nice kick to it – cut back on the jalapeño if you don’t love spicy food, or add a bit more pepper if you’re all about the spice!
Omit the bacon if you’d like to make this dish vegetarian.
This mac and cheese is easy to make ahead! Just prepare as directed, then let cool on the counter instead of baking right away. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to make it. Bring dish back to room temperature on the counter, then bake as directed (you may have to add a bit more time to make sure it heats all the way through – just keep an eye on it and use your judgment!)
Baking this mac and cheese is totally optional – if you’re not a fan of baked mac and cheese, just skip this step and serve it as stovetop mac and cheese!
For a healthy twist, swap our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream for the flour and milk in this recipe!
Nutrition
- Calories: 653
Absolutely delicious! My husband and I loved this twist on mac & cheese! Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Hello Emily, thank you!
Made this for lunch one day and fell in LOVE with it!! Now it’s my go-to Mac ‘n Cheese, have taken it to a few BBQ’s.
★★★★★
Hi Rosie, so glad to hear it’s a ‘go to’ for you! I’m glad you enjoy it.
I made this jalapeño mac & cheese for my daughter and her friend two weeks ago when they came in from out of town . my daughter thought this was the best recipe that I’ve ever made .They were here over Labor Day weekend and requested this for every meal. It was that good !!! Needless to say there were no leftovers . if you like macaroni and cheese with a. bite to it this is by far the best recipe I’ve ever tried . Definitely a winner !!
★★★★
I’m so happy you liked it, Deb! This is one of our FAVORITE mac and cheese recipes. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
I bought regular cream cheese. Do you think that will work?
It should be fine!
Basically drooling over my laptop. Spicy things + cheese + carbs are my favorite!
Thank you! And I totally agree: spicy + cheese + carbs = winning!
Wat?! Yum! Must try….
Holly cow that looks good. I’ve been craving macaroni and cheese for a long time but haven’t made the effort to make it. I think I’m going to get my lazy butt up and try this because YUM.
Thanks! This one is definitely a winner (my boyfriend has requested it THREE TIMES this week!)