Description
This easy jalapeño popper mac and cheese has all the flavors of the classic appetizer!
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 1 large jalapeño
- 3/4 pound pasta (we used cavatappi)
- 5 strips bacon, roughly diced
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 2 1/4 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup cream cheese (2 ounces)
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
For the bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Prep the jalapeño
- Cut about ½ of the jalapeño into thin slices (you’ll use these to top the mac and cheese before baking). Set aside.
- Dice the remaining jalapeño (you’ll use this in the sauce).
Boil the pasta water and cook the bacon:
- Heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil.
- Set another large pot on the stove over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is crispy.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pot: This will be the fat that we use to build our roux! You want about 3 Tablespoons of bacon fat left in the pot; if you have quite a bit more than this, feel free to spoon a bit out.
Build the sauce:
- Add diced jalapeño to the pot with your bacon fat. The bacon fat will be quite hot: keep an eye on the jalapeño and stir frequently to ensure it doesn’t burn (you can reduce the heat or turn it off entirely for a minute if you need to). Cook until jalapeño is fragrant and has softened slightly, about one minute.
- Add flour to pot and stir to form a paste. (This is our roux, which will help the sauce thicken. Don’t worry if it looks a bit thin or foamy compared to a traditional flour-and-butter roux!)
- Add milk to roux a little at a time, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Stir in a pinch of salt and some fresh cracked black pepper.
- Bring sauce to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 6-10 minutes until it’s thickened to your desired consistency.
- Cook the pasta while the sauce thickens: At this point, your pasta water should be boiling. Add plenty of salt, then stir pasta into the boiling water and cook until it’s a few minutes less than al dente. Drain and set aside or use a spider strainer to lift pasta directly into the sauce in Step 7 (below).
- When the sauce has thickened, stir in cream cheese until it’s mostly melted. Don’t worry if there are still a few large pieces - it will even out later!
- Turn off the heat. Add shredded white cheddar cheese and stir until sauce is smooth and creamy. Then stir in cooked pasta and half of the crispy bacon (reserve remaining bacon for topping the pasta before baking).
Toast the bread crumbs:
- Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes until bread crumbs are crispy and lightly browned.
Assemble and bake:
- Transfer pasta to an oven-safe baking dish (see recipe notes). Top with toasted breadcrumbs, remaining bacon, and remaining jalapeño slices.
- Bake at 400° F for 15-20 minutes, until bread crumbs have browned up a bit more and pasta has just started to crisp up around the edges. Serve immediately.
Notes
A few notes on equipment. We like building this mac and cheese in a large, oven-safe pot (like a Dutch oven) so it can go from stovetop to oven easily. You can also bake this mac and cheese in small baking dishes or ramekins for individual serving sizes.
Shred your own cheese if you can: Store bought shredded cheeses are often coated with preservatives that prevent them from melting smoothly.
Additions and Substitutions. Use regular yellow cheddar cheese if you can’t find white cheddar, or sub fontina, havarti, goat cheese, gruyere, or smoked gouda for some or all of the cheeses here. Add garlic, roasted garlic, onion, or shallot to the sauce when you add the jalapeño for extra flavor. Add cooked chicken, Italian sausage, or extra bacon for more protein. Substitute up to 1 cup of the milk for chicken stock, beer, or white wine. Use our Magic Cauliflower Cream in place of the flour and milk if you like.
Adjust the spice levels. Remove the seeds from the jalapeño for a mellower flavor, or use less of the pepper if you’d like less spice. For more spice, use additional jalapeño.
Make ahead tips. Make the mac and cheese as directed, then transfer to an oven-safe baking dish and let cool completely. Cover with an airtight lid (or a piece of plastic wrap) and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to bake, toast the bread crumbs, add the toppings, and transfer the dish to a COLD oven. Heat the oven with the mac and cheese inside, then bake until the cheese sauce bubbles and the top is lightly browned (if the top is browning too much, cover it with an oven-safe lid or a piece of foil). You will need to adjust baking times, so keep an eye on it. Always check the care instructions on your individual equipment before using this technique. Never place a cold baking pan - especially if it's glass or ceramic - into a hot oven, as it can shatter.
Serve this as a stovetop mac and cheese to save some time: Make the sauce as directed, cook the pasta until it is al dente, then top with toasted bread crumbs and extra bacon (skip the raw jalapeños if you like).
