Spicy Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese Bake

A chipotle pepper is a dried, jalapeño pepper, with a deep, smokey flavor. Although they're commonly used in salsa dishes and sauces, they make a great addition to macaroni and cheese as well!

Ingredients and Supplies

• 9x13 Baking Pan
• Tin Foil
• 16 oz Elbow Macaroni Noodles (Usually 1 Package)
• 1 Can Chipotle Chilies, chopped w/ sauce (7 oz)
• 3 Cups Milk
• 1 Stick Butter (1 cup)
• 4 Finely Chopped Garlic Cloves
• 1/2 Cup Diced Onions
• 3 Cups Shredded Cheese of Choice (Cheddar and Monterey Jack are Good Choices)
• 4 tbs Flour
• 1 tsp Chile Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take a large pot filled 3/4 of the way with water, and bring water to a rolling boil. Add in macaroni noodles and cook until pasta is tender, but not mushy. Drain in a colander and pour into baking dish.

While waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat. Add in the onion, garlic cloves and peppers. Let simmer for a few minutes, and then add in milk. Whisk in flour until the sauce thickens slightly. Continue stirring (so the sauce doesn't burn) and add in chile powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Make sure the sauce doesn't boil, and slowly mix in all the cheese. Continue stirring until all the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Cheese can easily stick to the bottom of the pan and scorch, so continually stir and graze the bottom of the pan.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni noodles and mix until everything is evenly coated. Cover the pan with foil to lock in moisture, and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake about 10 more minutes, until the edges begin to turn a nice, golden brown.

Remove from the oven, and let set 10 minutes before serving.

Other notes

This recipe produced a very spicy casserole, and the heat level can be controlled with the amount of peppers used. If you want a milder tasting casserole, 1-2 chopped chiles with minimal sauce will still provide the desired smokey flavor without all the heat.

This casserole is hearty and filling, so many sides are not needed. Cornbread makes a nice addition, and tastes great when dipped in the sauce. Cornbread can actually be used to make a crust. For the last 10 minutes of baking, sprinkled butter soaked, crumbled cornbread over the casserole and bake until it turns golden brown.