Green Chile Mac n Cheese
If you love a little spice, try the best comfort food of your life! Ultra cheesy, creamy Green Chile Mac n Cheese will make you swoon!
Luscious, mouthwatering baked Green Chili Mac and Cheese is in its own class! Featuring al dente pasta, bold roasted green chiles, cumin, and a super-rich and silky cheese sauce (butter, half and half, egg yolks, Monterey Jack, and sharp cheddar), this cheesy Tex-Mex recipe might be the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth!
Homemade Mac & Cheese is Stress-Free!
One of the best things about macaroni and cheese is how fast it is to make something everyone craves! So, forget that boxed stuff with the powdered “cheese” and indulge your taste buds with this crazy delicious casserole that’s SO easy to make! Whisking the cheese sauce from scratch is super simple and elevates this recipe (plus, you can customize it with your favorite cheeses!). Toss in a can of diced green chilis or roast your Hatch chile peppers for a deep, smoky taste – it’s much easier than you imagine! Finally, bake this spicy mac and cheese for 10 minutes to get a bubbly, golden brown top for the best flavor ever!
Other Flavorful Green Chili Recipes
- These crunchy Slow Cooker Chicken Taquitos with a spicy chicken filling are always a big hit!
- Tex-Mex Instant Pot Sloppy Joes are a quick and easy new take on a classic favorite!
Ingredients
Pasta: Elbow macaroni makes this a traditional “macaroni and cheese,” but any bite-sized shape works fine!
Peppers: Roasted green chilis are the star of this casserole! Canned are great…but roasting your fresh Hatch chile peppers puts the taste over the top! If you can’t find roasted green chiles, canned diced green chiles will work just fine.
Cheese Sauce: You’ll need butter and flour for the roux. To finish the sauce, you’ll need half & half, egg yolks, ground cumin, sharp cheddar cheese, and Monterey Jack. The combination is fabulously cheesy, creamy, and wonderful!
How to Make Green Chile Mac n Cheese
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish with one tablespoon of butter. Set the dish aside for now. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, following the package directions. Drain the water using a colander and set the pasta aside.
STEP TWO: Using the same pot, add two tablespoons of butter and place it over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Pour in the half and half and simmer until thick and creamy, whisking often. Remove the white sauce from the heat.
STEP THREE: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Then, add a spoonful of the white sauce to the yolks while whisking to temper the eggs. Do this twice more until the egg yolks are warmed. Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture back into the white sauce while whisking.
STEP FOUR: Add the cumin, Monterey Jack, green chiles, and half of the sharp cheddar to the sauce. Stir to combine – the cheese doesn’t need to be completely melted. Stir the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce.
STEP FIVE: Pour the green chile mac & cheese into the prepared baking dish, spread it into an even layer, and sprinkle the remaining sharp cheddar cheese all over the top.
STEP SIX: Bake for 10 minutes, then switch the oven to broil and cook for about 5 minutes or until the top bubbles and golden. Remove the baking dish from the oven and serve warm.
Tips for Success
- Toss in a protein (like shredded rotisserie chicken, diced ham, or crumbled bacon) to make this a complete one-pan dinner!
- Elbow macaroni pasta is traditional for mac & cheese, but any bite-sized pasta will work fine! I like using the large macaroni noodles.
- Boil the pasta for a little less time than the package calls for. The macaroni will continue to cook in the oven and finish perfectly al dente.
- Your favorite cheese will work here, but always buy block cheese and grate your own to avoid the additives in pre-shredded cheese. This will ensure that the cheese melts beautifully into the sauce while it bakes.
What Kind of Cheese is Best for Macaroni and Cheese?
The key to great mac & cheese is making it creamy. Mix and match 2 or 3 different cheeses, using types that melt smoothly, like white cheddar, Monterey Jack, gruyere, and gouda. A little cream cheese or ricotta can also be fabulous! (Avoid Mozzarella and provolone – great on a pizza, but you don’t want stringy mac & cheese.) Try smoked gouda, pepper jack, or sharp cheddar for even more flavor. Pepper jack is a GREAT way to add a little extra kick to this green chile mac n cheese recipe.
Always remember to buy block cheese and shred your own. Pre-shredded cheese is loaded with a starch agent that keeps it from clumping together in the bag and keeps it from melting to a silky, smooth, creamy consistency.
What is a Roux?
A roux (“roo”) is a simple sauce of equal parts butter and flour that is whisked and warmed until thick and creamy. This roux becomes the base for more complicated sauces and gravies. To make a roux, simply heat 2 Tbsp of butter (or oil) over medium heat in a saucepan. Whisk in 2 Tbsp of flour and continue to whisk over medium heat until a thick paste forms. (Add another Tablespoon of flour if needed.) Congratulations, you have a roux! From here, you can add cheese or egg yolks or whatever ingredients your more complex sauce calls for, but the roux foundation will keep it smooth and creamy!
Other Marvelous Mac-n-Cheese Recipes
- Classic Macaroni and Cheese
- Lightened Up Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese Bake
- 30-Minute Crab Mac and Cheese
- Caprese Mac and Cheese
- Hamburger Mac and Cheese
- Skinny Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese
*This post originally posted on 06/01/2015.
Green Chile Mac n Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half and half or whole milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese shredded
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 ounces roasted green chiles diced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the water using a colander and set aside.
- Place the same large pot over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot, and once melted, whisk in the flour to form a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Whisk in the half and half until smooth. Simmer until the white sauce has thickened, and then remove from the heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Then, add one spoonful of the white sauce to the yolks while whisking quickly. (Tempering will keep the eggs from scrambling when added to the sauce.) Repeat the process two more times until the egg yolks are warmed. Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture back into the white sauce while whisking. Stir until well combined.
- Add the cumin, jack cheese, half of the cheddar, and the green chiles to the sauce. Stir to combine – the cheese does not need to be fully melted. Add the cooked pasta to the pot and stir to coat.
- Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over top of the pasta.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Then turn your oven to broil and cook until the top starts to bubble and become golden, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm.
