Green Chili Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- Breadcrumb Topping ⓘ
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups dried white breadcrumbs, coarsely crumbled ⓘ
- 2 garlic cloves, minced ⓘ
- salt, to taste ⓘ
- Green Chili Crema
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 (13 ounce) can mild green chilies, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) or 13 ounces fresh stemmed, seeded, roasted, peeled green Anaheim chilies (about 1 1/2 cups) ⓘ
- half a tomatillos, papery skin removed, sticky coating rinsed off, stemmed, chopped or half a green tomato, chopped and mixed with 1/2 t. lemon juice ⓘ
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic ⓘ
- 1 green onion, including green part, chopped ⓘ
- salt, to taste
- Pasta ⓘ
- 1 1 lb mini penne pasta (any short tubular pasta) or 1 lb mostaccioli pasta (any short tubular pasta)
- 1 teaspoon salt ⓘ
- 9 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese ⓘ
- 9 ounces queso asadero cheese (if you cannot find, substitute Monterey Jack, Muenster or Fontina)
- 1 1/2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese (finely grated, about 3/4 cup) ⓘ
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ⓘ
- 1 cup minced yellow onion (4 ounces or about 1/2 large onion) ⓘ
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper ⓘ
Instructions
- Breadcrumb Topping:.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, bread crumbs, and garlic. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.
- Green Chili Crema:.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and add the chiles, tomatillo, and garlic. Simmer gently for 2-4 minutes and then remove from the heat. Let cool.
- Pour mixture into a blender and liquefy. Add the green onion and liquefy. Season with salt to taste.
- Pour the crema through a single mesh strainer or sieve. The crema should be very smooth.
- Mac & Cheese:.
- Coat an 8- to 10-cup capacity, ovenproof casserole with vegetable spray or a dab of butter; or coat six 11/2-cup capacity stoneware ramekins.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add 1 teaspoons of salt, return to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook until still al dente (but not until until fully tender).
- Remove the pasta pot from the stove and carefully drain in a large colander. Run cold water over the pasta to cool it to room temperature.
- Add pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the cheddar, queso Asadero, and Parmesan and toss. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and peppers and saute until just beginning to soften.
- Add the corn and stir to coat with butter. Stir in the flour and cook without browning for two minutes.
- Slowly pour in the Green Chile Crema and whisk constantly while bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and cheeses in the bowl. With a large spatula, fold to combine.
- Spoon into the prepared casserole, mounding slightly at the center. Sprinkle on the breadcrumb topping.
- Bake at 350° 30-40 minutes for a large casserole (or 10-15 minutes for individual ramekins), or until heated through and just bubbling. (High heat or excessively long cooking time may curdle the cheeses.).
- Broil for a minute or two to finish browning the top.
Nutrition & Diet Analysis (per serving)
877
kcal
44% DV
Protein
Fat
Carbs
* % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (FDA 2020).