One of my all time favorite comfort meals of all time is a piping hot pan of homemade mac and cheese. There’s just something about it that makes me want to slow down and savor the meal {and then go back for leftovers an hour later}.
As I was planning my big grocery stock up trip, I made sure to include lot’s of cheese and pasta so I’d have everything I needed to whip up a few pans of mac and cheese this winter.
The inspiration for the baked jalapeno macaroni and cheese recipe came from a couple of places.
First, my all time favorite baked macaroni and cheese recipe that I’ve been using for 20+ years now and our love for Trader Joe’s Hatch Chile Mac & Cheese {from their freezer meal section}.
We also recently discovered Trader Joe’s Hot & Sweet Jalapeños {which are fantastic!}. So when I came back from my big stock up trip at the grocery store and put the pasta in the cupboard and spied the jar of jalapenos, I was like… Hey now… Why don’t I add some of those delicious jalapenos to my favorite mac and cheese recipe and see what happens.
And so I did. And the rest is history. This baked jalapeno macaroni and cheese recipe is our new favorite thing!
In fact the next potluck I’m invited to I’m totally bringing this. With recipe cards!! Yes, it is THAT good!
Make this! You’ll be so glad you did. 🙂
~Mavis
Baked Jalapeno Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crushed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pasta and Cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni or penne noodles
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups milk
4 tablespoons jalapenos, chopped
6 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Topping
In a small bowl toss the crushed crackers with melted butter until evenly coated and set aside.
For the Macaroni and Cheese:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot, cook the pasta until tender, drain and set aside in a colander.
In a large saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard, and cayenne and whisk until smooth {about 1 minute}. Slowly add in the milk, whisking constantly until everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to whisk until the sauce is nice and thick {about 3 minutes}.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stir in shredded cheese until fully melted. Fold in the jalapenos and noodles.
Pour noodle mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish and cover with buttered cracker topping.
Turn the oven on to broil and toast the baked jalapeno macaroni and cheese until just browned. Serve warm.
Lmw says
TJ Hot and Sweet Jalapenos!!!!!
Sooooo good!!! I’m always surprised I don’t hear about them more often
Tammy says
Next summer you should can cowboy candy.
Mavis Butterfield says
It’s on my list! 🙂
Susie says
I DO can Cowboy Candy – is it similar to the TJ’s jalapenos?
RobininSoCal says
I thought the same thing. I give jars as gifts so maybe add a recipe card for the mac n cheese. Hmmm…
Donna Wade says
Oh, my goodness! I came to the comments to mention the cowboy candy, then saw your comment. We give tons of cowboy candy as gifts – what a great idea to add a recipe card!!
Holley says
I love those blue and white dishes you’ve shown lately! Are those new or did they come with the house? If they are new, I would love a link!
P.S. – totally going to make this recipe! I told my husband about those hot and sweet jalapenos last week. We need to get to TJ’s.