When it comes to comfort food, hearty mac and cheese is the first thing that comes to mind. Cheese is one of my favorite food groups, add in the pasta and voila, a perfect comfort dish. What I love the most about this comfort classic is how many different variations of mac and cheese can be made. My favorite version is poblano baked mac and cheese. This dish is sure to be a hit for any meal or potluck occasion.
When Making this poblano baked mac and cheese, I prefer to cook it in a cast-iron skillet. Although you can cook it in any casserole dish, there’s something about the cast iron that gives this dish more of a rustic taste and the presentation is perfect. The smokiness of the poblanos adds such a delicious flavor and is the perfect twist on the traditional mac and cheese.
What You Will Need:
1 lb Box of pasta, such as shells
Poblano peppers
Milk
Flour
Butter
Heavy cream
Panko bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Smoked paprika
Tobasco
How To Make:
To make the poblano baked mac and cheese, start by boiling salted water in a large pot for the pasta and cook per box directions. Then diced the poblano peppers and saute in butter until softened. Next, whisk in the flour and slowly add the milk. Once the milk is added and the sauce mixture is smooth, add the cheese, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste. Allow the cheese sauce to simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until thickened and set aside. I prefer to use a separate pot for the cheese sauce, such as a 6-quart dutch oven or a stockpot, leaving room to add the pasta and mix it all together before transferring it to a cast iron to bake. Be sure to visit My Cookware Essentials for all your kitchen needs.
Once the pasta is fully cooked, drain out the water and combined the pasta and cheese sauce together. This is when I preheat my oven to 350 degrees and prep my cast iron skillet. Prep the cast iron by coating it with a cooking spray or lightly coat it with oil. Next, add all the mac and cheese into the skillet and top with the remainder of shredded sharp cheddar and panko bread crumbs. Add slices of cold butter on top about 3-4 slices evenly distributed. The butter helps brown the breadcrumbs and makes them nice and crisp. Lastly, slowly drizzle in the heavy cream over mac and cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly on the sides and the top is lightly browned. Serve with a few dashes of tabasco or your favorite hot sauce and enjoy.
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Poblano Baked Mac & Cheese
Course: MainCuisine: Comfort foodDifficulty: Medium6
servings15
minutes25
minutes620
kcal40
minutesComfort food classic with a smoky twist.
Ingredients
1 lbs of pasta shells
3 poblano peppers
2 cups of milk (2% or whole milk)
2 tablespoons of butter plus 2 tablespoons sliced thin for topping
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese plus 1/2 cup for topping prior to baking
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Tabasco to taste for serving
Fresh parsley for serving
Directions
- Bring salted water to a boil for pasta and cook per box directions.
- Dice poblano peppers and discard the seeds and ribs. Sautee the peppers in butter until softened.
- Add the flour and stir, then add the milk slowly and whisk until blended.
- Salt and pepper to taste, and add the smoked paprika
- Add the freshly grated sharp cheddar, saving some for topping before baking.
- Continue to whisk and lower the heat and allow to simmer until thickened.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prep the cast iron with a light coat of cooking spray or oil.
- Once pasta and cheese sauce are cooked, combine them together and toss.
- Place all ingredients into the cast iron and top with the remainder of the cheese, the panko breadcrumbs, and slices of cold butter.
- Lastly, slowly drizzle in heavy cream and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden and the sides of the dish are bubbly and melted.
- Serve with few drizzles of tabasco sauce for added heat and enjoy.
Notes
- I prefer to grate my own cheddar from the block rather than using pre-shredded cheese in a bag. The cheese that comes in a bag has anti-caking agents and doesn’t work well in the sauce.
