Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cabot Cheese.
This spicy baked macaroni and cheese recipe uses habanero cheddar to bring some heat to this classic comfort food.
I’m of the opinion that one can never really have too many macaroni and cheese recipes. So here’s another one for you and this time we’re turning up the heat!
The star of this spicy mac and cheese recipe is Cabot Habanero Cheddar Cheese. It’s made from a mix of hananero and jalapeño peppers and is already flavored with various south-of-the-border spices and seasonings. While I love the heat, I mix it with a little bit of Vermont Sharp Cheddar to make it more palatable to the spice averse. I love working with Cabot because it is a co-operative owned by farm families throughout New England and New York with 100% of profits going straight back to the farmers.
For anyone that’s made mac and cheese before, the steps are the same. However, I switched things up a bit by using a cast-iron skillet for this recipe to make the cheese sauce and bake the macaroni and cheese in. By using it to pull double duty, I cut down on the dishes I had to do at the end of the day. (But if you prefer, you can use a sauce pan and baking dish instead.) One thing I’d note with using a skillet or other large baking dish is to stick to the lower end of the baking time range to keep the mac and cheese from drying out.
Last but not least, a sprinkle of cheese on top before the macaroni goes in the oven is always a must. That cheesy top is just hard to go without. In fact, I’m contemplating making the below photo my new phone background.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cabot Cheese.
Spicy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
This spicy baked macaroni and cheese recipe uses habanero cheddar to bring some heat to this classic comfort food.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) uncooked elbow pasta
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces Cabot Habanero Cheddar Cheese
- 4 ounces Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400˚F.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (cooked, but still retains some bite). Drain and rinse the noodles in cold water; set aside.
- Meanwhile, grate both cheeses and combine, reserving about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese for later. Heat a pan or skillet over medium heat with the butter; add the flour and cook, whisking regularly, for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the milk; let come up to a simmer and cook until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the bigger portion of cheese until melted. Add the mustard and paprika, and season to taste with salt.
- Fold the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce (and transfer to another container if you wish). Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and bake until bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
I used a 10-inch cast-iron skillet to make the cheese sauce and bake the macaroni in to cut down on the amount of dishes I dirtied, but you can also use a pot and casserole dish if you prefer.
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