green chile mac and cheese

Ingrédients

1 lb box cavatappi pasta

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup butter (divided)

1/4 cup all purpose flour

½ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

2 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese - shredded (reserve 1 cup)

1 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese - shredded

4-6 whole hatch chilis - roasted

2 1/2 tsp dried hatch chili flakes (I found these at TJ’s - you can sub crushed red pepper flakes and adjust based on spice preference)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

¼ cup reserved pasta water (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 9x13 baking pan with butter and set aside.

2. Cook cavatappi in heavily salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

3. Roast the hatch chilis over an open flame on a gas stove for approximately 2 minutes on each side until charred. You can also broil in the oven on the top rack, checking every 5 minutes (or 450 degrees and as close to the heating component as you can, checking every 5 mins to make sure the peppers are charring.) You want them to be roasted but not all the way. Place chilis in a bowl and let cool down. Once cooled, use a knife to scrape off any skin and deseed the peppers. Cut into strips,

4. Combine whole milk and heavy cream in a microwave safe measuring cup and heat up. To make the roux, melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once butter is just starting to foam sprinkle in the 1/4 cup flour while whisking. Whisk the roux constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Cook for 2 minutes.

5. Slowly pour in the milk mixture while whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring every few minutes to ensure the milk does not burn. Simmer while whisking often for approximately 10 minutes.

6. Reduce the heat to low, and continue to whisk every couple of minutes so it does not stick and burn. Add in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, hatch/red chili flakes, 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese and 1 ½ cups of Monterey Jack and whisk until the cheese is completely melted. Season the sauce with salt to taste and 2 tsp dried hatch chili flakes. Turn heat off.

7. Mix the al dente cavatappi pasta into the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into the buttered baking pan. Set aside.

8. Combine Panko, 1/4 cup melted butter, salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp. hatch/crushed red pepper.

9. Top the mac and cheese with the reserved 1 cup of cheddar cheese and panko bread crumb mixture.

10. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted and the bread crumbs are golden brown. I personally like to broil for 1-3 minutes to get it extra crispy and golden.