Mexican Mac and Cheese is a delightful twist on the classic comfort dish, blending the creamy, cheesy goodness of traditional mac and cheese with the bold flavors of Mexican cuisine.
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Serve it as a main dish or a side dish.
This Mexican macaroni recipe, perfect for spice lovers and cheese enthusiasts alike, is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Table of Contents
🥘 Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Breadcrumbs
- Dried pasta (elbow or penne preferred)
- Water (to cook pasta al dente)
- Butter (unsalted preferred)
- Fresh Jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed, diced
- Diced onion
- Minced garlic cloves
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk (for creamy texture)
- Cream cheese, softened to room temperature (and cubed)
- Shredded mozzarella cheese (part of Mexican blend cheese)
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Ground cumin
- Ground oregano
Tame the heat, and swap out fresh jalapenos for a can of roasted diced green chiles or diced roasted poblano peppers.
Whether it’s a cozy family dinner or a festive gathering, this easy recipe brings a unique and delicious of Mexican flavors to the table.
🥣 Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add bread crumbs, stirring continuously until golden brown. About 2 minutes. Set aside for later use.
You can also use panko, crumbled saltine crackers or Ritz crackers.
Meanwhile, prep your baking dish. Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and lightly grease a 3-quart baking dish (like a 9×13 pan), with cooking spray.
- In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta until just 1 minute shy of al dente, according to package instructions.
- Drain and toss pasta in a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.
I’m using elbow pasta here, but you can also use penne, rigatoni, or fusilli pasta.
🧀 Making the Spicy Cheese Sauce
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté jalapeños and onion for a couple of minutes until they soften.
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring often.
- Sprinkle all-purpose flour over the mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1-2 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Slowly pour in whole milk, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Let the mixture cook until it thickens. Then, reduce the heat to medium and add cubed cream cheese.
Stir until completely melted into the sauce. Don’t stop stirring. It’ll help the cheese melt.
- Add in 3 cups of mozzarella cheese, stirring until it’s all melted.
- Add spices (salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano) and stir.
If the sauce gets too thick, add in a splash of milk and stir.
Gradually add shredded cheese to the sauce, constantly stirring to achieve a smooth Mexican cheese sauce.
In a nutshell, we are making a spicy bechamel sauce.
Baking
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked pasta and cheese sauce, giving it a good stir to ensure even coating.
- Stir it all together and pour into the greased baking dish.
- Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
Sprinkle the top with toasted breadcrumbs and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
Serve hot, garnished with additional sliced jalapeños and chopped cilantro if desired.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips:
- For extra spice, add more jalapeno or add a dash of hot sauce to the cheese sauce.
- You can top the mac and cheese with Mexican street corn for a delightful variation.
- Taste the cheese mixture before mixing with the pasta. Measure for salt and spice level and adjust accordingly.
- Optional additions: crumbled bacon, diced ham, peas, or pickled jalapenos.
- To make it a hearty meal, add some cooked ground beef or ground turkey.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
A Mexican cheese blend typically includes Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero, and Queso Quesadilla, known for excellent melting qualities and used in various Mexican dishes for a creamy, flavorful taste.
Originally known as “macaroni pie” or “macaroni pudding,” mac and cheese was a popular dish in 18th-century England, involving baked macaroni with milk or cream and cheese.
The most traditional cheese to use is cheddar cheese. What kinds of cheese to use depends on what type of dish you’re making and your personal preferences. I recommend using a melty cheese like Monterey jack or fontina.
Even though this is a Mexican mac and cheese, Mexican cheeses like queso fresco and panela are not recommended. However, queso Oaxaca and queso Chihuahua would work well in this recipe. Other cheeses to avoid are paneer and feta.
Make Ahead
- Assemble the dish but DO NOT BAKE. Let everything cool completely.
- Then, cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Bake at recipe temperature for 25-35 minutes.
🫙 Storing and Reheating
- Store leftover mac and cheese in airtight containers to enjoy the next day or up to 4 days.
- To reheat, stir with a splash of milk and microwave covered for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving until it is fully reheated.
🍝 More Mexican Pasta Recipes
Mexican Mac and Cheese combines the creamy delight of traditional mac with a spicy Mexican pasta twist, perfect for the whole family. Serve with tortilla chips for extra crunch.
😋 Hungry for More?
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Mexican Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 16 ounces dried pasta elbow (preferred) or penne
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 fresh jalapeños seeds and veins removed, diced
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cup whole milk
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature (and cubed)
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese for sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat.
- Add breadcrumbs and don’t stop stirring. Cook until it starts to brown. About 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Lightly grease a 3 qt baking dish (like a 9×13 pan), and set aside.
- Boil a large stockpot of water and cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente.
- Drain and toss pasta in a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Add butter to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add jalapeños and onion, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
- Add flour and stir to combine.
- Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour in milk, little by little, whisking to combine so lumps from the flour mixture are gone.
- Cook for several minutes until thickened, stirring very often.
- Add in cream cheese and stir until it's melted into the sauce. Add in 3 cups of mozzarella cheese, stirring until it's all melted.
- Add spices (salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano) and stir. If the sauce gets too thick, add in a splash of milk and stir.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cooked pasta and coat with cheese sauce.
- Stir it all together and pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
- Sprinkle the top with the toasted breadcrumbs and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Serve hot, garnished with additional sliced jalapeños, and chopped cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Store leftover mac and cheese in airtight containers to enjoy the next day or up to 4 days.
- To reheat, stir with a splash of milk and microwave covered for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving until it is fully reheated.
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