Mexican Mac and Cheese

5 from 29 votes

This Mexican Mac and Cheese recipe is the ultimate comfort food with a kick, where creamy meets spicy in every delicious bite.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican American

Servings:

Calories: 1167kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

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 9x13 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

What cheeses not to use for mac and cheese?

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.

To Bring Down the Heat: Swap out fresh jalapenos for a can of roasted diced green chiles.

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.

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