Tex Mex Mac & Cheese

Recipe Creator: Gay Lea Foods

Add a zesty twist to a classic Mac and Cheese dish with Monterey Jack Jalapeño. This recipe only takes 30 minutes to prepare, making it the perfect dish of choice for pasta night!

Ingredients

  • 600 ml (2.5 cups) milk
  • 30 gr (1.5 Tbsp) Gay Lea unsalted butter
  • 30 gr ( 1.5 Tbsp) All Purpose flour
  • 1 garlic clove thinly sliced
  • 20 gr (1 teaspoon) chipotle in adobo finely chopped
  • 350 gr (2 cups) Bothwell Monterey Jack Jalapeno Cheese diced
  • 400 gr (2 cups) elbow noodles
  • Kosher salt to taste.

Topping

  • 30 gr (1.5 tablespoon) panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 garlic clove peeled and thinly sliced
  • 15 gr (1/2 teaspoon) smoked paprika
  • 30 (1.5 tablespoon) unsalted melted Gay Lea butter
  • 20 gr (1 teaspoon) fresh chopped Italian parsley

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees
  2. In a medium size pot add milk, garlic and a pinch of salt and bring it to a boil.
  3. Melt 1.5 tablespoons of butter until is lightly melted, add the 1.5 tablespoons of flour in order to make a roux and cook for 2 to 3 minutes at a very low temperature in order not to have a dark consistency (we are looking for a blond roux (thicken agent)
  4. When the milk as come to a boil add it slowly into the roux and mix it with a whisk in order not to create any lumps and keep cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes at low temperature.
  5. Add the chopped chipotle in adobo and the Monterey Jack Jalapeno cut into small dice and cook until cheese is melted, adjust seasoning and set aside and allow to obtain a loose creamy consistency (Do not panic if you think is to liquid, it will become thicker as its cooling down)
  6. In a stockpot boiled some water and as soon is coming to a boil add the salt making sure the water as a good seasoning balance. Add the noodles and if the package tells you 4 minutes cooking, you will cook the pasta only for 2 minutes and if the package says 10 minutes then only cook it for 8 minutes.
  7. For the toping, melt the butter and thinly sliced of garlic add them in a glass bowl with the smoked paprika, panko, parsley and season with salt and keep aside.
  8. When the pasta as cooked, drain it and mix it with the creamy Monterey Jack béchamel cheese sauce you will find that the mix will be quite smooth are creamy. Adjust and season.
  9. Add the mixture in grease Pyrex over proof dish sprinkle the topping and put in the oven and bake until golden brown approximately 5min.

You can also consume this dish without baking and still sprinkled the topping for crunch on the warm creamy noodles

Notes