Best Spicy Mac and Cheese with Jalapeños

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This ultra creamy macaroni pasta is bursting with rich flavors of cheese, garlic, jalapeños and mustard. Made with homemade cheesy sauce, this Spicy Mac and Cheese is a gentle twist to the classic recipe and is a total comfort meal that brings joy!

Everyone in the world can agree that a hot bowl of macaroni cheese pasta is one of the best foods around. The melt-in-mouth taste of blended cheddar, mozzarella cheese and spices is incredibly delicious!

A crowd feeder, made ahead of time and comfort food, this spicy recipe of Mac and Cheese is versatile and a breeze to make.

What I Love About This Recipe?

At Sims Home Kitchen, I don’t only want to provide you with good recipes. I wish to help you feel good when you’re down, or energetic when you’re tired. There is a reason why people universally love macaroni and cheese so much: it comforts them when they need something warm.

It turns out, there’s a scientific reason for this. When you eat mac and cheese, you are revisiting fond memories from your past. This comfort food activates a part of the brain that makes you think back to simpler times or other fun times in the past when you enjoyed a similar meal.

A positive association with food contributes to how good we feel when we eat it. That doesn’t make macaroni and cheese any healthier, but it surely hits the spot when we’re feeling down. For a healthy version of pasta, you may try the Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta Salad.

This family-friendly vegetarian recipe of homemade Mac n Cheese is perfect for all age groups and with a spicy touch, this is surely the Best Macaroni Cheese Pasta ever!

Our recipe gives you all the ingredients you need to make this dish fresh, so you don’t have to buy it out of a box.

Bonus tip: If you’re a fan of crunchy mac n’ cheese, don’t forget to add some breadcrumbs on top of it and bake it for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

Ingredients

This recipe uses easy-to-find ingredients that can be bought from a local store if you don’t already have them in your pantry. Read the Recipe Card for the measurements.

For Macaroni Cheese Pasta

Elbow Macaroni- This recipe uses elbow macaroni. You may use any shape of pasta without making any changes to the recipe. Generally, small-shaped pasta works best however, if you need to use large pasta, the cooking time may vary.
Flour– I have used all-purpose flour to thicken the pasta sauce. You may skip it to add more cheese or butter.
Butter- This recipe uses unsalted butter. Salted butter works well. If you are using salted butter, add a little less salt.
Milk- adds creaminess and smoothness to the cheese sauce. I have used dairy milk and for making this macaroni vegan, you may substitute it with vegan milk like almond or coconut milk.
Cheddar Cheese –is the star ingredient of this pasta dish. It adds a sharp and deep flavor to the pasta sauce.
Mozzarella – is a soft and milky cheese that adds amazing depth to the flavor of the cheese sauce. It also gives the jalapeno mac and cheese that infamous cheese pull effect.
Red Leicester – this cheese is orange and has a savory nutty flavor.
Garlic Seasoning- You may use fresh garlic cloves as well, though I have used garlic powder.
Mustard- adds a spicy kick to this Mac n Cheese. Feel free to adjust the heat. This recipe is mildly spicy with mustard.
Pepper- adds earthy, bold and hot flavor to any dish. I love the addition of freshly ground pepper.
Chili flakes- One may use chilly powder as well but that would make this pasta hot! Adjust the amount and chilly as per your preference.
Salt- Normal salt works best. You may use Kosher salt too.
Parsley- The freshly chopped parsley adds vibrant color to this pasta. You may use cilantro or basil leaves as well.

Spicy mac ingredients cheese, milk, flour, macaroni, butter, seasoning, jalapenos

Equipment

Saucepan
Baking dish

Variations

Vegan Mac n Cheese- Use dairy-free milk, vegan cheese to make this recipe of mac n cheese vegan.
Creamy Macaroni Pasta Salad- You may add freshly chopped veggies like cucumber, carrots, and lettuce to make this pasta a hearty salad when serving.
Macaroni Cheese Soup- If you love soups, you may make the sauce a little thinner by adding water to make macaroni cheese soup.
Add another vegetable– Add boiled and mashed cauliflower to the cheesy sauce to naturally thicken it. You may also add a variety of veggies like bell pepper, carrots, corn and beans to make a vegetable cheesy pasta.
Make it spicier– Add chilies, cayenne pepper to make this spicy mac and cheese even spicier!

Storage Instructions

Leftover Mac and cheese can be stored in a dry container with a lid in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

You may heat it in the microwave just before serving. The freezing of Mac and cheese is not recommended.

What to Serve with This Macaroni Cheese Pasta

I love Mac and cheese as it is and for me, it’s not a side dish! To have a hearty meal, team your bowl of spicy pasta with the following:

How to Make Spicy Mac and Cheese

Prep The Cheesy Pasta Sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. While it is heating up, grease a baking dish with your favorite non-stick substance and set it aside for later. Grab a large saucepan. Add unsalted butter and melt on low heat. Once the butter melts, add flour to the saucepan and stir on medium heat for 30 seconds.

2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add milk and stir. Continue to add the milk gradually until the mixture is smooth.

3. Put the saucepan back on the stove and bring to a boil. Make sure to stir continuously.

4. Season the sauce with salt to taste, white pepper to taste, garlic seasoning, onion powder, mustard, oregano, and paprika, and stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your taste.

5. Cook on medium/low heat for 10 minutes and stir occasionally.

3. Pour heavy cream into the roux. Season and bring to a boil

Boil the Macaroni

6. While the sauce is getting ready, bring salted water to a boil and cook elbow macaroni for 10-12 minutes or till soft.

7. As the pasta cooks. Remove the creamy sauce from the heat after 10 minutes. Then remove the sauce from the heat, add cheddar, mozzarella, red Leicester cheese and stir.

5. Add cheese to the creamy macaroni sauce and stir

Combine the Mac with the Cheesy Sauce

8. Add the cooked macaroni to the cheesy sauce and stir. Then add the jalapeños and stir.

7. Stir macaroni and cheesy sauce. Then add jalapenos

9. Pour the cheesy macaroni mixture into a heatproof baking dish. Then top the mac with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

8. Pour spicy mac n cheese into a heatproof dish then top with cheese

Serve It

The delicious Spicy Mac and Cheese is ready! Serve it with, chicken, salad or veggies.

Top Tips

Breadcrumbs: If you’re a fan of crunchy mac n’ cheese, don’t forget to add some breadcrumbs on top of it and bake it for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
Make ahead: If you want to make this pasta ahead of time, boil the pasta and keep it separated from the cheese sauce. Heat the sauce and mix the pasta before baking.
Stir: When making cheese sauce, make sure to stir continuously or else the sauce may stick to the bottom of the pan. It gets thicker very quickly.

FAQs

Q1. How can I spice up my mac and cheese?

Adding black pepper, jalapeños mustard, paprika, garlic and onion powder can add a spicy kick to mac and cheese.

Q2. Does pepper taste good on mac and cheese?

Pepper and pasta are a match made in heaven and they definitely go well together!

Q3. What cheese is best in mac and cheese?

I love adding mozzarella and cheddar cheese to make mac and cheese as they add a sharp savory flavor. You can also add other cheeses such as cream cheese and parmesan.

More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

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