I’ve been a little obsessed with pepper jack cheese lately. After basically forgetting that it even existed for a long time, I’ve gone through three bricks of it in about a month. What can I say? It’s delicious on burgers, in grilled cheese, and in eggs. It turns out that it’s also the key to a fantastically creamy, comforting macaroni and cheese with just the slightest bit of extra oomph.
This recipe for pepper jack mac and cheese comes from Nicole at Colie’s Kitchen. I was paired up with her for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. It’s been a while since I’ve done a secret recipe club post, so if you don’t remember what it’s all about it’s a cooking club where bloggers are paired up with another blog and are tasted with testing out one of their recipes. I’ve had a few big projects going on that have been sopping up all of my creative energy, so it seemed like a good time to give myself a break and try out someone else’s food. I’m really glad that I was assigned to Colie’s blog – it’s great and I had a hard time picking just one recipe to try!
This mac and cheese, which is a riff on her jalapeño monterey jack chicken penne is super creamy, and monterey jack gives it a classic, mild flavor. I opted to leave the chicken out of the pasta itself and served it with homemade baked chicken tenders instead. All in all, it was the perfect comfort food for a rainy Friday night!
Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ridged pasta, such as cavatappi
- 3 slices [b]bacon[/b], chopped
- 1 tablespoon [b]butter [/b]
- 1 small [b]onion[/b], diced
- 1/2 [b]green bell pepper[/b], diced
- 2 [b]garlic cloves[/b], minced
- 1 [b]jalapeño pepper[/b], chopped
- 3 tablespoons [b]white whole wheat flour [/b]
- 3/4 cup [b]chicken broth [/b]
- 1/2 cup [b]skim milk [/b]
- 8 ounces (1 brick) [b]Cabot pepper jack light[/b], shredded
- 1/4 cup [b]reduced fat sour cream [/b]
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.
- While the pasta cooks, add the bacon to a cold pan. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the fat renders and the bacon crisps, about 7 minutes. Add the butter, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno; cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth and milk and cook until the mixture begins to thicken and starts to bubble, about 10 minutes. Slowly stir in the cheese and sour cream. Drain the pasta, then stir into the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 489 Total Fat 15g Fiber 3.5g Protein 26g
Be sure to check out everyone else’s recipes too!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
05/30 at 6:28 pmSwooning at this! Mac and cheese has my heart so this recipe wins!
Mallory @ Total Noms says
05/29 at 2:31 pmWow the use of pepper jack sounds divine in Mac ‘n Cheese! What a great idea. Love the jalapeno too.
Traci says
05/28 at 9:37 amYum! I love the idea of adding pepperjack. And I love that you used Cabot–one of my favorite cheeses! Thanks for making it healthy. I love using healthy ingredients in cooking and appreciate that you took the time to make it using ingredients that are good for you.
Amy | Amy's Cooking Adventures says
05/27 at 10:57 pmThis looks soooo good! I wish my family would eat homemade mac & cheese (they’re so weirdly picky!)
Lauren Keating says
05/27 at 11:00 pmIt might not be orange enough for them, but it definitely has a really classic taste to it. It actually reminded me a lot of Amy’s white shells and cheddar (well, if you took the peppers out of it). I think a lot of times homemade mac and cheese isn’t creamy enough, but this definitely has a nice, thick sauce.
Kelsey @ K&K Test Kitchen says
05/27 at 10:13 pmWow, I could go for a big bowl of this right now! Love Monterey Jack!
kirstin says
05/27 at 10:02 pmYUM! I made a sort of mac n’ cheese too
Rebekah @ Making Miracles says
05/27 at 7:47 pmYumm! What a great looking dish – perfect SRC pick!
Susan says
05/27 at 7:30 pmNot sure if we can get pepper jack in Australia but I love mac and cheese and this looks wonderful!
SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in My Kitchen says
05/27 at 6:38 pmI haven’t had peppery jack cheese in ages… sounds awesome! Better yet, it looks perfect for dinner 🙂
Joanne says
05/27 at 12:44 pmI seem to have forgotten that Monterey Jack exists also! Whoops!! Better remedy that with a batch of this mac and cheese. Looks AMAZING.
Sarah E says
05/27 at 11:58 amI love pepperjack too! It’s one of the very best cheeses 🙂 Pinned this to share – happy reveal day!
Emily @ Life on Food says
05/27 at 11:19 amIt is a bit too hot for mac and cheese now but your photos have my cravings for it on high alert. Yumm!
Lauren Keating says
05/27 at 11:02 pmI’d say the same today, but it was cold and rainy all last week. It’s been kind of an icky spring here.