Macaroni and cheese was a big part of my childhood. My mom makes the best. No lie. She totally does. I have also always been a purist when it comes to my mac and cheese. Just cheese and noodles. No fancy breadcrumbs or any type of additions. I just wanted cheese and noodles. Then I grew up and started playing around with stuff. The addition of bacon is always good, and crispy bread crumbs on top is not so bad. Then I had this mac and cheese. My oh my! It rocked my mac and cheese purist mind. It contains roasted poblano chiles, lots of seasoning and just a hint of lime. This is not my mamas mac and cheese…that is for sure!
It’s beautifully creamy yet still has a nice stringy cheesiness to it. I loved the addition of the roasted poblano chiles because it added a nice depth of flavor that most mac and cheese does not have. It could easily make dinner on it’s own or a perfect side dish. I served mine along side some delicious fried pork chops. I also used my grandmothers cast iron skillet as the cooking vessel. It was the perfect choice. And (in case you are worried) it’s not that hard to clean out the pan afterwards 
Enjoy!!!
Poblano Macaroni and Cheese:
2 Poblano chiles
8 oz. elbow pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups grated white cheddar
1/2 cup Cotija cheese (I could not find)
Roast the poblano chilies under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tightly, and let the for 20 minutes. Take the chiles out of the bag and rub off the skin. Take the chiles out of the bag and rub off the skin. Remove the stem and seeds and chop the chiles into 1-inch long pieces.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to your package’s directions ad then drain the pasta. (You want the pasta to be cooked but not mushy; cook for 5 minutes.)
Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a large baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet, and pour the drained pasta into the dish.
In a pot (you can use the pot the pasta cooked in or you can do this while the pasta boils), on low heat melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until a light brown, toasty paste is formed, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and stir until it’s thickened a bit but still fluid, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro, and chopped poblano chiles. Adjust seasonings and add salt and black pepper.
Slowly add half of the cheddar cheese and stir until it’s melted and well combined into the sauce. (If the sauce has cooled too much and the cheese won’t melt, return the pot to low heat on the stove seems a little thick return it to the stove until soft again. If however, the sauce gets too thick, like a custard, you can thin it by stirring in milk, a teaspoon at a time.) Pour sauce over pasta and top with the remaining half of the cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Sprinkle with Cotija cheese, and serve immediately.
*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*
I totally want to make thjs on a sunday for football!
Such a comforting and flavourful dish!
I just got a nice smoker that I’ve been eyeing and I’m dying to make some macaroni and cheese and smoke it…this sounds perfect. I make a stovetop green chili mac and cheese so I know how great they are with poblano peppers…now though? I’m smoking!
My husband and I have a vacation planned in a few weeks and he as sworn off all carbs! However… this mac and cheese would do him in. You have all his favorite flavors here and I’m thinking he wouldn’t be able to resist. In all fairness to his diet… I think I may just print it and save for after the trip, something to chase away the post vacation blues.
Love it!
“rocked my mac and cheese purist mind!!” glad you enjoyed it!!
This looks so creamy and delicious! I made mac and cheese last week otherwise I would absolutely be making some with the poblano chiles I have in the fridge!
Pass that beautiful skillet of goodness my way! This is hands-down my favorite mac n cheese.
This sounds amazing! I can’t wait to make it. Thanks for sharing!
This mac and cheese sounds so flavorful, very tasty with roasted poblanos!
This looks delicious! Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food – I sadly even love the Kraft version in a box.
This macaroni “rocked my mac n cheese purist mind” too!!! Oh how I wish I had some of this creamy, dreamy and cheesy goodness!
Beautiful photos, BTW.
I’m pretty much a mac and cheese purist also…but seeing all these poblano mac and cheeses makes me think I need to rethink my ways! WANT
I love how great your mac ‘n cheese looks in the skillet–just perfect. This recipe was a wonderful combination of flavors–I really enjoyed it too.
This rocked my mac n cheese world too! I am glad you loved it.
I love mac and cheese, and this sounds wonderful with all of those wonderful flavors, especially the peppers:)
mmmm I’m always looking for new mac n cheese recipes – hubs would love the poblano addition to this one!
Your Mac N Cheese looks so delicious. I want to make that recipe very soon. Congratulations, the ring is beautiful! Hope you are having a great week and thanks for sharing. It has been fun cooking with you!
Miz Helen
I am a macaroni purist as well, but this looks amazing!!! I MUST try this ASAP!!!!! (as in this weekend) I think it would go great with steak!
hooray for mustard, chiles, and cilantro! the only thing missing for me is pepper jack–that’s a must-have in my mac and cheese, and it fits the rest of the recipe!
Found this on Pintrest. Made it tonight. It might be the best mac and cheese I have ever eaten, hand to God. Next time I will add bacon and make it a meal if we can handle that much cheesy excitement around here.
Thank you!
Re cotija cheese…what did you use instead? Isn’t that just cottage cheese in Spanish?
Question.. Where you say to bake it for 20 minutes do you mean pop it in the oven? Or cook it on the stovetop for 20 minutes?
Looks delicious.. the recipe made my mouth water!
Bake in the oven….I will clarify this in the directions…thanks
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I have an entire recipe folder dedicated to mac n cheese recipes and this one is going in! My top two are leek / manchego mac n cheese and Beecher’s … but I have a feeling this one will also fall into the favorites category!