Creamy, cheesy and full of flavour, this jalapeño mac and cheese is a delicious change from the usual mac and cheese. With 2 kinds of cheese, cream cheese, bacon and lots of fresh jalapeño!
Why you’ll love this jalapeño mac and cheese
- It’s a super creamy mac and cheese, with the great flavours of jalapeño peppers and bacon added to the mix.
- It’s great any time, but especially nice as a side for chicken wings (aka football food!).
- You can make it up ahead, refrigerate and bake when you’re ready.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Cheddar Cheese – I suggest two types of cheddar cheese, an old white cheddar and a sharp, orange cheddar. It provides both different flavour notes and I think the orange cheddar looks nice on the topping.
If you’d like, add a third cheese, such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack or Gouda. Simply use 3 cups total and mix it up.
Bacon – you’ll only need a couple of slices of bacon. For a meatless dish, just omit the bacon.
Jalapeño Peppers – you’ll need 3 fresh jalapeño peppers. I put 2 – 2 1/2 in the mac and cheese and save the last half for slicing to put on top.
Cream Cheese – you’ll only need a bit of cream cheese, but it’s a great addition, not only for flavour, but for the creaminess of the sauce.
Milk – I generally use 2% milk myself, but you can use whole milk (3.5%-ish) if you like. I wouldn’t go any lower than 2%, for best results.
Step-by-Step Photos
- Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove to a bowl.
- Sauté the jalapeño pepper, onion and red pepper flakes in butter until softened, then add the flour. Stir together and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the milk to the skillet and stir to combine. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Add shredded cheese and cream cheese to the sauce and stir until melted.
- Add sauce to cooked and drained macaroni. Add the cooked bacon and stir together to coat well.
- Layer macaroni with additional shredded cheese in an oven-safe skillet or pan. Top with sliced jalapeño, then bake.
Making ahead, Storing and Freezing
The best way to make mac and cheese ahead is to assemble it in the skillet, let cool a bit, then cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to enjoy, place into preheat oven and bake. Allow a couple of extra minutes of bake time as the mac and cheese will start from cold.
You can also assemble and freeze the mac and cheese. When ready to enjoy, thaw and bake.
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Ingredients
- 8 oz. dry macaroni, about 2 cups dry macaroni pasta
- 2 strips bacon, diced or thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, cored and seeded, then finely diced (about 1/3 – 1/2 cup)
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups milk, whole or 2%
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup old white cheddar cheese, shredded and well packed
- 1/2 cup sharp orange cheddar cheese, shredded and well packed *see Note 2 below for other cheese options
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, full fat recommended (about 1-inch cut from a standard block)
For assembly and topping:
- 1 cup old white cheddar cheese, shredded and well packed
- 1 cup sharp orange cheddar cheese, shredded and well packed
- Jalapeno pepper slices, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Start a big pot of water to boil and salt generously. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, then return to the same large (now empty) pot that you used to boil the pasta.
- Preheat oven to 350F (not fan assisted), with rack in the centre of the oven.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a piece of paper towel. If there is a lot of fat in the skillet, remove some of it, leaving a bit behind.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeño and red pepper flakes and saute, stirring regularly, until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the flour to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, then slowly add the milk, stirring until you have a smooth sauce. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer the sauce, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add the salt, garlic powder, the cheddar cheeses and cream cheese and stir in. Allow to stand a minute or so, then stir until smooth. (If the sauce isn't smooth, you can return it to the heat briefly to melt any remaining cheese). Taste the sauce and add additional salt, if needed and some freshly ground pepper. Add the sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta. Add the cooked bacon to the pot as well and stir to combine well.
- Assemble the dish: In a 10-inch cast iron skillet or similar size oven-safe dish, spoon about 1/2 of the mac and cheese into the dish. Scatter 1/2 of the cheddar cheeses for the assembly on top. Top with the remaining mac and cheese and the remainder of the cheddar cheese. Scatter some slices of jalapeño on top.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350F (or until the sauce is bubbly), then switch the oven setting to Broil (HI, if you have a HI/LOW option) and broil for about 5 minutes (do not move the baking dish from the centre rack) or until the top is golden.
- Remove from oven and let stand about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
So easy to make, and it was delicious. Leftovers were tasty too. Thanks for your awesome recipes
So glad you enjoyed it, Karen :) Thanks so much!