I love macaroni and cheese so much that I talk to it.
“Who’s the pretty macaroni and cheese? You are!”
But, to me as beautiful as regular macaroni and cheese normally is, it’s even better with vegetables. My go-to is almost always broccoli, but it’s equally good with cooked spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, or even once (in a pinch), I used fresh green beans that I’d steamed for a couple of minutes. And that was insanely delicious.
My mother (the woman who raised me to adore veggies), was completely taken aback when I made her my version of macaroni and cheese that was loaded with broccoli.
“I’ve um, never seen that before.”
Now, it’s safe to say that she’s become a convert to veggie heavy baked pasta and cheese.
And I feel pretty safe in saying that she’s even more of a convert now that poblano macaroni and cheese has made it into our dinner rotation.
The poblanos have a little extra hint of smoky flavor because they’ve been roasted, and then when they’re dropped into the sharp cheddar cheese sauce that’s loaded with southwestern ingredients like cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika, well, it’s out of this world.
Fuera de este mundo!
So, the next time you make mac and cheese, raid your crisper and see what you’ve got. Because veggies are a cheese sauce’s best friend.
Poblano Macaroni and cheese
Ingredients
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 medium yellow onion
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 3/4 cup panko
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash the poblanos, and place then on a medium rimmed sheet pan fitted with parchment.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly charred and blistered.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- Place the peppers in a large bowl, and cover with a plate to let steam for 10 minutes.
- Remove skins, cut off the tops, and remove the seeds and membranes.
- Roughly chop the peppers, and reserve.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, run under cold water to stop cooking, and reserve.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes, or until just softened.
- Add the flour, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Stir for 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk, Worcestershire sauce, and dijon. Whisk constantly until it simmers.
- Add 2 ½ cups cheese by the handful, and whisk until melted.
- Add in the roughly chopped poblano peppers and stir well to combine.
- Spoon the pasta into the cheese sauce. Stir well to combine.
- Spray an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking pan.
- Top with panko, and dot with butter.
- Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Top with cilantro.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- To store: Keep macaroni and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
