Bacon Poblano Mac & Cheese

Can you believe we are three weeks away from Thanksgiving?! It always seems like the drag from summer to Halloween is foreverrrr, but then BAM… Halloween comes and goes and the holiday season is in full swing. We are moving the week of Thanksgiving which means life is a little hectic from now until then. I am just glad we’ll be in our new home and (somewhat) settled before Christmas! Until then I can’t wait to share some new recipes and also some of my favorite recipes from years past.

Let’s kick off the Thanksgiving season with this incredible bacon poblano mac and cheese. It is loaded with flavor and is so hearty that Kory and I ate it as the main dish (actually, the only dish) at dinner one evening. Nothing better than a big ol’ bowl of mac and cheese right?! This mac and cheese has cheddar and pepper jack cheese, but the best part is the poblano pepper. It adds a little kick of flavor but not so much that it overtakes the whole dish. For the cheese, I recommend buying blocks of cheese and freshly grating it. It melts sooo much better and turns out creamier! The crunch from the bacon and crumbles on top are the perfect compliment to the creamy cheese sauce and noodles. I already can’t wait to make this again and definitely will be enjoying it at Thanksgiving this year!

Author: Leslie Bobo, RDN

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Bacon Poblano Mac & Cheese

This bacon poblano macaroni and cheese is a smoky, spicy twist on the classic comfort food we all know and love. The savory bacon and poblano peppers are the perfect compliment to the gooey cheese sauce. It's all topped with buttery crumbles for an added crunch! This is not your basic mac and cheese.

Ingredients

• 6 pieces of bacon, cooked, chopped into small pieces
• 1 lb macaroni noodles, cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 poblano pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 2 cups of 2% milk
• 1 cup fresh shaved sharp cheddar cheese*
• 1 cup fresh shaved pepper jack cheese*
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• *I recommend getting a block of cheese and freshly shredding it rather than using pre shredded cheese, it will melt better and make a more creamy sauce.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Heat 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of the butter in a 12" cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the chopped poblano pepper. Sauté about 5 minutes, until pepper is fragrant and has softened.
3. Add flour to the skillet and stir it in with the peppers. Once the flour is mixed in it will start to thicken. Pour the milk in the skillet and stir continuously until it comes to a low simmer and starts to thicken. Let simmer about 2 minutes over medium heat, continuing to stir, and then remove from heat. Immediately add the shredded cheese to the skillet and stir to make the cheese sauce. Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Once the cheese sauce is formed, add the macaroni noodles and bacon. Mix together until the cheese is coating all of the noodles.
5. Melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add the breadcrumbs to the butter and mix together. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the macaroni.
6. Bake for 16 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @gathering.page on instagram and hashtag it #gatheringpage