Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese
A quick and easy homemade macaroni and cheese filled with spicy jalapeños and green chiles.
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 box 13.5oz macaroni noodles
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup milk recommended: anything 1% and higher
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into 6-8 pieces (any fat content)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt you may also use sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can 4oz sliced pickled jalapeños, drained and roughly chopped (you may also use fresh*)
- 1 can 4oz diced green chiles, drained
- 4 ounces jalapeño or pepper Jack cheese
Need to keep track of your ingredients?Check out my Printable Ingredient List!
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions on the box.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. In a medium size saucepan or skillet, cook the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the milk, cream cheese, grated Parmesan, yogurt, and salt. Stir mixture until the cream cheese is no longer chunky. Add the jalapeños and chiles and stir until combined. Remove from heat.
- Return the cooked drained pasta to the pot it cooked in, pour in the cheese sauce and shredded cheese, and stir until pasta is evenly coated and all of the cheese is melted. Pour into casserole or serving dish and serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator covered tightly up to 1 week. Casserole freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat individual servings in the microwave (I like to add a splash of milk to prevent cheese from drying out) or cover casserole with foil and reheat in a 300ºF oven for 20 minutes.
Notes
*Slice a fresh jalapeño (using seeds at your discretion), roughly chop, then measure out approximately 1/2 cup.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
