Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is always good even when it’s bad, but you haven’t tasted good until you’ve feasted on this Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese! Not only is it the cheesiest and creamiest, but it’s also loaded with jalapenos, crispy bacon, fresh green onions, and chopped tomatoes too!

There’s nothing wrong with regular mac and cheese, but it simply cannot compare to this Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese! It is the cheesiest and the creamiest! Make no mistake, this cannot be found in a box at the grocer!

I was never a fan of baked macaroni and cheese. To be honest, I’ve always found it to taste rather bland. It’s clear to me now that I’ve never had a properly prepared mac and cheese, because if it’s done right, it’s delicious! I tried many versions of mac and cheese over the years. It seemed to me that it was ever just only boiled macaroni with grated cheese stirred through it and then baked in the oven with bread crumbs on top.  

Now, if that’s how you like it, I won’t judge you.  Personally, I needed something a little more complex than that. And for me, a good mac and cheese recipe starts with bechamel, so let’s get into it!

BECHAMEL SAUCE IS THE KEY

Even though macaroni and cheese are delicious ingredients in their own right, it’s the béchamel sauce that this dish owes its attractiveness and deliciousness to.  A classic béchamel made with butter, flour, and milk, is the best way to hold this combination of ingredients together and create unison between the macaroni and the cheese. Now, in the culinary world, a mixture of butter and flour cooked in a saucepan is known as a roux. If you’ve ever made gravy from scratch, you’ve most likely started with a roux.

Add to a roux some milk and you’ve created a bechamel. The result is a silky cream sauce that can be used either on its own or as the base for countless other sauces. It’s thick and it clings to food in the way that a good sauce should. The amount of milk used will depend on what you are using the sauce for. In a Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese recipe, you want a pourable sauce, but in the case of the classic French sandwich, the croque monsieur, the bechamel will need to be thick enough to spread with a butter knife.

Once you have reached the desired consistency, it’s time to season the sauce. In my opinion, the best way to do this is to add some salt and ground black pepper. But, you can knock it out of the park by adding a few dashes of ground nutmeg. It makes a world of difference to a really delicious bechamel.

CHILDHOOD MAC AND CHEESE TRAUMA

I blame it on a babysitter my parents left us with when we were kids.  Okay, she wasn’t actually OUR babysitter, but she was babysitting our two friends, Matthew and Jonathan.  My parents had gone shopping with their parents. It was decided that we would spend the afternoon with our two friends. Even though my brother and I were old enough to be left on our own!

The babysitter was a nightmare of a woman; she did nothing but talk on the phone and chain smoke.  And as all little boys know, playing Nintendo is hard work, so we got really hungry really quickly!

She offered to make us Kraft Dinner. She served a bowl of orange macaroni which was wet, slimy, and crunchy.  No matter how much ketchup I put in that bowl, I could not swallow it!

ADULT MAC AND CHEESE TRAUMA

Fast forward a few years later, and, I will admit, I did eat Kraft Dinner occasionally.  My ex-wife used to make a casserole with mushroom soup, cheese, and Kraft Dinner. It was actually very good and you can find that recipe right here.  Also, I have a recipe for a Homemade Canadian Kraft Dinner that will knock your socks off!

All was good until my ex-wife’s sister, (I love you, Natasha!) prepared Kraft Dinner one day for lunch.  One bite was all it took. We all questioned what she did to make it taste like we were drinking from the Red Sea.  It was so damn salty!!!  And guess what!?  To me, it was still slimy!  

(We later learned that while she was salting the water, the lid fell off the salt shaker, and rather than change out the water, she used it anyway!) My love… no, not love… acceptance(?) of Kraft Dinner died.  I never again ate it!  And, that, my friend, is where my distaste for macaroni and cheese came from – those two innocent episodes of grossness. Turns out, if it’s homemade, I’m all in!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pasta – Macaroni is the quintessential pasta shape of choice in mac and cheese, however, you can use other shapes as well. Fusilli, penne, or rotini will all work well.
• Olive Oil
• Onion – You can use white or yellow onion here. Even red onion will work!
• Jalapenos – I’m using 6 large jalapenos because I like it spicy. You can use less or more.
• Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter here.
• Flour – Regular, all-purpose flour will do the trick.
• Milk – Whenever I use milk in recipes, it is always whole milk.
• Cheese – I love old cheddar cheese in this recipe because it has a sharp flavour. Use any good melting cheese here.
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Ground Nutmeg
• Bacon
• Tomatoes – Not only do these add colour and flavour, but tomatoes will help to keep your macaroni and cheese from drying out – even the leftovers!
• Green Onions – They add colour, freshness, and flavour.

HOW TO MAKE JALAPENO POPPER MAC AND CHEESE

Add the olive oil to a skillet and over medium heat, cook the onions and sliced jalapenos together until the onions have softened and slightly caramelized. Once cooked, set aside to cool.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Next, add the flour and whisk until the flour is absorbed by the butter and the entire mixture turns an amber colour. Cooking until the flour mixture browns lightly deepens the flavour. Next, pour in the milk half a cup at a time, whisking well between each addition. Next, add the salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and nutmeg. Stir well to combine. Lower the heat to simmer and add 4 cups of cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cooked macaroni, tomatoes, bacon, green onions and half of the cooled onion and jalapeno mixture. Stir well into the cheese sauce.

Transfer the mac and cheese to a greased casserole dish or baking pan. Smooth out the top. Top with the remaining cheese and onion jalapeno mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

COOKING PASTA

Let me talk to you about how to get the pasta right without overcooking it. Someone once told me that I prepare pasta like an old Italian grandma. That has stuck with me for so many years. You see, Dear Reader, I’m far from perfect, but cooking pasta is one thing I can certainly do perfectly. I don’t care what the back of the pasta package says, cook your pasta according to taste and texture. Ignore everything else. Here are my 4 steadfast rules:

Rule #1: Say no to oil!

Do you add oil to your pasta water before adding the pasta? Stop that right now! I don’t know who’s responsible for that, but I have seen some TV chefs do it! If you add oil to your pasta water, do you know what happens when you put the sauce on it? The sauce won’t stick as well as it should. It will slide off because the oil prevents it from sticking.

Rule #2: Add extra salt!

Salt the water. I used to be so afraid of salting pasta water because I thought it would be too salty to eat. Salting the water, before you add the pasta, is the only chance you get to season that pasta. Let the water come to a full boil before adding your salt. The water should taste like the ocean. Don’t dump the salt in; stir it in. Preventing the salt from settling at the bottom of your pot will keep your pot looking shiny and new. If you have pots with what looks like a tarnished or unpolished interior bottom, it’s because salt sat at the bottom of your pot.

Rule #3: Get that pasta moving about immediately!

Stir the pasta for a good minute when you first add it to the water. This helps to wash off some of the starch and prevents the pasta from sticking to the pot and to itself. I always pull out a piece of pasta 4 minutes before the package says it will be ready. Taste it. Chew it. It shouldn’t be completely soft. If it has a bit of bite left in the center, get it out of the water and drain it immediately. You can thank me later!

Rule #4: Do not rinse!

So many of us are tempted to rinse pasta under running water after it’s been drained. I think it comes from the notion that it gets rid of starch. Well, it does in a way. But, when pasta begins to cool off and dry, it becomes a little sticky. That stickiness soaks up pasta sauce, so don’t flush it out! A quick drain is all you need.

PREPPING THE JALAPENOS

To properly prepare the jalapenos, these are the steps you should take. First and foremost, like in the case of all produce, you should wash the jalapenos. Once washed, cut the jalapenos into 1/4-inch slices. Trim the tail end and the stem; you can discard those.

Next, you have a choice. You can remove the seeds or leave them in. I used to painstakingly remove every single seed, but now I like to leave them in for heat. The seeds, and inner membranes, hold the most heat, so removing those can be a way to adjust the heat level. If you plan to remove the seeds, rather than slice the jalapenos, cut it down the middle lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and membrane with a spoon. You can dice the remaining jalapeno.

Be careful what you touch with your hands.  If you happen to touch your eyes after chopping jalapenos, it will be quite uncomfortable! If you’re worried, you can always use gloves and eliminate the risk.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!