Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Details

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

6 ounces of macaroni or similar pasta like cavatappi

drizzle of olive oil

3 whole green chilies, roasted, peeled, and seeded
2 corn tortillas
3 ounces of manchego cheese, grated, divided
2 tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of  flour
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
¼ teaspoon of cumin
1 ¼ cups of whole milk
4 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 ounces of queso asadero or provolone cheese, grated
4 ounce can of chopped green chilies
Instructions

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain, toss with a little bit of olive oil, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Puree the roasted whole green chilies in a blender or small food processor. They should yield about ¼ to 1/3 cups of pureed chilies. Reserve the puree to use later in the sauce.
Tear the corn tortillas into pieces and place them in a food processor or mini chopper. Process until they resemble coarse corn meal. Add 1 ounce of the manchego chese to the chopper bowl and pulse until the entire mixture is uniform in size. Reserve the mixture to use as the topping.
Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
Sauté the onion in the butter until soft but not brown.
Add the flour, salt, pepper, and cumin to the butter and onion and stir to combine.
Pour the milk into the pan in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Raise the heat to medium high and continue whisking until the mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Whisk for 3 more minutes then reduce the heat to low.
Stir the puree into the sauce then add the cheddar, queso asadero, and remaining manchego cheeses in small batches, stirring until each batch fully melts into the sauce.
When all of the cheese is incorporated, add the chopped green chilies and stir to combine.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss it with the sauce until the pasta is evenly coated.
Pour the sauced pasta into the prepared baking dish. Spread the tortilla and cheese topping evenly over the top.
Transfer to the 350 degree oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the sauce bubbles.
Turn the oven broiler on to high and broil for an additional 7-10 minutes until the topping is brown and crisp.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.