NEWS & PRESS

Some things just make sense together, like boots and blue jeans, front porches and rocking chairs or Hatch chiles and queso. And now we’ve got a recipe that takes those two delicious staples and stirs them right into everyone’s favorite comfort food: mac and cheese.

This Stovetop Hatch Chile Queso Mac and Cheese from Texas Monthly is creamy, spicy, cheesy and about as Texas as it gets without showing up to dinner in a cowboy hat. It’s quick to whip up, doesn’t require fancy ingredients and has just the right kick to make even a weeknight meal feel like a fiesta. 

Stovetop Hatch Chile Queso Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons bacon bits, optional
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• ¼ pound white processed cheese, such as Velveeta, cut into cubes
• ¾ cup cream
• ¾ cup milk
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 4 Hatch chiles, roasted, skinned, seeded, and diced

Instructions

1. First, prepare the breadcrumbs: In a small sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast them, stirring frequently, until golden-brown. Add the bacon bits, stir, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
2. Next, cook the pasta in heavily salted water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and leave it in a strainer in the sink while you make the sauce.
3. Add the processed cheese, cream and milk to the pasta pot over medium-low heat. Whisk until the cheese has melted and is smooth.
4. Add the Monterey Jack, a handful at a time, whisking until smooth between each addition.
5. Add the pasta and the Hatch chiles, and use a silicone spatula to work them into the cheese sauce until everything is evenly coated. Season to taste.
6. Serve the macaroni and cheese sprinkled with the bacon breadcrumbs.

Serve piping hot and enjoy!