Creamy Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese Recipe
My jalapeño popper mac and cheese is extra creamy, loaded with cream cheese, bacon and fresh jalapeños. This is the no-bake stovetop version, so it never dries out. Come and get it!
Servings: 8
Calories: 743kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni (or cavatappi or other short tubular pasta)
- 8 slices bacon chopped
- 3 jalapeno peppers chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 1 cup crema or sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce or more, as desired
- 8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese shredded
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup reserved pasta water as needed
- FOR GARNISH: Extra jalapeno slices, spicy chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cook the bacon and jalapeño peppers in a pan until the bacon becomes crispy, about 6-7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve, saving the bacon grease in the pan.
- While the bacon and jalapeño peppers are cooking, boil the noodles in salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes or so. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Stir the butter into the pan and let it melt with the rendered bacon fat over medium-low heat.
- Stir in the flour until a roux forms. Cook it about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to brown.
- Add the milk and crema and stir until it thickens up, only a few minutes.
- Add the cubed cream cheese, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper and hot sauce. Swirl over low heat until the cream cheese melts through completely.
- Add the shredded cheese a bit at a time, swirling until all of the cheese is incorporated.
- Drain the noodles, then stir them and the reserved bacon and jalapeños into the pot until they are completely covered. Thin with reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce is as loose as you'd like.
- Garnish and serve!
Video
Notes
- To bake it: transfer to a buttered 9x13 dish, top with 1 cup panko tossed in 3 tablespoons melted butter, and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. Loosen the sauce with extra pasta water first, since the noodles absorb more in the oven.
- Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded won't melt smoothly.
- Soften the cream cheese and cube it before adding, or you'll get lumps.
- Adjust the heat. Core the peppers for milder. For hotter, step up to serranos, habaneros or a bit of ghost pepper.
- Leftovers keep 4-5 days refrigerated. Reheat low with a splash of milk. Freezing is not recommended.
Nutrition
Calories: 743kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 799mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1679IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 562mg | Iron: 2mg