Growing up in our home we didn’t eat macaroni and cheese. It’s not what my mom ever made. I often thought my life as if living in two completely different worlds. School was living in America with friends, sports, chips, sodas and hot dogs. Home was Mexico with frijoles de olla, tortillas, arroz and fideo. Please do not think I am for one minute complaining. I love my mom’s food it’s home, it’s my soul.
But every once in awhile we kids would holler enough and get her to buy us that little blue box. I would expect fireworks and sadly I was always disappointed. Still to this day I cannot swallow the stuff.
Flash forward to my days living in San Antonio with my sister we graduated to the box that had a foil pouch of squeezable cheese.
This version I enjoyed as it feed two for about a $1.50. Mami wasn’t buying our groceries so we settled for budget over taste. When my amiga girlichef selected this recipe for the Homesick Texan spotlight I was delighted!
Roasted poblanos, cilantro, cumin, lime and cotija swimming in a cheesy sauce over elbow pasta, really the best of both my worlds combined. I personally enjoyed the lime zest addition to the recipe. It gave the pasta a hint of freshness. If you cannot find Cotija cheese feel free to substitute Parmesan or a mild feta. Cotija cheese is often sold by the block, but you can also find it in baggies next to the Mexican cheese selection at your store. Enjoy!
Poblano Macaroni and Cheese
by Lisa Fain, Homesick Texan Cookbook
2 poblano chiles
8 oz. elbow pasta
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1½ c. whole milk
1 tsp. mustard powder
¼ tsp. cayenne
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. lime zest
½ c. chopped cilantro
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. grated white cheddar cheese
1/2 cotija cheese-for serving
Roast the poblanos under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side.
Place chiles in a paper sack or plastic food storage bag, close tightly, and let the chiles steam for 20 minutes.
Take chiles out of the bag and rub off the skin.
Remove stem and seeds and chop the chiles into 1 inch pieces.
Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to your package directions and then drain the pasta.
per Lisa(You want the pasta to be cooked not mushy. I cook my pasta for 5 minutes)
Preheat your oven to 375° F.
Grease a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet.
In a pot set over low heat, melt the butter. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until light brown and toasty pastes is formed about 1 minute.
Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened a bit but fluid, about 1-2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro, and prepared poblanos.
Adjust seasonings add salt and pepper.
Slowly add half of the cheddar cheese into the sauce until melted and well combined into the sauce.
per Lisa (If the sauce has cooled too much and the cheese won’t melt, return the pot to low heat on the stove. If however the sauce gets too thick, like a custard, you can thin it by stirring in milk, a teaspoon at a time.)
Pour sauce over pasta and top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden.
Sprinkle with Cotija cheese and serve immediately.
*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted by girlichef*
Made this for dinner last night…..so delicious.
YAY!! So happy you enjoyed it, one of our favs!!
I really like this. It’s like high-class mac and cheese, with real cheese! & have you seen the microwaveable KD? It’s terrible; there’s this weird powdery stuff in it that’s supposed to be necessary to cook the pasta or some such foolishness.
xx
I really need to get this book.
Would love to have a bowl of this wonderful macroni with cheese for my dinner. Lovely click.
This is a great mac and cheese recipe…looks so delish!
Love this spiced up version of mac and cheese. I may have to put it on the menu for this week.
I have a bag of poblano chiles and I might have to try this for myself! Looks amazing.
YUM! Your pictures are gorgeous… I loved this recipe too. Can’t wait to see what you pick for week #3.
What a great mac and cheese! I am a big cheese lover, as you may already know…:) So this is a must try!
oh what a great twist on mac and cheese!
What an amazing combo of spices! Definitely a unique twist on mac and cheese 🙂 Beautiful pics, too!
Yes, a lovely recipe. I’m hungry now after reading this post.
it amazes me that the blue box, which I remember seeing selling for25 cents a box, could have anything resembling natural cheese… isn’t that the one “made from real cheese” ?? I don’t know, have not pick it up since the 25 cent days… love a good mac and cheese bowl…
Word on the street is that this is the best thing since…ever. I SO need it in my life.
Love your pictures! I think it was the combination of the smoky cumin and poblanos with that brightness from the lime zest that made it for me. This was such a wonderful recipe. 😉
Fantastic post and great cook off challenge.
Take care..
Oh wowww yummmm! I am addicted to poblanos and I bet they would taste phenomenal laced throughout cheesy macaroni! Plus lime and cilantro? How fun, this looks delicious!
This mac n’ cheese sounds delicious! I also grew up eating typical American food only at school. It was Filipino cuisine at home!
I loved this grown up, Tex-Mex version of the stuff in the blue box! 🙂 Your photos are making me wish I still had some leftovers! 🙂
That book sounds great! I love Lisa’s blog. A lovely macoroni & cheese recipe.
Cheers,
Rosa
Mac n Cheese is not a regular in my kitchen but poblanos are and I love the flavor combination of this dish. Cotija is a delicious, salty cheese which I love to find different ways to use. This recipe is definitely enticing!
It’s 9:24 am and I would totally enjoy a bowl of that mac and cheese. It looks delicious and yes the lime zest was perfect addition to this recipe.
Even though we did grow up with the blue box in our house, I have never liked it. I really don’t think it tastes like anything. Every once in a while (usually when I’m at my sisters, because she loves the stuff), I’ll eat the foil-pouch kind. My daughter will eat any kind…boxed or homemade. I’m so happy that you enjoyed this one! Makes the blue box unrecognizable, don’t ya think? My mouth is watering all over again. Have a great weekend!