Can I single-handedly undo all of the healthy things I accomplished with the Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos? Challenge accepted. (I know, it’s like I have split food personalities sometimes.) But how can you say no to something like Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese?? Once that’s in your head the only way to get it out is to actually make it.
This Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese is a super ooey-gooey white cheese mac with spicy jalapeños and zesty green chiles. It whips up really fast and doesn’t require a roux based cheese sauce, which can be tricky for new cooks (or just those new to cheese sauces). It’s super rich, so I estimated a serving to be just a cup. That’s all I needed before the cheese sensors in my brain quieted down and drifted into a satiated slumber.
Take it Up a Notch
You could make it more “popper” like by topping it with some buttered bread crumbs and baking it in the oven, but I’m a little impatient when it comes to mac and cheese and don’t have time to wait around for things to bake, so I left it well enough alone. I also contemplated topping it with bits of crisp bacon, but again that would have delayed my enjoyment of this creamy delight. But those are both tasty options if you’ve got time to spare.
Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese
Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese
Servings 6Ingredients
- 12 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni* ($1.80)
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.02)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1 cup milk ($0.25)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($0.93)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan ($0.42)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.43)
- 1 4 oz. can sliced jalapenos ($0.89)
- 1 4 oz. can diced green chiles (mild) ($0.89)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese ($1.25)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and then add the pasta. Let it continue to boil until it is soft (about 10 minutes).
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a medium sauce pot, cook the garlic in vegetable oil for about 1-2 minutes or just until soft and fragrant. Add the milk, cream cheese, and grated parmesan. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until the cream cheese is warm and softened. Use a whisk to stir the ingredients together until smooth.
- Turn the heat down to low and then whisk in the sour cream. Drain the jalapenos and green chiles and then stir into the sauce. Taste the sauce and add 1/4 tsp of salt if needed.
- When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it in a colander. Return the drained pasta to the pot (heat turned off), pour the sauce over top, and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle the shredded pepper jack over top and then stir in. The heat from the sauce and noodles should be enough to melt the cheese. Serve hot!
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
First get your pasta cooking (I forgot to take a picture of that), then begin the sauce. Saute a clove of minced garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes or just until it softens a bit.
Then add the milk, cream cheese, and parmesan. Stir and cook this mixture over medium heat until the cream cheese is warm and softened enough to whisk into the milk. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Then turn the heat down to low and whisk in the sour cream.
Drain the liquid from the jalapenos and chiles (my chiles didn’t really have any excess moistures, but if they do, go ahead and drain them). Stir the jalapenos and chiles in the sauce.
Then it will look like this. Give it a taste and add a little (1/4 tsp) of salt if needed.
When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it in a colander and then return it to the pot with the heat turned off. Pour the sauce on top and stir until combined.
Lastly, add the shredded pepper jack and stir it in until the heat from the pasta and sauce melts it.
And then it’s as ooey and gooey as it gets! Enjoy (but not too much)!
…I think my next recipe better be a big salad. :P
Looks good!!! I do your extra cheesy mac n cheese recipe. Been making for years. My daughter and friends love it. I think adding bacon to the jalapeño Popper mac would step it up, like a bacon wrapped jalapeño pepper you’d get from a BBQ joint.
Loved it. I took the additional step of adding some bread crumbs and putting it under the broiler, bc I like some crunch on top.
Made this as a date night dinner and it was amazing! Just the right spice level. (I’m a person who can handle a couple splashes of sirrhacha and that’s it) I didn’t have canned jalapenos so I roasted a few fresh at 425 for 15 min then diced, membranes and seeds removed. Probably used twice as much fresh grated parmesan as the recipe called for, as like garlic those measurements are just suggestions. Will definitely be making again!
I do not recommend. Very runny and sticky.
Hey Beth, this dish was wonderful. I cooked it in culinary arts really loved it.
This macaroni and cheese should be illegal. It’s that good! My husband said it was the bomb.com. I completely agree. The only thing I did differently is I subbed half and half for the milk. The only reason was because we were out of milk. Came out perfect regardless and it heats up beautifully the next day. Definitely a keeper!!
I used diced fresh jalapeño (added with the garlic), unsweetened almond milk, and light sour cream. Turned out great!
Revisiting this post in 2018, woot woot! Do you think this recipe would freeze well? I have made before, but not froze it. Thanks!
Cheese sauces like this usually don’t freeze well, unfortunately. :(
I have a hard time imagining that this dish is too hot for anyone, but I did grow up on a pepper farm so my view is skewed. I use fresh jalapeños instead of canned, and I’ve veganized it (with homemade vegan cheese) and made it with dairy and it’s amazing every time 👍🏽
I made this a few nights ago and it was fantastic! We are currently living in the UK so we had to fudge some of the ingredients, but it turned out fantastic. (We couldn’t find tinned chillies so we added more jalapenos instead, used pickled jalapenos instead of tinned, subbed mature cheddar for pepperjack cheese, and added some green onions.) It was exactly what we hoped it would be and we will have to serve it when we have guests over some time soon!
I just made this for myself and my fiancee, she’s allergic to Monterey Jack cheese so I subbed White Cheddar for her half. I will say it might be a good idea to change this recipe (and other multi-serving pasta recipes) to 1 LB instead of 12 oz, since most pasta comes boxes that size. I guesstimated the amounts and it turned out good, but I’m not sure if it was dead on your recipe or not since I didn’t realize until I’d already started cooking and had to adjust measurements quickly.
Hi Beth,
How do you think this would fare using Spaghetti Squash in place of the elbow macaroni?
This is a favorite, but the first batch I made was too spicy for my taste. I thought I had a high tolerance, but this totally knocked me off my spiciness pedestal. The next time I halved the peppers and chiles and that brought it to the perfect level for me.
I agree I typically love spice but it was a little over powering for me. Next time I think I’ll try it with banana peppers. For my first try I added some barbecue sauce and fritos crushed up as bread crumbs and it was delicious. Also help sweeten it a bit. Good recipe.
I’ve made this twice and absolutely LOVE it. I am going to make this for my gentleman friend soon, and I was thinking of slicing up some chicken breast to add a bit more protein and then baking it with these Italian bread crumbs I’ve had in my pantry for way too long. I’m a baby chef, though, so I’m not sure how long and at what temperature I should bake this at? I don’t want to burn or overlook anything. :( I am also browsing through your book right now looking for a good side dish option!
Thanks again for publishing a wonderful book!
Hmm, well the mac n’ cheese is alredy cooked, so you really just want to brown the bread crumbs on top and make sure it’s all hot. I would do 375 and just keep an eye on the top and take it out when it’s browned (also, usually people toss the bread crumbs in melted butter first otherwise they’ll be kind of dry. :)
Beth ! This was so delicious and probably the easiest quickest recipe I’ve ever made! I didn’t even have canned jalapeños so I just used green chilies and when you use fat free sour cream, skim milk, low fat cream cheese and reduced fat cheese its really not toooo unhealthy and was still so creamy and flavorful! I even had veggie cavatapi so there were secret healthy veggies in every bite, sooooooooooooo yum!
Good to know that the low-fat substitutions work! Now I want to make it again! :D
This is such a comfort meal on a rainy day! Don’t skip the breadcrumbs they give it that delightful crunch!
Made the recipe exactly as posted and it was as fabulous as it looks. Served as a side dish with “Mexican” meatloaf and it rocked. Love your blog. Haven’t had a recipe yet turn out anything but awesome.
Beth- I have been a fan of everything so far but this was not so great! I sounded like an amazing dish, but when I tried it, it was entirely too spicy and kind of watery. Maybe I did something wrong. :(
Sorry to hear :( I guess spiciness is pretty subjective… and not really sure why yours may have ended up runny – mine was so thick!
Hey Beth! I recently quit my day job, and sadly my food-experimenting budget had to be cut to cover medical insurance. Some friends recommended your blog as a place to find good, cheap and (sometimes) healthy recipes; I expect to be a frequent visitor. =) This recipe in particular was awesome!
I commented earlier about baking the macaroni. I followed your advice and it turned out fantastic, everyone loved it. It’s such a delicious, easy, and affordable dish to make. Thank you for sharing this. :)
T. Joiner – It’s fairly spicy and you’re right, subbing the pepper jack will help quite a bit. You can use Monterrey Jack cheese instead, it’s the same thing as pepper jack, but without the peppers :) That way you’ll still get that nice, smooth meltiness!
This sounds and looks awesome! How spicy is this recipe? I don’t want it to be too spicy because my daughter and I don’t like a whole lot of spice (jalepenos are about as spicy as I can stand). Also, what would be a good substitute for the pepper jack cheese? If I use jalepenos, I’ll cut the pepper jack cheese.
You could also toast the breadcrumbs up in a frying pan with a little butter then just sprinkle them over the top if you don’t want to bake the dish.
I make a similar (non roux) mac and cheese in a double boiler with just heavy cream and shredded cheese(s) of choice, along with a little bit of mustard powder.
I’ve heard that putting a little cream of tartar in it as well will help keep the cheese from separating.
Awesome!! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out, Samantha! :D
So I did end up making this tonight. And it was delicious! I used the Greek yogurt and fresh chiles/Jalepenos, as well as light cream cheese and skim milk, and added some chopped broccoli (a la your broccoli shells and cheese!) just to make it as healthy as humanly possible :P I used 4 diced and de-seeded chiles and 2 chopped and de-seeded Jalepenos. That gave it the perfect kick! However, in the future, I will probably either chop the Jalepenos smaller or maybe leave them really big so I can eat around them. I really hate the taste of peppers (bell, hot peppers, whatever) but I like the hotness they add.
Samantha – all good questions, but I’m afraid I don’t have solid answers! Fresh jalapenos and chiles not only have a different heat level, but they have a different flavor because they’re not pickled like the canned varieties. So, they’ll likely give a completely different flavor to the dish. I’d start with a very small amount as they’re usually quite a bit hotter. I haven’t done a lot of cooking with Greek yogurt, but it doesn’t make up a large part of the sauce, so I suspect it will still work well.
This looks amazing! I want to make it for dinner tomorrow, but I do have a few questions. If I were to use fresh chiles and Jalepeno instead of canned (I have a fabulous little Asian market right by me and they always have such things) how much should I substitute? Also, would you Greek yogurt work as a sour cream replacement? I usually use Greek yogurt for all my sour cream-y needs but I’ve never cooked with it! Thanks :)
Anonymous – It will taste best if you mix the bread crumbs with some melted butter first (that way it won’t taste dry). Take a look at the method that Alton Brown used in this recipe.
This looks and sounds divine. I am planning to crack this out for a potluck later this week. I would really like to go all-out and bake it with bread crumbs, but I’ve never baked macaroni before. Is it really as simple as throwing the final product in a pan, topping it with bread crumbs, and baking it in the oven?
This was amazing! I love jalapeno poppers and am always looking for new ways to utilize their flavor.
Anon – I would increase the milk by 1/2 cup and use a whole block (8 oz.) of cream cheese… to replace the sour cream.
I’m not a huge fan of sour cream-any ideas for replacements?
What a great combo of flavours! This is perfect for this time of year – spicy and comforting!
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How funny! We had the Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos last night, which were a delicious hit. This morning I announced that we were going to balance out the healthy with meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight.
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Mac and cheese is my ultimate comfort food, and I am constantly adding all sorts of weird things to it (like tomatoes, broccoli, or sweet peppers), much to my husband’s dismay. This looks great! One thing that can make it a bit cheaper is to buy fresh jalapenos. They’re usually sold by the pound, so if you buy one or two it only ends up being about 20 cents. It’s a negligible savings, but I prefer fresh to canned anyway. :)
This looks absolutely delicious, and makes me really wish that it were possible to buy “mild” jalapenos — their spiciness varies so much that it’s so hard to tell how a given jar/can will be, even of the pickled ones, but they’re so flavorful! Unfortunately, my stomach just will not bear things that are too spicy, so it’s a gamble I rarely take :(
Will you marry me? (Just joking, my husband’s feelings might get hurt.) But seriously, I love anything jalapeno/cream cheese. And homemade mac n cheese is the ultimate comfort food. You hit a home run here- Thank you so much!!!
This looks delicious! I’ve tried a few of your recipes and they have became some of my favorite dishes. Thanks for sharing your creative brain with us.
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I’ll be making this, but minus the jalapenos and chiles. Pepper jack cheese is more than enough heat for my house. Maybe I’ll try roasted red peppers (or that bacon) instead.
I worked this out in my recipe builder and it’s not THAT bad :) 477 calories for 1 serving, (I used a 13.25oz box of Barilla whole grain elbows as my pasta in my calculations) and it’s about 40 calories and 4 grams of fat less if you use low fat cream cheese and sour cream. Not something you’d want to eat every day, but way better than a lot of mac n cheese recipes! You could add some sliced up chicken breast to up the protein for not too many calories too. I’ll definitely be making this soon, I’ve been craving mac n cheese lately.
where have you been all my life? this recipe has my name written all over it! looks so good.
Yum!!! A mac-n-cheese my hubby might actually eat! And enjoy?? Thanks, I’ll have to try this!
What a good idea! I just made “jalapeno popper stuffed chicken” last night so this sounds great! Could you use olive oil, low fat cream cheese, and greek yogurt (instead of vegetable oil, full fat cream cheese, and sour cream)to make it a tad healthier? I think adding in bacon and a crumb topping would make it even more delicious! Thanks for the idea I’ll have to try this out :)
Yum! I’m on a roll with mac and cheese right now so I’ll add this to my collection of recipes! I also hate waiting for it to come out of the oven after putting so much time and effort into it already. Waste of time if it already tastes great!
I dropped a few happy curse words reading this recipe. Wow. Just wow. I need this in my life!
This looks so yummy!