Roasted Poblano Pepper Macaroni & Cheese

 

Poblano peppers are quickly becoming one of my favorite peppers to cook with. When roasted, they impart a not-to-sweet, not-to-spicy flavor to any dish. I had one left over from the night that I made Bistec con Rajas y Queso, so I thought, why not use it in my mac & cheese?  

My go-to recipe for mac and cheese is one I've been using for probably the last eight years. I originally found it on allrecipes.com, and it is so creamy and yummy. Usually all I add to it are red pepper flakes, but the poblanos were very tasty too. 

This recipe uses a traditional approach of a roux, and the cheeses can easily be changed to whatever you have on hand. The recipe below is the modified approach I took the other night. Enjoy!

Adapted from Down Home Macaroni and Cheese, from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients: 

• 1 poblano pepper
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup milk
• 2 ounces of monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• 2 ounces cheddar, shredded
• 2 ounces queso quesadilla cheese, shredded
• 1.5 cups of shells

Directions: 

1. Under broiler set on high, roast poblano pepper until charred on all sides, roughly 10 minutes. Place in ziploc bag until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and seeds, chop into large pieces and set aside.
2. Cook shells in pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet on low heat. Blend in flour and salt stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until thickened. Add cheese and stir until incorporated and melted.
4. Add shells to cheese mixture and stir to incorporate. Carefully add the chopped poblano peppers. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until you can no longer wait!