Pepper Jack Mac
Published Feb 29, 2020
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Super cheesy baked macaroni and cheese with a little kick! This is the recipe I made for my family’s first Macaroni and Cheese Cook-Off and it got first place! I even got an awesome “Big Cheese” plaque.
Pepper Jack Mac
Ingredients
- 12 ounces gluten-free elbow macaroni or shells
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic, - minced
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup gluten-free low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (4 ounce can) green chilies
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups Pepper Jack cheese, divided
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (I used Vermont sharp)
- 10 slices thick cut bacon, - cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup Italian seasoned gluten-free breadcrumbs
- Fresh parsley, - for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13-inch pan or spray lightly with gluten-free nonstick spray, then set aside.
- Cook macaroni until just before al dente. Drain the pasta, then set aside.
- While the macaroni is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and minced garlic and stir together. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Continue whisking over medium-low heat to let the sauce thicken. (Don’t let it boil because it will scald the milk.)
- When sauce is thickened and smooth, about 10-15 minutes, stir in the green chilies. Add all cheese except 1 cup of the Pepper Jack and half the bacon. Stir to combine and to melt the cheese. Add the cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly in the pan.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and mix with the gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Top the macaroni and cheese with the remaining Pepper Jack cheese and bacon and sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs over the top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until it bubbles on the sides.
- Top with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley, if desired, and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 774kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 34gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 821mgPotassium: 253mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1015IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 710mgIron: 1.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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