Poblano Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
The ultimate of ultimate comfort foods, this Poblano and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese will fill your soul with cheesy happiness!
Ingredients
- 4 cups dry small pasta (macaroni elbow noodles, cavatelli, small shells, or other preferred pasta shape)
- 4 poblano peppers
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
- ⅓ cup smoked gouda cheese
- ⅓ cup aged white cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (find our homemade version in the linked post)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
ROASTED POBLANOS
- Cut poblanos into 1 inch wide strips, discarding seeds and stem and place strips skin side up on a baking sheet. Broil on high in the oven for 6-10 minutes or until the skins are mostly black. Check every 2 minutes to make sure the skins don't get too dark. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes, then place the strips in a ziplock bag for 5 minutes.
- Once cool, remove skins and finely chop. Set aside.
COOK PASTA
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoon salt to boiling water then reduce heat slightly so that the water is barely boiling. Add pasta to pot and cook for 75% of the total time stated on the package (the pasta will cook through in the oven). Remove to a strainer. If your pasta begins to stick together, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside.
CHEESE SAUCE and ASSEMBLY
- Preheat your oven to 350°
- In a large pot, begin by making a béchamel sauce as follows: Melt butter over medium heat, then slowly add the flour while whisking constantly. Cook until smooth and mixture begins to smell nutty and slightly colors. Turn down heat as needed to prevent the mixture from gaining too much color. The goal is to make a blonde roux here.
- Reduce heat to low and slowly add the cream and continue to whisk constantly until all cream has been added and the mixture is smooth. Then whisk in mustard powder.
- Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the béchamel has thickened to a paste-like consistency. If your béchamel becomes too thick, you can add a little water to thin it out, but it should be fairly thick yet still creamy. You can always add water later in the process after the cheese is added. Keep béchamel warm on low heat.
- Add mascarpone and the 3 grated cheeses. Stir until melted completely and combined. Turn heat up to medium to assist in melting the cheese if needed. If you notice that the mixture is not creamy at this point, add a small amount of water to thin it out. You should have a very creamy, thick sauce at this point.
- Add all remaining seasonings and roasted chopped poblanos. Taste and add additional seasonings or salt to taste if needed.
- Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce, and stir to combine. Transfer to a large baking dish (we use a 7'x11' rectangular dish or a 9'x9' square dish), then sprinkle the top with bread crumbs.
Bake the Mac and Cheese
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce just begins to bubble on the sides. Be careful not to bake for too long or the sauce could separate.
- Finally, move the dish to the top rack of the oven and broil on high for 1 minute or until the bread crumbs look golden brown and nicely toasted.
- Once done, remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
TOP TIP:
DO NOT use pre-shredded cheese for your mac and cheese, but instead buy blocks of cheese and grate them before making the cheese sauce. Pre-grated cheeses often have additives to prevent them from clumping or sticking together and this results in a grainy cheese sauce that won't be smooth and creamy.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Dry pasta: You can, of course, use fresh homemade pasta in mac and cheese. If using fresh homemade pasta, you will not need to pre-cook the pasta as it will cook once combined with the cheese sauce in the oven.
- Poblano peppers: If you want a spicier dish, you can use jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers, or a combination of peppers in place of the poblanos. Additionally, if you want to reduce the heat, you can use roasted bell peppers instead.
- Panko bread crumbs: You can use Italian bread crumbs instead here, but we prefer the crunchier texture in panko.
- Mascarpone: You can use cream cheese in place of the mascarpone in this recipe, although the flavor will be a bit different. Cream cheese has a bit more acidity whereas mascarpone is much more mild in flavor.
- Grated Cheeses: There are a variety of cheeses that you can use in place of the 3 we have here. The best cheeses for mac and cheese are sharp cheddar, gouda, gruyère, brie and goat cheese.
- How to store leftover Mac and Cheese: Store leftover mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- How to reheat leftover mac and cheese? We recommend that you reheat mac and cheese slowly in the oven at 350°F in an oven-safe baking dish covered with foil until heated through. Heating the mac and cheese too quickly at high heats will make the sauce break and become oily.
- Can you freeze leftover mac and cheese? We don't recommend doing this because the texture of the sauce will change and it won't be creamy once reheated. Additionally, you risk significantly overcooking the pasta.
- Can this mac and cheese be made in advance? Yes! You can make and assemble the mac and cheese in advance and then simply complete the baking step when ready to enjoy. Once assembled and cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. When ready to bake, remove from the fridge and allow the dish to come to room temperature before putting it in the oven for the final baking step.
Nutrition
Calories: 413kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 13gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 310mgPotassium: 267mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 966IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 171mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
