Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese

J e l i s a's Note:

I think I'm really beginning to acquire the taste for chipotles, this is only the second time I've made anything with these smokey peppers. I found this recipe in a recent issue of Cooking Light. It only uses 2 peppers so if you want to save the rest for future use, just lay on waxed paper and freeze, once frozen, wrap each pepper and store in freezer bag.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo , finely minced
• 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (set aside)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup onion , finely chopped
• ½ cup green bell pepper , finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained or 1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
• 2 cups macaroni , cooked al dente (will yield 4 cups cooked)
• 2 cups reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese , shredded
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup 2% low-fat milk
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg , lightly beaten
• cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter , melted
• 1⁄8; cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese , shredded, lightly sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil 2 cups macaroni according to package (do not overcook), drain.
3. Reserve 1 adobo sauce and set aside.
4. Finely chop 2 chipotle peppers, onions and green peppers.
5. Melt butter in heavy pot over med-high heat, toss chopped ingredients and stir.
6. Cook until onion is tender, then sprinkle with 2 T of flour.
7. Allow to cook for about 30 SECONDS then reduce to medium.
8. Stir in the can of diced tomatoes w/chilies-- aka Rotel (I used tomatoes with jalapenos instead).
9. Simmer for 3 minutes until sauce thickens.
10. Now add the reserved adobo, cottage cheese, milk, cheddar, parmesan, macaroni and egg, stir well and pour mixture into casserole dish.
11. Melt tablespoon of butter and add breadcrumbs, stir until breadcrumbs are moist, sprinkle mixture over pasta.
12. You can also lightly sprinkle some more shredded cheddar over it before baking for 30 minutes until browned.

Reviews

[RecipeJunkie]

Thought this was a nice recipe. As others have said, I think bacon could be a nice addition, but wasn't really necessary. If you don't like spicy, you could easily cut down on the chipotle and it would still be very good. Thanks!

[Robyn's Cookin']

Really good! I agree with the other reviewers...bacon would be awesome. Unfortunately, I didn't have any "real" bacon, so I added some bacon bits and diced ham, which worked fine (but not as good as the real deal, of course). I also decided to seed one of the chipotles and I'm SOOOO glad I did! It was still very spicy. Don't get me wrong...this girl can handle some spice (AZ native)...but I think this particular dish would be better with less of it. Next time, I'll seed both chipotles, so I still get the nice smokey flavor. I like that this is creamy comfort food, incorporates ingredients I always keep on hand, and includes some veggies. I'll definitely make this again.

[Dr. Jenny]

This mac and cheese recipe was really nice. I made it last night for dinner for DH, my aunt, and myself. My aunt loved it, DH and I liked it. It was easy to prepare and had a nice spicy flavor. Like Linaj, I might add a little extra adobo sauce next time. I also agree that stirring in some bacon might give it the little extra bit of flavor that it needed. This was a good recipe for a chilly night. Thanks, Jelisa!