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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

[heart_this] · Jun 3, 2019 · 3 Comments

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Easy to make gourmet mac and cheese with all of the flavours of jalapeno poppers including bacon!

Mac and cheese is pure comfort food that is always welcome and I often enjoy kicking it up a notch with extra flavours like in this jalapeno popper mac and cheese! Jalapeno poppers are jalapenos stuffed with cheese, coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside with melted cheese on the inside! Yum! This mac and cheese covers all of the flavours and textures of poppers from the cheese to the jalapenos and even the crispy bread crumb coating! Poppers are usually filled with cream cheese and/or cheddar cheese and this mac and cheese uses
plenty of both! The crispy breadcrumb coating is easy to add to mac and cheese by throwing it into a baking dish and topping it with buttered bread crumbs to bake until golden brown and crispy and all sorts of good! Sometimes jalapeno poppers are wrapped in bacon rather than being coated in crispy breadcrumbs and this mac and cheese includes bacon to cover that option, and let’s face it, I hardly need an excuse to add bacon to anything! Of course, the final ingredient is jalapenos, and plenty of them!

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
One with extra jalapenos, one without!

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 8

Easy to make gourmet mac and cheese with all of the flavours of jalapeno poppers including bacon!

ingredients
  • 1 pound pasta (such as macaroni or chiocciole) (gluten-free for gluten-free)
  • 4 ounces bacon, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2+ jalapeno peppers, diced *
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour (gluten-free for gluten-free)
  • 4 cups milk
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
directions
  1. Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
  2. Cook the bacon in a large sauce pan and set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in the large saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and jalapeno and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the milk and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese and cook until the cheese melts.
  7. Mix the cooked pasta and bacon into the sauce, place in a baking dish (or dishes), sprinkle on the mixture of the panko and melted butter.
  8. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the panko is golden brown and the sides are bubbling, about 25-30 minutes.
Option: Replace some or all of the butter with the bacon drippings!
Note: Use as many jalapenos as desired!
Option: If you have some that do not like a lot of heat, use 1 jalapeno pepper at the beginning, make the cheese sauce, mix in the pasta and bacon and divide into two portions to which you can add extra pickled jalapenos to one!
Option: Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin along with the garlic.
Option: Add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika along with the garlic.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon dijon mustard after melting the cheese into the sauce.
Option: Skip adding the panko topping and baking and just eat the mac and cheese after mixing in the pasta and bacon.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 697, Fat 46g (Saturated 25g, Trans 0.9g), Cholesterol 126mg, Sodium 538mg, Carbs 59g (Fiber 2g, Sugars 9g), Protein 26g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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American, Bacon, Gluten-free, Main Course, Meal Prep, Pasta, Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy Hurley Purdie says

    June 4, 2019 at 9:04 am

    I can’t wait to make this it looks so yummy! I’m GF so I like to use crushed Rice Crispies as bread crumbs. Works great! I can tell this will be a family favorite. I have cooked over 15 of your recipes and not had one we didn’t like, or thought anything but delicious! Thank you for your website!

    Reply
  2. Lacey says

    June 12, 2019 at 1:19 pm

    I made this for dinner Monday night. My husband and I both loved it! I skipped the oven part and we ate it straight from the pot. The directions were easy to follow and the recipe had tons of flavor. It does make a lot, so we’ve had leftovers for a few days. Next time, I would cut this recipe in half. I also want to put it in the oven when we have more time.

    Reply
  3. Joy says

    September 23, 2021 at 2:56 am

    Kevin, anything you present with Jalapeños and bacon is gonna be a winner! Can’t wait to try this. Okay..I CAN wait for cooler weather till I heat up my kitchen and mouth! Thanks for the inspiration!!

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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