Mac and Chilli Cheese
The perfect spicy take on a classic mac and cheese. It's cheesy, creamy, and chilli. Baked with a buttery and herby breadcrumb topping. Perfect for spice lovers.
Ingredients
- 400 g dried macaroni
For the sauce:
- 50 g butter either salted/unsalted is fine
- 40 g plain flour (all purpose flour for US readers)
- 800 ml milk semi skimmed/whole milk works best. See notes for vegan*
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or paprika/cayenne
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- Black pepper
- 80 g mature cheddar grated
- 80 g red Leicester red cheddar, grated
- 60 g low moisture mozzarella grated. A close substitute can be made from fresh mozzarella balls. Tear up finely and place between paper towels with a weight on top for one hour
For the seasoning mix:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 4 red chillies sliced. I used a combination of 2 bird’s eye chillies and 2 medium-heat larger chillies
- 15 pickled jalapeno slices finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
For the breadcrumb topping:
- 50 g panko breadcrumbs or any breadcrumbs of preference
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
For the sauce:
- First melt the butter in a saucepan under a medium heat. Avoid using a non-stick pan if you're using a metal whisk
- Next add the flour to the butter and whisk together to form a roux. This will be a thickened paste
- Add a quarter of the milk to the roux and whisk until it forms a smooth and thick paste
- Gradually add the rest of the milk in 4 increments. Whisking between each increment. Swap between a whisk and a spatula routinely to ensure no lumps
- Once all the milk has been added in, add in the Kashmiri chilli powder, smoked paprika, and a bay leaf, continue to whisk for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened
- Then turn the heat off and add the grated cheeses, grated nutmeg, and a healthy amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Mix till it forms a smooth, creamy, and cheesy sauce. You'll notice we haven't added any salt as the cheeses can be salty. Hence at this stage taste the sauce to see if you require any salt added in
For the seasoning mix:
- Start by sautéing the shallots, garlic, red chilli, and dried oregano in olive oil. This will take around 2 to 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt whilst the mixture cooks
- Then add the mixture to the mac and chilli cheese sauce, along with the pickled jalapenos
- Mix it all together and that's the final Mac and Chilli Cheese sauce!
To assemble:
- If you're planning to bake the mac and cheese as I have, boil the macaroni around 2-3 minutes short of the packaging time. This is because it will continue to cook in the oven. If you're not planning to bake this, then boil the macaroni till al dente
- Next mix the drained pasta with the chilli cheese sauce, and then pop this into the baking tray
- In a separate bowl mix together the panko breadcrumbs, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and melted butter. Rub together till evenly mixed
- Layer the breadcrumbs all over the mac and cheese
- Bake in a 220'C (fan)/240'C (conventional) preheated oven for ~10 mins or until golden brown and bubbling
Notes
*To make the mac and chilli cheese vegan simply use vegan butter and vegan milk for the béchamel sauce. For the cheese, pick your favourite vegan cheese. Just make sure it's one that melts well and tastes nice. Using some nutritional yeast along with a good vegan cheese will work best in my opinion. Using nutritional yeast alone will help with flavour but it won't help with the texture of the sauce.