Southwestern Macaroni & Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for salting the pasta water
• 1 lb fusilli or 1 lb rotini pasta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (1 cup)
• 1 cup finely diced bell pepper (preferably green and red)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper, stems and seeds removed
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups firmly packed shredded monterey jack cheese (about 1/2 pound) or 2 cups monterey jack pepper cheese (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded (or diced, about 1 chicken breast)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon minced chipotle chile (from canned chipotles in adobo)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion, for garnish

Recipe

• 1 bring a medium (6- to 8-quart) pot of water to a boil; salt it generously; stir in the pasta and cook according to package directions; drain(do not rinse, or you'll rinse away starches that will help thicken the sauce) and return to the empty pot.
• 2 meanwhile, place a large (12- to 14-inch) saute pan over med-high heat for several minutes.
• 3 when hot, add the butter or oil, onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos; saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• 4 add the heavy cream; bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer until the cream is reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.
• 5 add in the cheese and chicken; stir well and cook over med-high heat until the cheese has melted and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
• 6 season with salt and pepper.
• 7 stir the sauce into the cooked and drained pasta in the pot; place over medium heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes to thicken the sauce and allow the pasta to absorb the flavors, stirring now and again; if too thick, add a little more cream.
• 8 to make the garnish--in a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and minced chipotle.
• 9 serve the macaroni and cheese in individual bowls topped with a dollop of the chipotle sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.
• 10 **alternative--if you like the smoky-spicy flavor of the spices but want to avoid the extra fat in the sour cream garnish, just add a teaspoon of the sauce from the canned chipotles in adobo to the macaroni and cheese itself and skip the garnish altogether.
• 11 **or, can use chipotle chile powder, new mexico chile powder, or regular chile powder, to taste, instead of the canned chipotles.