Macaroni and Queso
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I don’t know about you but I love macaroni and cheese. I’ve had so many different versions of this classic recipe and almost all of them are delicious. In a pinch I’ll even make the boxed macaroni and cheese and it tastes fairly good as well.
So why am I sharing yet another macaroni and cheese recipe? Because this one is a little bit different. This version has a spicy Mexican twist. It’s called Macaroni and Queso with spicy sausage. I like the addition of the sausage and broccoli because you can eat this as a one pot meal if you want or you can keep it as a side dish.
You start this recipe by making the sausage and then you make a roux. The roux helps to thicken the homemade cheese sauce for this dish. It’s a little bit different in that it is spiced with cumin and chili powder to give it both a little heat and some additional Mexican flavor.
After making the spicy queso sauce I added in some diced tomatoes and Mexican cheese. This adds in more flavor and some bright color. I’ll be honest, if you stopped at this point and didn’t put the pasta or broccoli in this dish you’d have a delicious queso dip. Just a little tip in case you want to serve this as a dip instead of a side dish.
If you want to make the macaroni and queso then you’ll continue on by adding in the broccoli and the pasta. Then you simply bake it for a few minutes and broil it at the end. It tastes amazing! It’s like eating macaroni with queso dip on top. Since I love pasta and queso this is a match made in a dish.
Macaroni and Queso
Take your macaroni to a whole new level by adding chorizo and spicy queso!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. penne
- 2 chorizo links, casings remove
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 c. milk
- 4 oz. processed cheese, cubed
- 1/3 c. sour cream
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with chilies, drained
- 2 c. broccoli florets, blanched
- 1 c. shredded Mexican cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the penne according to the package directions. Drain and then transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Meanwhile, cook the chorizo in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking up the sausage as needed, until browned.
- Add in the flour, chili powder, and salt and mix well. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
- Add in the processed cheese and whisk until melted and smooth. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
- Whisk in the sour cream and tomatoes.
- Pour the cheese sauce over top of the pasta. Add in the broccoli. Toss to combine.
- Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine, May 2017.
Cheese is all time my favorite item. i can put it in any dish. so i would love this dish to have it. i am eager to make this.