Green Chili Macaroni and Cheese

We all are guilty of one time or another making Macaroni and Cheese out of those blue boxes. Oh come on! You know exactly what I am talking about! My brats love it! I personally, not so much. We ate a ton of it as a child. It was cheap and great for Fridays during Lent. So when I am craving Macaroni and Cheese, I really want a grown up version. I tend to lean to strong, bold flavors. I am not sure why I lean to the Blue box when in a hurry. This really didn't take that long to make. If you don't cook it the oven it took just as long as the Blue Box variety.

Green Chili Macaroni and Cheese

5 cups cooked macaroni (8 ounces raw)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 TB yellow mustard
2 cups milk (toss it in the microwave for a minute to get the chill off)
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese for casserole
2 cans of Ortega Chilis
1 cup of bread crumbs
3 TB melted butter for topping

Start cooking the macaroni according to the package. Don't overcook because it will continue to cook in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350

grease a casserole dish

In a sauce pan over medium high heat, melt the 3 TB of butter and add the 3 TB of flour. Keep stirring it in and let it cook a minute to get rid of the flour taste.
Slowly add the milk. Keep stirring and let it thicken up like a gravy would.
Add the 1 TB of yellow mustard. Dijon or whole grain would taste yummy too
Add the cheese and again, keep stirring. Add the 2 cans of chilis, undrained. Taste and see if it needs salt and pepper. Not too much salt because cheese is somewhat salty.

Look at this cheesy heaven! Resist the urge to grab a loaf of sourdough bread! Or better, a bag of tortilla chips. Don't think I wasn't thinking about it too!

Your noodles should be done by this time. Add the cheese to the noodles and put into a greased casserole dish. You could serve it at this point but I like adding a crunchy topping.


Mix 1 cup of bread crumbs (panko would be amazing here but as usual I am out of everything)with the remaining butter. Mix up into crumbs and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.