Spicy Baked Mac ‘n Cheese

I’ve been drooling over carbs lately… I’m a totally carb lover. And I love love love baked Mac ‘n Cheese so of course when I made a batch this weekend I decided to spice up my normal Mac ‘ cheese! It got my super picky eater roommates approval with “the perfect amount of spice” not so hot you can’t keep eating but enough to give it a kick. Woohoo success!

You’ll need:
2 cup of macaroni noodles
4 tbsp of butter
5 tbsp of flour
1.5 cups of milk
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 cups of shredded cheddar
2 cups of shredded Italian cheeses
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Diced jalapeños
Bread crumbs
Garlic powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil macaroni noodles in another pot until al dente.

Then start on cheese sauce.

In a pot, melt butter and then whisk in flour.

Next, add milk and whipping cream. Whisk until completely blended with flour.

Next whisk in paprika and cayenne pepper. I started off with a teaspoon on each. Taste test to get the amount of spice you like.

Once you achieve your optimal spice level, add in a cup of shredded cheese at a time. Melt until smooth. Leave about a cup of cheese to use as a topping later.

Turn off heat. Combine your cooked and drained macaroni noodles into your cheese pot. Add a few spoonfuls of diced jalapeños and mix.

I mixed my bread crumbs with a little garlic powder for extra flavor.

In a baking dish, spread about the Mac ‘n cheese and top with bread crumbs.

Top with your last cup of cheese. Bake for 15-20 min at 350 degrees.

Broily, cheesy perfection! Time to dig in!

This will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Enjoy!