Roasted Hatch Chile Baked Mac and Cheese
Roasted Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese is your favorite comforting pasta dish made with a Southwestern twist! Fiery roasted hatch chile peppers are combined with tender pasta and tons of melty cheese. It’s not too spicy, and it has a delicious peppery flavor.
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Why This Recipe is So Good
- Mac and cheese in every form is the best comforting dinner. Everything from Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese with Yogurt to 3 Cheese Smoked Mac and Cheese always hits the spot. And this mac and cheese with green chiles is no different! The chiles are spicy, but the mac and cheese isn’t spicy; it has a subtle kick of heat with the most wonderful green chile flavor.
- This green chile mac and cheese recipe starts by roasting the Hatch Chiles in the oven. It intensifies their smoky pepper flavor and tones down their heat. Roasting peppers is super easy. They get blistered and charred under the broiler, and it only takes 10 minutes for them to get soft and smoky.
- Which chiles should you use? Hatch Chiles are in season Late July – early September. Grown in the Hatch Valley region of New Mexico, these prized peppers are incredibly flavorful and add a distinctive smoky pepper flavor to every dish. Hatch peppers’ spice level ranges from mild or hot, and they are long and skinny with a tapered end.
- If it isn’t hatch chile season, you can use canned or jarred hatch green chiles or substitute with Anaheim peppers, which have a mild spice level and sweeter flavor. Poblano peppers are earthy and sweet and smoky when roasted and are much milder than hatch chiles.
Recipe Ingredients
Green Hatch Chiles – This New Mexico staple chile pepper is fiery and full of spicy pepper flavor. I used mild and hot peppers for this recipe, but once cooked, the spice level of the peppers pretty much disappeared. Taste the roasted hatch chiles before adding to the cheese sauce so it’s not too spicy for your family.
Shredded cheese – A mix of Mexican 3 cheese is mixed in the cheese sauce and sprinkled on top, because you can never have too much cheese! Shredded Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar, and mozzarella cheese will be just as delicious.
Pasta – I used fusilli noodles, but any short pasta shape will work here – penne, macaroni, shells, or whatever you have on hand.
Flour – Just a tiny bit is used to thicken the cheese sauce. Too much flour will give the cheese sauce a floury taste. No flour at all, and the milk and cheese won’t come together to make a sauce.
How to Make Roasted Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Roast hatch chiles
Place hatch chiles on a sheet pan then roast under the broiler for 3 – 5 minutes per side until blistered and charred. Use a pair of tongs to wrap the peppers in aluminum foil or place charred peppers into a large mixing bowl then cover with aluminum foil. Once cooled enough to handle, peel off the skin, then roughly chop peppers. Set aside.
Boil pasta
Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente or until the pasta has some bite to it. You really don’t want to overcook the pasta. Just cook it a few minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and rinse the pasta really well with cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer pasta to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, then cover with a piece of plastic wrap so the pasta doesn’t dry out.
Make the cheese sauce
In the same large pot you boiled the pasta in, melt the butter. Whisk together flour, ground paprika, salt and pepper until fragrant. Whisk in milk and heavy cream then cook until the sauce has started to thicken and can coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat then whisk in half of the shredded cheese and the chopped hatch chiles.
Bake
Pour cheese sauce over the pasta then stir together with cubed cheddar cheese. Spread it out evenly then top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake in a preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Looking For More Recipes?
- Best Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Tomato Goat Cheese Galette with Spinach
- Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
- Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
- 4-Ingredient Macaroni Salad Recipe
- 4-Ingredient Guacamole Recipe (without Cilantro or Tomatoes)
- Leftover Brisket Enchiladas with Hatch Chiles
- Hatch Chile Guacamole
- Cast Iron Skillet Hatch Chile Cornbread
- Roasted Hatch Chile Burgers
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Roasted Hatch Chile Baked Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Sheet pan lined with aluminum foil
- Plastic gloves for peeling the peppers
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 large hatch chiles
- 1 lb pasta shells, elbows, etc
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 16 ounces shredded cheese divided, about 5 cups
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese cubed
Instructions
Roast hatch chiles
- Preheat the broiler to high. Cut off the stems of the hatch chiles then lay them onto an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan. Roast for 3 – 5 minutes on each side until blistered and charred. Watch the peppers closely because they can burn pretty quickly.2 – 3 large hatch chiles
- Use a pair of tongs to wrap the aluminum foil around the peppers. Be careful, they’re super hot! Or place the peppers into a bowl, then cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Peel off the skin(I like to wear a pair of plastic gloves while doing this). Dice the peppers(you can scrape out the seeds if you like), then set aside.
Boil pasta
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente or until the pasta has some bite to it. You really don’t want to overcook the pasta. Just cook it a few minutes less than the package instructions. Rinse with cold water, then drain. Transfer pasta to a 9×13-inch baking dish, toss with a drizzle of olive oil to coat, top with a piece of plastic wrap, then set aside.1 lb pasta
Make the cheese sauce
- In the same large pot you boiled the pasta in, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, ground paprika, salt and black pepper. Cook until the flour is fragrant, then whisk in milk and cream. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a gentle simmer and it starts to thicken. The sauce will be very thin, but it should coat the back of a spoon when it’s ready. Remove the pot from the heat then whisk in half of the shredded cheese and the chopped hatch chile peppers.4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 16 ounces shredded cheese
Bake
- Pour cheese sauce over cooked pasta noodles, and stir in the cubed cheddar cheese. Spread out the mac and cheese evenly, then top with the rest of the shredded cheese.6 ounces cheddar cheese
- Bake in a 400-degree F oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow the hatch chile mac and cheese to cool slightly, then serve.
Notes
How To Store/ Make Ahead
Reheat in the oven covered until hot. Freeze: portion into sections, wrapping each one individually with plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe bag to freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat at 350 degrees covered until reheated through.Tips and Tricks
- Hatch green chiles – I found that raw Hatch chiles were pretty spicy, but once roasted, they were barely spicy at all. Taste your peppers after roasting to see their spice level for you and your family.
- Substitute chiles – Anaheim peppers, Poblano peppers or Jalapeño peppers. If using jalapeno peppers, skip the roasting step. Roughly chop them, then stir them into the cheese sauce.
- Flour – Just a tiny bit is used to thicken the cheese sauce. Too much flour will give the cheese sauce a floury taste. No flour at all, and the milk and cheese won’t come together to make a sauce.
