Oh my gosh! This recipe has a lot of ingredients and steps.  I do not usually do this.  I had an idea in my mind that I wanted to try a Mexican Mac & Cheese.  Then I went to the store.  I did not realize how many ingredients I had until I had them all laid out on the counter.  It turned out so good though; I do not think I could get rid of any of them!  In fact, as you can see from one of my notes I want to add a couple.  Really though, once you get started the prep, cooking, and assembly go much faster than they seem like they will, because so many of the ingredients come from cans and containers. I also was not sure how the beans would be in Mac & Cheese. It seemed like an odd combination in my mind.  But they lent great diversity and texture.

-1 lb. cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta

-One 15 oz. can black beans (drained and rinsed)

-One 10.5 to 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained and rinsed)

-13 oz. package hickory smoked Portuguese style fully cooked sausage (diced)

-1 Tbsp. grape seed oil (not pictured)

-1 large sweet onion (diced)

-4 large jalapenos (seeded and diced)

-2 tsp. minced garlic

-One 4 oz. can diced green chilies (drained)

-1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. chili powder

-1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground cumin

-10 oz. roasted tomato salsa

-5 oz. crumbled cotija

-4 to 6 Tbsp. butter

-2 Tbsp. to ¼ c. flour (not pictured)

-2 to 4 c. heavy cream (heated slightly)

-4 c. shredded Kraft Mexican four cheese blends with a hint of cream cheese

-drizzled crema (for garnish)

-2.25 oz. can sliced black olives (drained, for garnish)

Cook pasta according to the package directions minus 1 to 2 minutes to allow for oven cooking time. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.  Transfer pasta to a large bowl. I felt like there was too much pasta for the size of my particular baking pan so I removed about 2 cups of it and reserved it for my picky eater who likes plain noodles and cheese. If you have a big enough pan you can leave it because there will be more than enough sauce.  Add black beans, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and sausage to pasta. Toss and set aside.

Heat grape seed oil in a medium size skillet. Add onions and jalapenos and sauté over medium heat until onions and jalapenos are soft.  When onions and jalapenos are almost done cooking add garlic, can green chilies, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, and 1 Tbsp. cumin.  Cook for a few more minutes to incorporate flavors.  Remove skillet from heat. Set aside to cool.

Next, in a medium sauce pan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir to form a roux. Begin to add warmed cream a little at a time (stirring constantly so lumps do not form).  Keep adding cream a little at a time until all of the butter and flour mixture have been incorporated and mixture has thinned out.  I used ~ 3 c. of the heavy cream.  Continue cooking cream over med-low heat until mixture thickens stirring constantly.  This will take a while, maybe 5 to 10 minutes or so. After sauce thickens, remove from heat.  Add 1 tsp. chili powder and 1 tsp. cumin, stir to combine. Then add three cups of the shredded cheese about ½ c. at a time melting completely between each addition. Set cheese sauce aside. Reserve the last cup of shredded cheese for the top of the mac & cheese.

Pre-heat your oven to 375°F. To assemble the casserole add skillet vegetable mixture to the large bowl containing the pasta mixture, toss to distribute evenly. Bring on the cheese sauce!  Pour the cheese sauce over the entire mess and stir well to combine.

Next grab a large casserole dish and coat the inside of it with cooking spray.  Pour the contents of the large bowl into the large baking dish.  Top casserole with evenly spaced dollops of salsa, reserved cup of shredded cheese, and crumbled cojita.  Bake in preheated oven, uncovered for 40-60 minutes. Everything in the mac & cheese is already cooked so you are using the baking process to incorporate flavors, melt & brown the cheese, and get the whole mess all hot and bubbly!  Remove from oven.  Ideally, I like to let my mac & cheese sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rest and set.  To serve, cut a huge slice, place it in a bowl or on a plate.  Drizzle with a little crema and sprinkle with a few olives. EAT!

Note 1: A little shredded lettuce and/or cilantro might also be nice for a garnish.

Note 2: I cut my servings out of the pan a little early, I could not wait, so they were a little watery and fell apart.  You can see from my first set of pictures that it was kind of a mess.  The next day we had leftovers for lunch.  After sitting in the fridge all night and being reheated in the micro wave for 2 minutes the dish was a lot more picture worthy (the flavor is always better the next day as well).  Maybe I will start putting these things together the day before from now on!

Note 3:  Notice I did not add any S & P.  The sausage and cheese incorporated more than enough salt.  And the chili powder was more than enough, for my taste, in the way of pepper.

Compelling Calorie Clue:  ~ 100 calories worth of Rice Krispies cereal. (1 ¼ c. = 130 calories so 1 c. = 104 calories) This cereal is pretty much useless unless you are making some sort of treat with it.  It’s just too bland for me to eat it plain.  But it definitely serves a purpose.  Look for it in an upcoming post.