Roasted Poblano Mac and Cheese
Add a fun twist to a family favorite! This Roasted Poblano Mac and Cheese features roasted peppers, chorizo sausage and 2 types of cheese!
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One of the coolest things about living in upstate New York is the awesome summer weather. Of course, I say that as it is currently quite chilly outside, and a warm summer day feels like a world away. Once the weather starts turning warm-ish, we wander out of the house (sans winter coats, I might add) and start soaking in the rays. As soon as spring begins to think about arriving, we always end up heading up to Saratoga Springs to wander the streets. If you’ve never visited Saratoga Springs, then put it on your to-visit list! It’s a quaint town with tons of charm, good shops, tasty restaurants and of course the racetrack.
The Saratoga Race Course is one of the oldest horse racing tracks in the country, and it just recently celebrated its 150th anniversary back in 2013. I didn’t know much at all about horse racing before we moved up here, but you can’t help but be drawn to the track during the season (which runs in late summer every year). By many accounts, the track has not changed much in many years, either. Picnic tables dot the grounds, and you can set up camp and watch the horses parade in from the paddocks prior to each race.
At just 175 miles from New York City, Saratoga benefits from weekenders wanting to escape the city each summer…especially once track season begins. A side benefit from the vacation appeal of Saratoga Springs? The restaurants. This small city is home to some of the best restaurants in the region, and my wife and I often take the 20-minute drive up to enjoy a night out. Last summer, we were wandering along the main street of Saratoga Springs when we stepped into a local brewpub for a drink. We ended up staying for dinner, and it turned out that mac and cheese was one of the specialties at this brewpub. Talk about my heaven! Good beer to drink and tasty mac and cheese to eat? Sign me up!
Roasted Poblano Mac and Cheese
Roasted Poblano Mac and CheeseThe mac and cheese is cooked and served in cast iron skillets, and I’m not just talking plain old shells and cheese here. I’m talking all kinds of awesome flavor varieties. At one point, the owner stopped by our table, and we struck up a conversation about the tasty mac and cheese. He told me that if I could finish the entire skillet, then he would pay for it. I’m always up for a good challenge, so I took him up on his offer. Little did I know that the skillet of mac and cheese was huge. I’m not talking big. I’m talking huge. I almost completed the challenge, but sadly I threw in the towel at about ¾ of the skillet. (For the record, I totally could have finished that skillet…but I don’t think I would have been able to eat anything for the next 3 days.)
Inspired by this fun (and tasty) experience, I set out to create a delicious mac and cheese in a cast iron skillet here at home. A little bit of playing around in the kitchen led to this Roasted Poblano Mac and Cheese. While I did exercise some self-control this time around, I still wanted to eat the entire skillet. Macaroni and cheese is a childhood favorite, and it enjoys a permanent spot on my list of favorite comfort foods. This version includes roasted poblano peppers and a bit of sausage for a fun twist on a classic. Enjoy!
Oh, are you sitting there wondering why you’ve heard of Saratoga Springs before? Well, think back. Way back. Carly Simon referenced Sarotoga in her famous early 1970’s song, “You’re So Vain.” She refers to the Saratoga Race Course with the line, “I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won.” Now if only I could tell you who that song was about.
Did you make this Roasted Poblano Mac and Cheese at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Enjoy!
Roasted Pablano Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 poblano peppers
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 link chorizo sausage
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- 2 cups milk
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese grated
- ½ cup Asiago cheese grated
For Topping
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup panko-style bread crumbs
- ¾ cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese grated
- ¼ cup Asiago cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Rub the poblano peppers with the olive oil and place on a foil-lined sheet pan.
- Bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes, or until skins have blistered. Remove peppers from oven and let cool.
- Meanwhile, slice the chorizo sausage into ¼” slices and then cut each slice in half. Cook in a medium fry pan for 8-10 minutes, or until browned. Set cooked sausage aside.
- At the same time, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Once peppers have cooled, remove skins, seeds and stems. Dice the peppers and set aside.
- Heat milk in microwave until hot.
- Place a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add butter and heat until melted. Slowly whisk in the flour and mustard powder until smooth; continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Slowly whisk in the warm milk and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until mixture has thickened.
- Increase heat to medium and add the diced onion; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the salt, pepper and half of the grated cheddar cheese. Stir together until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth. Add cooked pasta and stir until well coated.
- Stir in the remaining cheddar cheese along with the Asiago cheese, diced Poblano peppers and cooked sausage.
- Make the Topping by stirring together the melted butter, bread crumbs, cheddar cheese and Asiago cheese. Spread the Topping evenly over the macaroni in the skillet.
- Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbly.
Looking for more tasty cheesy recipes? Check out some of these other favorites, too:
Poblanos are one of my favorite hot peppers, and I think you already know how much this Wisconsin girl loves mac and cheese, so there’s really only one question in my mind right now…. did you remember to set a place at the table for me??
Oops! I might have eaten the last of this mac and cheese for breakfast. Haha…just kidding! (Although I’m pretty sure I *could* eat this mac and cheese for breakfast!)
Haha – that skillet of mac and cheese eating challenge is one my daughter would have LOVED! She LURVES mac and cheese more than boys (at least that’s what she says now)! I am not as big a fan of plain mac and cheese, as she is, but I do love funktified mac and cheese like this one – with poblanos! ooh spicy poblanos and cheesy goodness would be hard to resist!
Btw, Saratoga Springs sounds wonderful and if/when we come to NYC – we are definitely gonna try to visit it too! Hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!
Wow…lil Shashi “lurves” mac and cheese? Now that really is some serious mac and cheese love right there! I’m all about ‘funktified’ (great word, btw) mac and cheese…and these was some seriously yummy cheese and pepper goodness. Oh, and Saratoga Springs is definitely worth a visit…it’s a solid trip up from NYC, but it is totally worth it (esp in the summer). Think quaint (but bustling) New York town. In fact, I think I read somewhere that it was recently voted as having one of the top 10 main streets in the U.S. Cool, huh?
This one looks killer friend… I love the poblano and mac & cheese too? BRING IT.
Funny, I live 15 minutes from Del Mar Race Track. What is it with fun, quaint little towns next to them – and the beach?! #WolfpackEats!
Now the beach adds a whole new awesome aspect to quaint racing towns! I hear a lot about Del Mar during the racing season…so perhaps I need to check it out whenever we make a west coast trip! 🙂
You have Saratoga and we have Del Mar. I’m not really into horse racing. But horse races are a blast. Does that make sense? There’s something about the energy among the audience. It comes out full blast all at once, and then it subsides (again all at once). GREG
PS Sign me up for beer and Mac too.
Oh, I totally agree, Greg! I love being at the races, although I’m not a huge fan of horse racing in general. But there’s something about the excitement in the air as well as the feeling of stepping back in time (at least at Saratoga). I’ll have to check out Del Mar whenever we finally get out to visit the west coast!
Dude, this is one serious mac and cheese!! LOVE the flavors!
Thanks, Matt! I’m all about mixing it up and having one heck of an awesome skillet of mac and cheese! No boring shells and cheese over here. 🙂
Love the little schpeel on Saratoga Springs. I’m going to pretend its a travel guide 😉
I am disappointed that you didn’t finish the pan- It sounds so good, I’ll have to make your version and eat the whole fan. Then physically go there and get a free meal.
Hahaha…you totally should pretend it’s a travel guide! 🙂
I know, I know. I let you down by not finishing the whole skillet. For the record, I could have done it. But I might have popped from all that pasta! I was impressed by the sheer variety of mac and cheeses at this place, though…I need to try recreating another variety soon. Mac and cheese has to be like the best comfort food ever! I’ll make you a skillet…and if you eat the whole thing, then I won’t charge you for it. How’s that for a deal?
Yes, the summer here in upstate NY is AMAZING, but right now, I’ll stop complaining once this snow is melted, haha!! And that mac and cheese, it looks so flavorful!! And that topping looks like a nice finish! 🙂
Heck yeah, Christina! I’m happy enough that I can actually sorta see my back yard grass again. There’s still some snow out there, but it’s disappearing fast…and I couldn’t be happier about that! So happy that I might just need to celebrate with mac and cheese…because that’s normal, right? 😉
Oh man, I wish I didn’t see this when I was hungry! I have a serious craving for some “adult” mac n cheese now!
Haha! Thanks, Krissy! Yeah, this adult mac and cheese is definitely not something to stare at when you’re hungry. You just might end up eating the whole skillet… 🙂
Seriously after seeing this post mac & cheese is ALL I am craving. Just delicious (and so indulgent) David!
Thanks, Thalia! I apologize in advance for causing extreme mac and cheese cravings over there…I say just give in to your cravings and make a big pan of mac and cheese for dinner tonight! 🙂
I really like roasted poblanos. Adding them to mac and cheese sounds so amazing!
Thanks, Kathy! Roasting poblanos really doesn’t take that much extra work, but the flavor boost is incredible. And they were super tasty in this mac and cheese…the ultimate comfort food!
I love poblano, so I am loving this. I am a big fan of mac and cheese, but by itself it can be a little dull, so I love twists like this.
I totally agree, Dannii! Mac and cheese is delicious…but it can be a bit boring. I love poblanos, too, so I decided to add them to this mac and cheese. Let’s just say there are no leftovers! 🙂
I’m all about roasted poblano anything…. LOVE them. Putting them in mac n cheese is absolutely brilliant. And I’ll make you a deal… once you come down to NYC to hang out with us cool people down here, I’ll put Saratoga Springs on my vacation list #letsmakeadeal
Oh, you just made a big mistake, my Wolfpack friend. I booked our hotel for NYC yesterday. You better start researching how to get to Saratoga Springs! #WolfpackRoadTrip