Chorizo Mac & Cheese is spicy and gooey and so satisfying. Take a little help from the store to easily get this on the table on a week night. Dinner is gonna be awesome.
Can we be done with our January diets yet? You know I don't let anything get in the way of me and cheese. A couple of years ago I tried to take a week long cheese hiatus, and it was super sad. Let's not even think about it.
For me, cutting specific foods out of my diet has never worked. I give up so easily. I personally find it much easier to just not eat for a day once or twice a week than to give up dairy or gluten for a month. Maybe this isn't the best long-term solution, but I don't think anybody comes here for nutritional advice. I'm delivering comfort, friends, and today is no different.
My husband randomly requested Chorizo Mac & Cheese one day, and Pinterest led me to this. I've adapted my recipe from this one at Simply Recipes. Translating recipes from American to British almost always requires a bit of adjustment. We have about a third less choice at the grocery store. I never realized how spoiled I was as an American grocery shopper until I came here.
Chorizo is very popular here, though. Perhaps because we're that much closer to Spain. What I love is that I can buy pre-chopped chunks of chorizo which saves me tons of time. We're using a blend of regular cheddar (which is white by default here) and cheddar with chilies. In the US, you should be able to get your hands on some pepper jack no problem, but UK friends might have to go to the specialty cheeses. If you want a little less heat in your mac and cheese, use all plain cheddar.
If you've made mac and cheese from scratch before, there's nothing revelatory here. The flavor, however, is worth getting excited about. Chorizo Mac & Cheese makes bacon mac seem boring. I hope you give it a try.
Go after what you want in life, friends. And if it's Chorizo Mac & Cheese, now you know exactly how to get it.
Chorizo Mac & Cheese
Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings20
minutes20
minutesChorizo Mac & Cheese combines spicy chorizo with your favorite cheesy pasta.
Ingredients
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon corn starch
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces shredded cheddar with chilies or pepper jack cheese
130 grams diced chorizo
2 tablespoons flour
Directions
- Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C). Grease a small casserole dish and set aside.
- Measure out your milk in a measuring jug, and pop it in the microwave for about a minute to warm the milk. Set aside.
- Measure out your cheeses in a bowl and add the corn starch. Give the a toss to coat the cheese in the corn starch. This will help our sauce stay smooth later.
- When the water is boiling, add a heavy pinch of salt and cook your pasta for about a minute or two less than it says on the package. You want it to be al dente as it will continue to cook in the oven. Once your pasta is ready, drain it and set it aside until it's time to assemble.
- While the pasta is cooking (or you might still be waiting for the water to boil) start making your cheese sauce. Add your diced chorizo to a skillet over medium heat. Cook it for about five minutes until it starts to release its paparika-laden fat and crisp up around the edges. Stir frequently.
- Sprinkle your flour over your chorizo and its oil and give it a good stir. Let this cook for a minute or two. Then whisk in the warm milk about a quarter cup at a time so that it stays relatively smooth. If your sauce is not simmering yet, allow it to just come up to a bubble so that it can thicken a bit.
- Next, add your cheese mixture. Stir this into the sauce until the cheese is melted.
- Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce. Use the skillet or the pasta pot, whatever will fit best. Give everything a good stir to combine, then transfer this whole mixture to your waiting casserole dish.
- Spread your mac and cheese evening in the casserole dish, then bake in a your pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve hot. This will be at its best fresh our of the oven, but leftovers are still pretty dang good.
Looking for more mac and cheese awesomeness? Try this Potato & Pancetta Mac & Cheese.
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