Food Recipes Kicked-Up Mac and Cheese 5.0 (1) 1 Review Creamy mac and cheese gets a Southwest kick with the addition of tortilla chips, green chiles, and homemade taco seasoning. By Pam Lolley Pam Lolley Pam Lolley has more than 30 years of experience in the culinary industry. She was the owner and operator of a catering and baking company for eight years prior to joining Southern Living Magazine in their test kitchen in 2003. While at Southern Living, Pam developed nine of the iconic Big White Cakes for the Christmas issue along with several desserts, cakes, and pies that have been featured on Southern Living covers through the years. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 31, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Antonis Achilleos Hands On Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Yield: 8 (serving size: about 1½ cups) Ingredients 1 pound cavatappi pasta 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 4 cups whole milk 2 (4-oz.) cans chopped green chiles, drained 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups) 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided 1 ½ cups crushed tortilla chips Chopped scallions, for serving Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes (you want the noodles undercooked here since they keep cooking in the oven). Set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and jalapeño; cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add flour, Taco Seasoning, and salt; cook, stirring constantly, until darkened, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium and simmer, whisking constantly, about 4 minutes. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in chiles. Add Monterey Jack cheese and 1½ cups of the Cheddar cheese; cook, whisking constantly, until cheese is melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and stir in cooked pasta. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish. Toss together tortilla chips and remaining ½ cup Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Sprinkle evenly over top of pasta mixture. Bake until bubbling and top is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; garnish with scallions. Rate it Print