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So you’ve just RSVPed to a Friendsgiving party and you’re pondering what delicious dish to bring. Go ahead and nominate yourself to bring on this Texas-Style Mac and Cheese.
First off, everyone loves Mac and Cheese– so you’ve got one thing in the bag. But everyone is going to accept just good-old-fashioned mac and cheese. But you’re going to bring something that makes their eyebrows curl and say, “woah, what’s in this?”.
I call this mine Texas-Style Mac and Cheese, why? Well, take a look at the ingredients. Two little tweaks give it a little flair (without overpowering the classic) that will make your tastes buds sing! [sour cream + a can of green chiles] Don’t worry about it being spicy, the green chiles just add a great depth of flavor and aren’t spicy *at all*. (i used a can of ‘hot’ green chiles and my kids devoured). Alongside the green chiles, you’ve also got a touch of sour cream to give it a little tanginess. It’s just delightful!
Yes! Complete steps 1-7. Cover with saran wrap and press down onto the pasta so that it is completely suffocated and transfer to the party. Remove the saran wrap when you arrive, and finish it off in the oven at the party or the day of your feast!
If you like this, try my even simpler One-Pot Mac and Cheese for a quick weeknight meal the family will love.
Texas Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup very finely diced shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
- 12 ounces gluten-free elbow pasta, such as Jovial
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 2½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, such as Tillamook, divided
- 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, undrained
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup gluten-free panko bread crumbs, such as Aleia
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro leaves, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until just tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add the butter, salt, and pepper and melt.
- Add the uncooked pasta, milk, and water and bring slowly to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed, about 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of shredded cheese, sour cream, green chiles, nutmeg, and paprika. Season to taste with more salt, if desired.
- Transfer the mac and cheese to a casserole dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
- In a small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Toss until well combined, then sprinkle evenly over the mac and cheese.
- Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese and panko are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro (if using), serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this to take to my friend. Wow! I’m going to have a hard time giving it up. Yum! And super easy!
Hands down, my new go-to recipe for Mac and cheese!!! I made this as one of the sides for our Christmas dinner and it was a major hit. Can’t wait to make this again!
I love the twist on this Mac and cheese with adding the chilies. I also love the crumb top.
Do I use regular butter or unsalted butter? Also is it fine to swap Pablo bread crumbs for regular bread crumbs?
unsalted is probably the way to go here to control your salt to taste. and yes, you could do regular bread crumbs if that is all you have; however the panko really adds a nice crunch.
Hi! Will regular elbow pasta work for this recipe?
yes! 🙂
Can you make this the day before?
Yes! There are some details above on how to prep ahead of time, but you will essentially complete steps 1-7 then store until you are ready to bake.
I think I’m going to do this, steps 1-6 today and then bake tomorrow (for Thanksgiving!). The recipe says to bake for 8-10 minutes…but if I’m pulling it from the fridge, what would you suggest? Warm to room temp (how long would that take?) and then bake 8-10 minutes? or skip the waiting on the countertop and instead bake longer? What do you think?
I would let set it out and let it come to room temp, then pop it in the oven for 10-12 minutes!
Yay!!! This looks amazing! Would cashew milk be a good milk substitute? And do you have a dairy-free sour cream substitute? Butter and cheese don’t seem to bother me as much as other milk products, so those are fine (thank goodness, ha!)
I would go for Nutpods Dairy-Free Creamer here, but I think Cashew milk should be ok, too!… and Forager has a good DF Sour Cream you can sub!
Would dairy free cheese work with this recipe too? I typically use Ripple for my milk substitute and it works well!
I think it’d be great with DF cheese!
How much does this serve? I am trying it out on my small office of 6 for an office meal and then with my family for thanksgiving, bigger crowd! Should I double it for thanksgiving?
Going to a friendsgiving and wanted to a Mac and cheese + Texas style Mac and cheese. Could I use this recipe without the sour cream + green Chile’s for the normal Mac and cheese?
I probably wouldn’t serve this as a classic one with those changes– the sour cream adds some texture/creaminess to this particular recipe and without it, it might end up slightly dry.
Loved this dish! Made it for my family and they all loved it too! Highly recommend and will be including this for Thanksgiving this year!
yay!! Fantastic addition to the menu.
🙂
My boyfriend is from Texas and can’t go home for Thanksgiving this year so this will be perfect to make for him and bring Texas to him! Question – if I were to substitute a non-dairy milk do you think that would be ok? If so, what do you think would be best? Thanks!
I always opt for Nutpods Original DF creamer 🙂