Be careful! With this delectable macaroni and cheese recipe, you’ll never again buy mac ‘n’ cheese again. Quicker than you may imagine, you and your family will be savoring the warm, creamy, cheesy, comfort-foody deliciousness—perfect for a school night! You will be regarded as the best in their eyes if you surprise them with a hint of Mexican taste.
| Prep Time: | 1 hr |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 16 ounces shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Hunt’s® Diced Tomatoes, drained
- 2 (7 ounce) cans salsa verde
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain.
- Whisk milk and flour together in a small bowl.
- Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pour in milk/flour mixture; stir constantly until thickened. Add most of the cheese, reserving a few tablespoons to sprinkle over top before baking. Mix in drained tomatoes, and salsa verde. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Season to taste with black pepper. Stir in macaroni and thoroughly blend with the sauce.
- Divide among individual serving-sized ovenproof baking dishes or ramekins. Top with remaining cheese. and bake 10 minutes. Place under broiler for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until top is browned.
- Bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook until tops are browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 703 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 71 g |
| Cholesterol | 96 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 22 g |
| Sodium | 1087 mg |
| Sugars | 9 g |
| Fat | 34 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Love this recipe! I added broccoli to it for some veggies.
I liked it! I only had one can of salsa verde, But I could see how it would have been better with two. I also added some fresh cherry tomatoes and turkey bacon.
I used this recipe as a guideline, one time I used salsa verde from Trader Joe’s, and another time I added Frontera Grill adobo sauce for even more heat for my spicy loving friends. I also doubled the amount of tomatoes. I saved some of the pasta water after draining and added it to the cheesy-macaroni mixture in the pan to get it to a creamier consistency before I put it in the baking dish. Thank you for this great twist on mac and cheese!
Really delicious!!! I used a little less salsa verde to appease the skeptics of spiciness in the family. Tasted great and kids considered it “legendary”!!!
Toned down the spiciness in the salsa verde due to my wife’s request, then added some hot sauce to my bowl. Nevertheless felt like it was missing something, meat?
We loved this. It seems relatively normal when you put it on that table then you dig your spoon in there to serve it and Boom! that waft of tomatoes and green sauce make you understand this is not your usual mac n cheese. I followed the recipe method exactly but used gluten free elbows and a mix of cheddar and emmenthal cheeses (no access to Colby for us). I also added some gluten free bread crumbs on top.
We absolutely adored this change up! This had a great flavor and accompanied meal wonderfully I did not change a thing and made as directed. It came out perfectly, thank you Diana for a great recipe!
This was delicious! It had a kick, but not too much that my kids couldn’t handle it. I used a little less pasta after reading one of the other reviews, and it turned out saucy and delicious!
Simply put this is pure comfort food. Followed the directions of the submitter and this came out perfect!
I followed the recipe ingredients and recommended method of preparing the dish. Loved it! What a very nice change from the ordinary Mac n Cheese, great flavor and very easy to make! Will go great with any Mexican theme dinner that you may plan! Thanks Diana for a great recipe!
I thought this was really very good (however, I only used 12 oz macaroni and think it would be dry with more). The addition of the diced tomato & salsa verde gave such a delicious flavor. Think a gooey grilled cheese & tomato sandwich with just a little tang to it. I did make a butter/panko/cheese topping per your Chef John recipe. I would think this would be a healthier version of mac ‘n cheese since it uses less butter & milk. I will definitely make this again! (Note: I didn’t have individual ramekins. I made it in a casserole dish, baked 20 minutes @ 375 degrees. I did not place under the broiler as panko/cheese topping browned nicely in the oven.)
Hi there, I’m the recipe author, and the measurements are off a bit!! Please use only 1 cup of milk, but keep extra on hand in case you need to add more. And please add two 7 oz cans of salsa verde instead of one! Also, you can substitute 16oz of processed cheese for the shredded Colby jack, but only if you like that taste better! Thank you! -Diana71