| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and halved lengthwise
- 4 cloves garlic, left whole
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk, plus more as needed
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, rinse, and transfer the spaghetti to the baking dish.
- Meanwhile, turn on the broiler and place a rack 6 inches away from the heating element. Place the grape tomatoes and jalapenos on the prepared baking sheet, skin side up, along with the whole garlic cloves and onion. Broil, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, and onion are softened and have begun to blacken. Remove from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, dice the tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, and onion.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F.
- To make the sauce for the spaghetti, in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour until well combined and slightly browned, about 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens just a bit, 3 to 5 minutes. (You want it to coat the back of your spoon, but not be too thick, like custard. If it gets too thick, you can slowly add more milk, about a teaspoon at a time.)
- Once the sauce thickens, immediately turn off the heat and slowly stir in half of the cheeses, about 1/4 cup at a time, until melted and incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the diced vegetables, along with the cumin, cayenne, cilantro, and lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and black pepper to taste. Pour the sauce into the cooked spaghetti and then stir in the shredded cooked chicken. Cover the spaghetti with the remaining cheeses.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until brown and bubbling. Garnish with cilantro before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 529 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Cholesterol | 120 mg |
| Sodium | 639 mg |
Reviews
I used heavy cream ,salt ,pepper ,mixed with Chkn broth and on veggies I used garlic ,white onion ,celery n green /red bell peppers …..and used rotisserie Chkn …..omg so relishes !!!!!!
Hm, this was just pretty good for me. It tasted like a macaroni and cheese with salsa. I mixed leftovers with veggies and it was better. Just needs more flavor I think.
The garlic and onion got brown in the oven but were still extremely raw tasting in the dish. I would leave out the garlic and cook the onions with the butter before adding flour in the cheese sauce. Overall it seemed like a complicated process to get a southwestern/creamy/chicken spaghetti effect.
This tastes delicious. It’s super heavy with the flour & cheese, but the roasted vegetables create such great flavor, you overlook the heaviness.
This was delicious! I was worried it would be too spicy, but it was perfect! I could probably even handle another jalapeno!
This recipe was AMAZING! I’m not the most experienced cook so it took me a little time to get everything coordinated and working together. It tasted great and holds really well for a few days in the fridge. Most times I don’t end up revisiting leftovers but I ate this until it was gone. Highly recommend!
I made it for dinner today, and we really enjoyed it. I need to adjust the sauce, we could probably use a little more sauce, so next time I think I’ll make a little more. I also used a store bought Rotisserie Chicken and that made plenty of shredded chicken. Ok if you like spicy, go ahead and use more Jalapeños, I used 4 and that was great, they were not too big. You can adjust this recipe to make it your own, but it really is great just the way it is!
I like noisy so the two jalapeños was nothing. I could even use three. My family loves pasta and cheese so they love this.
Two jalapenos! I want to eat it. . . not have to go to the hospital!