Mexican Mac and Cheese with tomato sauce is a robust version of our favorite comfort food. Ready in a flash, this is an easy, one pot mac and cheese side dish for weeknight meals.
What is Mexican Mac and Cheese
Mexican macaroni and cheese is a creamy, cheese-based pasta dish, flavored with Mexican or Tex-Mex ingredients. This version uses tomato sauce.
How It’s Different Than Regular Mac and Cheese?
It differs from traditional American style macaroni and cheese with tomato sauce replacing milk or cream. But not to worry, there’s plenty of cheese involved for a creamy end result.
Common Mexican Inspired Ingredients Used
Mexican macaroni and cheese may also contain a single blend chile powder to bring more spicy heat to the dish. Please note: I have not used chili (with an i) seasoning, which is a blend of spices used in Tex-Mex style Chili Recipes.Garlic and onions are also common.
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
Best Pasta Shapes For This Recipe
- Elbow macaroni: In my opinion, elbow macaroni is the traditional pasta shape to make any macaroni and cheese. Any short variety with curves, cups and hollows to trap sauce will work well here. I also love using cavatappi or even shell pasta shapes.
Best Cheeses For Mexican Macaroni and Cheese
- I like using Velveeta for this recipe, but you can also pick up American cheese in the deli section. Both are amazing creamy melting cheeses. Pepper Jack, also a good melting cheese adds a bit of heat to the recipe. You can also use shredded cheddar, or Muenster. If your grocery store has a good Mexican produce section, try Queso Asadero and Queso Chihuahua. Both are good smooth Mexican melting cheeses.
Spices That Add Flavor Without Overpowering
- New Mexico red chile powder, preferably Chimayo not only brings a little more spicy heat to the dish, but also a noticeable warmth.
Why Add Vinegar?
- Adding vinegar to this tomato-based recipe will brighten the flavor and tame the sharp acidic flavor in the tomato sauce. Its an MVP in the kitchen, as important as salt and pepper.
Mexican Oregano is preferred for this recipe. It's peppery, grassy, earthy flavor is a good compliment for Mexican Food. If you don't have Mexican Oregano, substitute Marjoram. Known for its aroma and delicate flavor, its related to oregano and will bring a sweet undertone to any recipe.
How To Make Mexican Mac and Cheese
Stovetop Option – One Pot
- Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add butter. Once butter is melted, add onion and cook until translucent for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside. Note: I like to undercook the onions just a tad to add a little crunch of texture to the end dish.
- Step 2: Return cooked, drained pasta to the pan. Stir in reserved pasta water/bouillon, tomato sauce, and spices. Add the cooked onion and garlic mixture.
- Step 3: Turn the heat down to low, add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are well combined. Once combined add the cider vinegar and stir well. Serve immediately for a stove top version, or follow my directions for oven baked topped version.
Pro Tip: Why is pasta water good for pasta sauce? Don’t throw all of that pasta cooking liquid down the drain, It's liquid gold. It's a must to add to any sauce for any pasta dish. It's high in starch and this salty starchy water helps the sauce cling to the pasta while helping to thicken the sauce. It turns any pasta dish into a luxurious pasta dish.
Baked Option:
If you’d like to take the additional time, remove the stovetop mac and cheese to an oven safe casserole pan. Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle the tomatoes with a little more cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and just starting to brown. Watch it close, over broiling will cause the pasta to dry out. The featured photo at the top of this post has been prepared this way.
Variations on Mexican Macaroni and Cheese
- Protein: Make It A Meal: Many Mexican macaroni and cheese recipes add meat. Make Mexican Mac and Cheese with ground beef by browning beef, then adding onions and garlic the proceed with recipe. Also consider chorizo, or even cooked ground chicken breast to make this a main course entree.
- Chile Peppers: Add a 4-ounce can of Hatch Green Chile peppers for a more Southwestern feel.
- Add frozen, thawed sweet corn. Or canned black beans, drained and rinsed. Add these items right before you add the pasta. The heat from the pasta will warm them right up.
- More Smoky Heat: Add a couple of seeded, deveined canned Chipotle Chile peppers and a bit of the sauce. This will add a wonderful smoky flavor. Be careful, these peppers are spicy hot.
- Crunch: Mix ¼ panko bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle on top of the mac and cheese and broil until it starts to brown. Toasted panko turns my Green Chile Mac and Cheese into a very special treat.
Tips For Success – Trouble Shooting
- Cheese sauce isn’t smooth: Did you use packaged grated cheese? Packaged grated cheese has a coating added so it won’t clump in the package. This can also caused the cheese to not melt properly. Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Also, please note, that the instructions call to lower heat before adding cheese. High heat can cause cheese to break and become oily.
- Over powering or unbalanced spices: Is it too spicy? Add about ¼ cup of milk, half and half or cream. You’ll end up with a creamy Mexican Mac and Cheese that’s less spicy and tomato-y. Also, use Monterey Jack Cheese instead of Pepper Jack. Not spicy enough? Sprinkle in about ½ teaspoon more of the chile powder.
- Sauce too thick? Again, add about ¼ cup of milk, preferred, due to the fat content to keep it creamy. You can also add a little bit of water, but go slow, you don’t want it to end up soupy. Plain water simply won’t blend as well as using milk that contains a fat content.
- Creamy at first then dry? Pasta will naturally soak up the moisture in the sauce as it sits. Adding milk with a gentle stir will add moisture.
- Mushy Macaroni? Simply means that the pasta was over cooked. Omitting the starchy pasta water will compromise the texture of the macaroni.
What To Serve It With
Mexican Mac and Cheese will go with about any Mexican Food Entree, but in my opinion, burgers and mac and cheese are matches made in heaven. Try this with my recipe for Southwest Ground Chicken Burgers, or my Hatch Green Chile Cheeseburgers.
Mac and cheese goes well with grilled steaks, take a look at this recipe for Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, or even grilled chicken like this Pollo Asado Recipe.
Storage
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating preference: I have found that reheating macaroni and cheese dishes work better using the microwave. The 50% power feature is your best friend. Reheat individual servings in 30 second increments until warmed. If the past is dry, stir in a little milk before reheating.
- Freezing: Freeze in an airtight freezer container for up to three months. Let the mac and cheese thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat individual servings.
FAQ’s
I’m not crazy about that idea. Using salsa instead of tomato sauce will simply over-power the flavor, and even change the flavor profile. Rotel is a watery tomato product that is quite spicy. You won’t end up with a creamy Mexican Mac and Cheese using Rotel tomatoes.
Since macaroni and cheese is a European invention and thus All-American, this recipe could best be described as Mexican-inspired, or Tex Mex.
Simply replacing the macaroni with Gluten Free macaroni will make this a gluten free recipe. The remaining ingredients are all naturally gluten free.
Recipe for Mexican Macaroni and Cheese
And if you like a creamy cheesy mac and cheese, tomato combo. Don’t miss my article on Mac and Cheese with Tomatoes. It’s a great recipe.
More Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
And if you’re a pasta fans like us, you won’t want to miss my Pasta category. You’ll find plenty of comfort food goodness. including the most popular macaroni and cheese recipe on my site for Flemings Steakhouse Mac and Cheese.
This recipe is adapted from my friend Yvette’s Recipe at Muy Bueno Cookbook.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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Easy Stovetop Mexican Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Sweet onion chopped
- 2-4 cloves Garlic minced. Always measure garlic with your heart.
- 2 Tablespoons Butter salted or unsalted
- 1 pound Elbow macaroni
- 1 teaspoon Chicken bouillon or tomato boullion
- 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- 15 ounces Tomato Sauce
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico Chile Powder or ancho chile pepper, or 2 – 3 shakes of hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon Mexican Oregano
- 8 ounces Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
- 8 ounces Velveeta cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add butter. Once butter is melted, add onion and cook until translucent for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook macaroni in salted water according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Place the chicken bouillon in the cup of hot pasta water to dissolve.
- Return drained pasta to the pan. Stir in reserved pasta water/bouillon, butter, tomato sauce, and spices. Add onion and garlic mixture. Turn the heat down to low, add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are well combined.
- Once the cheese is melted and pasta is well mixed, add the cider vinegar and stir. Serve immediately.
- Optional, and how the dish is pictured: If you'd like to take the additional time, remove the stovetop mac and cheese to an oven safe pan. Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle the tomatoes with a little more cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and just starting to brown.
Video
Notes
- Cheese sauce isn’t smooth: Did you use packaged grated cheese? Packaged grated cheese has a coating added so it won’t clump in the package. This can also caused the cheese to not melt properly. Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. Also, please note, that the instructions call to lower heat before adding cheese. High heat can cause cheese to break and become oily.
- Over powering or unbalanced spices: Is it too spicy? Add about ¼ cup of milk, half and half or cream. You’ll end up with a creamy Mexican Mac and Cheese that’s less spicy and tomato-y. Also, use Monterey Jack Cheese instead of Pepper Jack. Not spicy enough? Sprinkle in about ½ teaspoon more of the chile powder.
- Sauce too thick? Again, add about ¼ cup of milk, preferred, due to the fat content to keep it creamy. You can also add a little bit of water, but go slow, you don’t want it to end up soupy. Plain water simply won’t blend as well as using milk that contains a fat content.
- Creamy at first then dry? Pasta will naturally soak up the moisture in the sauce as it sits. Adding milk with a gentle stir will add moisture.
- Mushy Macaroni? Simply means that the pasta was over cooked. Omitting the starchy pasta water will compromise the texture of the macaroni.
Nutrition
Mexican Macaroni and Cheese …It’s What’s for a Side Dish.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Yep – we both were craving the old mac & cheese this month. Love you Mexican twist. Looks quite delicious!
Way yummy-looking!
Thanks Dan.
Going to give this a try. My daughter’s abuela makes this. Hoping it comes out the same. Going to use the cheese her family sends her from Mexico though.
This! So happy to have found a recipe just like abuelita used to make! Can’t wait to use it!
Thanks JoseD. Enjoy.