An ultra creamy cheesy chipotle steakhouse mac and cheese recipe from the Executive Chef at Flemings. Incredible Southwestern flavor and the creamiest homemade baked mac and cheese recipe you’ll find.
And if you’re looking for a super easy stove top macaroni and cheese recipe, don’t miss my recipe for White Cheddar Mac and Cheese. A 30 minute recipe.
About This Recipe and Why It Works
Have you ever been to Fleming’s Steakhouse and had their Chipotle Mac and Cheese? It’s flat out amazing.
Our last visit to Flemings, I ordered this creamy cheese side dish, and turned it into an entree when the menu indicated you could add lobster for an extra charge. I simply couldn’t resist. Billed on their menu as Atlantic Lobster Chipotle Cheddar Mac and Cheese, it’s truly a must order.
I couldn’t believe how exquisite this combination of flavors were. The lobster was simply fun and decadent, but really didn’t make or break the flavor of Flemings mac and cheese.
This is one of the creamiest macaroni and cheese recipes you’ll ever sink a fork into. What makes this so special?
- To start with the recipe includes both cheddar and white smoked cheddar cheese.
- There’s a stick of butter involved, which reminds me of a quote from Julia Child: “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream”.
- With that said, there’s two cups of cream involved and three cups of half and half.
- And to up the ante, it becomes a spicy mac and cheese with a beautiful combination of toasted panko bread crumbs and chipotle chile powder. Making it a macaroni au gratin style recipe.
Easy enough to make in your own kitchen, and a recipe directly from Flemings Steakhouse, Let’s take a look:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- The Cheese: A combination of Cheddar and Smoked Cheddar brings a super cheesy experience to this steakhouse mac and cheese. The smoked cheddar is a nice touch for a rustic flavor.
- Cream and Half & Half: Two cups of heavy cream and three cups of half and half guarantees the creamiest mac and cheese experience possible.
- The Pasta: This is a cavatappi mac and cheese, a lovely corkscrew spiral shaped pasta. It’s a commonly chosen pasta shape for mac and cheese. It’s twists and turns allow all of that cheesy goodness to cling to every curve of the pasta.
- White Pepper I personally think white pepper is underrated, and love that it’s used in this recipe. White pepper tastes different than black pepper in that it’s brighter and sharper. It adds a peppery bite without adding black flecks to a white creamy dish. Perfect for this white creamy mac and cheese.
- Panko & Chipotle Powder: Flemings mac and cheese is finished with a beautiful crunch by toasted panko bread crumbs that have been seasoned with chipotle chile powder. It’s an amazing finish to an already wonderful rustic casserole.
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
- Cream: I have made this recipe by omitting the heavy cream and using only half and half. It was still creamy and delicious.
- Yellow Cheddar: I used a yellow cheddar cheese for this recipe. If you want to use an aged white cheddar cheese, alongside the white smoked cheddar, would make this an even whiter macaroni casserole.
- Cavatappi Pasta: A curly shaped pasta such as Rotini would would well here. As would elbow macaroni or even pasta shells. If choosing shells, choose the larger size shells labeled as medium pasta shells.
- Black Pepper: Don’t have white pepper, you can use black pepper.
Let’s get started.
How To Make Flemings Steakhouse Mac and Cheese
- Step 1: The process starts by melting the butter in a large Dutch oven and then adding onions. The onions are cooked over medium heat until just turning tender.
- Step 2: Is where the roux process starts. Add flour to the hot butter and onions and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
- Step 3: Add the cream and half and half to the flour butter mixture and cook over medium low heat until the roux starts to thicken.
- Step 4: Add the yellow cheddar and white smoked cheddar and stir until blended and melted.
- Step 5 Add the cooked cavatappi pasta and stir.
- Step 7: Make the chipotle panko topping. Heat a small non-stick saucepan over medium high heat. Add the panko and chipotle chile powder and stir until panko is just starting to turn golden.
- Step 7: Transfer the pasta mixture to your favorite casserole dish.
- Step 8: Sprinkle on the Panko Chipotle topping and it’s ready for the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.
Questions You Might Have
Yes. Like any cheesy casserole mac and cheese is freezable. This recipe makes a big batch, so when you’ve eaten as much as you can, just freeze in small containers.
I like to reheat recipes like this in more manageable individual or small portions. Rather than trying to reheat an entire casserole. And use the microwave. Add a drizzle of liquid (milk or water that you’ve cooked the pasta in) to rehydrate the pasta. Pasta seems to soak up liquid as it sits in the fridge. Reheat in 30 second intervals and use that 50% power feature on the microwave. It will help keep it from becoming greasy.
Yes. You can cook the casserole ahead of time and either freeze it or keep in in the refrigerator for a day ahead of show-time. If the casserole is frozen, let it come to room temperature before reheating. Reheat in a 200 degree oven, until nice and warm. You don’t want to re-cook the casserole, just heat it up.
How To Keep Cooked Pasta Dishes From Drying Out
As it sits, pasta seems to soak up liquid after baking. Don’t throw that pasta cooking water down the drain. It’s liquid gold. Always reserve some of that cooked starchy water. Add about ½ – 1 cup before cooking. It really helps to keep that pasta nice and creamy. I’ve even kept some of that left over water in the fridge. Just add some to the casserole before reheating. Or you can use milk.
What to Serve It With
A steak of course, try this recipe for Steak with Cognac Creamed Mushrooms for a true steakhouse feel dinner. Rather have chicken. Try serving it with the best BBQ Grilled Chicken. This side dish would also pair well with these Honey Garlic Pork Chops.
Recipe for Flemings Steakhouse Mac and Cheese
I hope you give Flemings Mac and Cheese recipe a try, it’s truly a very special macaroni and cheese experience.
And if you’re a big pasta fan, don’t miss my Pasta Category. You’ll find lots of tasty recipe ideas. Including the most popular pasta recipe on my site for, Spicy Creamy Shrimp Pasta Recipe.
More Popular Mac and Cheese Recipes:
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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Fleming’s Steakhouse Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta cavatappi or curly
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ¾ cup onion ½-inch dice
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups half and half
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper ground
- ¾ pound smoked cheddar cheese grated
- ¼ pound cheddar cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon dried chipolte chili chipotle chili powder
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt and pasta and cook for 8 – 9 minutes
- Drain pasta and cool under cold running water. Pasta should be slightly firm. Toss drained pasta in oil and reserve
- Melt butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 4 – 5 minutes.
- Add flour and cook 1 – 2 minute but do not brown.
- Add cream, half and half, kosher salt and white pepper.
- Bring pot to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thick, about 5 – 6 minutes Blend cheese into sauce and add cooked pasta.
- Pour pasta and sauce into a large baking dish casserole. Reserve.
- In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add bread crumbs and chipotle chile powder. Stir over medium heat for about a minute. Sprinkle bread crumbs over macaroni and cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Flemings Steakhouse Mac and Cheese, it’s whats for dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
My husbands a Mac’ man he could eat it every night and this was supreme but I wish your recipes made small quantities as I cook mainly for the 2 of us …
Hi MJ and thanks so much for your note and the compliment about this recipe. We are also a family of two empty nesters and my freezer is always packed full of food. Due to leftovers. You can most certainly freeze macaroni and cheese. I like to use freezer safe zip loc style bags. Just squeeze the air out of them and lay them flat for maximum freezer space. Let me know if you have any more questions. Make it a delicious day!
YUM!! What a great side with all of the grill cooking my hubby is doing this summer! Thank you!!! e
Wow! This sounds so fabulous and decadent! It is do nice thst the chef shared his recipe with you. I will save this recipe for a time when my entire family can gather for dinner. We all love mac ‘n cheese.
Lea Ann, wouldn’t this just knock my socks off! Pinned for future (not too distant!) reference. I love a good macaroni and cheese, and I am thoroughly wowed by this one.
This looks great! Love mac ‘n cheese, and the addition of chipotle takes it to another level. Thanks!
I followed this recipe nearly exactly (except for halving it) and it was delicious! Just like Fleming’s. Next time I think I will skip the topping or maybe try something slightly different as I’m not a huge fan of panko toppings. But the pasta itself was decadent and just perfect! Thank you for sharing
Hi Katy. Thanks so much for taking the time to rate the recipe. I’m getting ready to make it this week, it’s one of our favorite mac and cheeses and I want to get better photos.
I’m making it again today! I have to use penne this time because my grocery was out of cavatapi. I hope it turns out just as delicious this way. I’m making a full batch this time! Thanks for sharing your recipes and have a happy thanksgiving!
I love this mac & cheese at Fleming’s – thanks for posting!! I can’t wait to try it at home.
Those balsamic onions look so intriguing! I’ve never had any before.
I tried very hard not to comment about the mac and cheese, thinking if I don’t comment, I won’t have to make it, eat half of it in one sitting, and then I won’t have to have my arteries scrubbed. Too late…. *sigh* 😉
I think those little onions are called Ciopino Onions (or something with a similar spelling) They have them at Whote Foods and they are wonderful. I can’t find a reference to them being called that on the internet, so just called them Balsamic Onions.
I hope you don’t mind, I had to poke fun at Wichita on my most recent post about Spinach Pasta. 🙂
For the sake of our reputation, I’m glad you didn’t descibe all of the bottles we consumed. : )
The crackers are Rutherford & Meyer three-cheese gourmet wafers, from New Zealand. Purchased at King Soopers.
I’ll never feel the same about mac and cheese again, way to go. And After a few glasses of wine, I called the scones “those fish and biscuit things”…a very un-gourmet moment. But they were maybe the best item of the evening.
The scones & chipoltle macaroni & cheese look and sound positively delicious! If we’re going to gain weight anyway, might as well enjoy it immensely! 😉