Mexican Mac and Cheese with Tomato Sauce

Mexican Mac and Cheese made with tomato sauce. There’s nothing like homemade macaroni and cheese. Throw in a Mexican twist for this feisty version of our favorite comfort food. The whole family will love this recipe. Easy and delicious and a perfect side dish for any Southwestern main course.

I’ve had this crazy macaroni and cheese craving all Summer. Finally I’ve gotten around to indulge. If there’s anything that reminds me of my childhood, mac and cheese is right at the top of the list.

Not to mention I lived on that crazy-good blue box version in college. Served along side a tuna salad sandwich. Those were the days. 🙂

The bright orange color of that blue box mac and cheese was gorgeous, but we all know food coloring was involved. This recipe for Mexican Mac and Cheese has that same beautiful color but it comes by it honestly.

Tomato sauce and tomato bouillon join forces to bring a saucy flavorful colorful base for this gourmet version of our favorite comfort food. But before we get to the recipe:

Save Your Pasta Water

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. If you let that water from cooked pasta go down the drain, you’re throwing away liquid gold.

That cloudy starchy liquid is cooked pasta’s best friend. It can turn your spaghetti or elbow macaroni into that silky, saucy pasta of your dreams. It’s filled with salt and starch and when combined with fat (cheese and butter in this case), results in a luxurious sauce.

Instead of letting that water drain through your colander, right before draining, just take a 1 cup measuring cup and dish out a cup full of the hot water. It helps to emulsify any sauce you’re adding to any pasta.

Before adding the pasta back to the sauce pan, add your fat (butter in this case) Once the butter starts melting start adding in your pasta water. Add the pasta and with tongs, (my favorite pasta tool), start combining the pasta with the buttery starchy water. Then you’re ready to finish the dish.

I learned this trick, not from Culinary School, but from my home-cook mom, who adored pasta and potato dishes. And by the way, potato water works in the same way. Starchy potato water was the secret to her creamy white gravy that she made from Pan Fried Chicken.

How To Make Mexican Mac and Cheese with Tomato Sauce

• In a separate saucepan, cook chopped onion and garlic. Set aside.
• After cooking the pasta, save 1 cup of the pasta water and drain pasta. Dissolve the tomato bouillon in the hot pasta water.
• Add the butter to the hot sauce pan. Once it’s almost melted add the pasta water and mix.
• Add the pasta back into the pan and with tongs give it a few stirs to coat the macaroni with the butter sauce.
• Add the onion, garlic, tomato sauce, spices and cheeses.
• Mix well.
• Optional: For a little bling. Move the macaroni to an oven safe pan, (I used my rectangular tart pan) and top with sliced tomatoes and a little more cheese over the tomatoes. Broil until cheese is melted and just starting to brown.
• Voila! Easy peasy and full of cheesy tomato-y flavor

Riffs on Mexican Macaroni and Cheese

• Add cooked ground beef, chorizo, or even cooked ground chicken breast.
• Elbow Macaroni is my mac and cheese pasta of choice, but you can mix it up if you want. Rigatoni and penne would be fun or how about those large shells.
• Add a large green, yellow or red bell pepper. Just chop and saute with the onion.
• 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 heat them right up.
• Add a couple of seeded, deveined canned Chipotle Chile peppers and a bit of the sauce. This will add a wonderful smoky flavor.
• I used a good quality pepper jack cheese and American cheese purchased from the deli. American cheese is a great melting cheese. Switch things up and use cheddar, Muenster, or shredded Mexican blend cheese. You can also top the macaroni with Cotija (Mexican crumbling cheese) before serving.
• Mix 1/4 panko bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle on top of the mac and cheese and broil until it starts to brown.

Recipe for Mexican Macaroni and Cheese

I hope you give this Mexican Mac and Cheese recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite stovetop mac and cheese recipe, or spicy macaroni and cheese recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

More Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

• Hatch Chile Macaroni and Cheese
• Creamy Swiss and Mushroom Mac and Cheese

And if you’re a pasta freak like us, you won’t want to miss my Pasta category. You’ll find plenty of al dente goodness. Including the most popular pasta recipe on my site, Spicy Creamy Shrimp Pasta.

This recipe is adapted from my friend Yvette’s Recipe at Muy Bueno Cookbook.

5 from 2 votes

Print

Mexican Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

A Mexican themed Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Macaroni and cheese, Mexican

Servings: 4

Calories: 736 kcal

Author: Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)

Ingredients

• 1 Sweet onion chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 Cups Water
• 2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 pound Elbow macaroni
• 2 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
• 15 1/2 ounce can Tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Tomato bouillon
• 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 1 teaspoon New Mexico Chile Powder or ancho chile pepper, or 2 – 3 shakes of hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
• 3/4 cup Pepper Jack Cheese grated
• 3/4 cup American cheese grated or cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute

2. Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add macaroni and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Place the tomato bouillon in the cup of hot pasta water to dissolve.

3. Return drained pasta to the pan. Stir in reserved pasta water/bouillon, tomato sauce, cheese and spices. Once the cheese is melted and pasta is well mixed, add the cider vinegar and stir.

4. 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.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Add more chile powder for more heat. Chile powder with an “e” is a single pepper blend and not to be confused with Chili, with an “i” powder which is a blend of several spices and used to season chili soup.

Nutrition Facts

Mexican Macaroni and Cheese

Amount Per Serving

Calories 736 Calories from Fat 234

% Daily Value*

Fat 26g40%

Saturated Fat 13g81%

Cholesterol 60mg20%

Sodium 2338mg102%

Potassium 777mg22%

Carbohydrates 99g33%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 27g54%

Vitamin A 1210IU24%

Vitamin C 12mg15%

Calcium 509mg51%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This recipe is adapted from my friend Yvette over at Muy Bueno Cookbook.

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Mexican Macaroni and Cheese …It’s What’s for a Side Dish.