Easy Stovetop Mexican Macaroni and Cheese 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 Mexican Mac and Cheese recipe. Easy and delicious and a perfect side dish for any Southwestern main course.
Servings 8
Calories 432kcal
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
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 908mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 891IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 407mg | Iron: 2mg
