Southwest Mac ’n’ Cheese
We combined evaporated milk and chipotle in adobe to create the creamy sauce for this hearty pasta bake
8 oz. elbow pasta
4 mini sweet yellow and/or red peppers, diced
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1⁄4 tsp. salt
8 oz. Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
1 (15.5 oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1 cup salsa
Jalapeño slices
Heat oven to 400°F. Coat ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Cook pasta per package directions for al dente, adding peppers during last 2 min. of cooking. Reserve 1⁄2 cup pasta cooking liquid; drain pasta. Return pasta and peppers to pot.
• In separate pot, melt butter over medium heat; add f lour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 min. Stir in evaporated milk and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring, until thickened, 1–2 min. Add
1 1⁄2 cups cheese, chipotle and reser ved pasta cooking liquid; stir until smooth.
Stir beans, salsa and sauce mixture into pasta mixture. Transfer to skillet. Top with remaining cheese. Bake until hot, 15 min. Broil 2 min. Top with jalapeño.
Tip: To grate soft cheeses without mess, simply coat the large holes of a box grater with cooking spray before shredding.
Servings: 6. Active time: 25 min. Total time: 45 min.
Calories: 490 Protein: 22g Fat: 20g (12g sat.) Chol.: 60mg Carbs.: 55g Sodium: 730mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 14g