Jalapeno Popper Orzo Mac N Cheese Recipes

JALAPENO POPPER MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to pot; set aside.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and jalapenos; cook until just softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in flour, coating vegetables well. Whisk in milk slowly until smooth. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Season sauce with garlic powder, seasoned salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in processed cheese and cream cheese until melted and sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
• Pour macaroni into cheese sauce and stir to coat completely. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Cool briefly.
• Crumble bacon and mix with panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over macaroni. Top with jalapeno slices.
• Bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

CREAMY JALAPENO POPPER MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Melt the unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; transfer half the melted butter to a medium bowl and reserve. Add the chopped jalapenos to the saucepan, toss to coat and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to a small bowl and reserve.
• Wipe out the saucepan and add the half-and-half. Cook over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until the half-and-half is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and reserved pasta water and stir to combine. (The mixture will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Gently fold in the reserved cooked jalapenos, pickled jalapenos and pickled jalapeno juice. Season with salt and cayenne if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs in the bowl with the reserved melted butter and a sprinkle of salt. Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Lay the sliced jalapenos evenly on top of the bread crumbs. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.