Larry's Southwestern Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese

Here is the recipe I entered in the Times Union Mac-N-Cheese Bowl on 19Feb2011, a fundraiser for the Northeast NY Food Bank. I didn't win but it was a great time and a great cause.

Macaroni and cheese is not an everyday dish South of the border. But now that there are millin of Mexican-Americans living north of the border, adding chipotle sauce to flavor macaroni and cheese makes a lot of sense. And it tastes good, too!

1 lb. elbow macaroni pasta
6 tblsp. butter
½ cup unbleached flour
4 cups milk, warmed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper or more to taste
2 cups grated white or orange sharp cheddar
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup Larry’s Southwestern Chipotle Sauce or your favorite Mexican sauce
½ cup minced fresh poblano or jalapeno peppers, seeds removed. (optional)

1. Boil the macaroni in a large pot of water until barely done according to package instructions.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the flour and stir to form a roux. Add the warm milk and stir to form a cream sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stir the cheese into the sauce. Add the macaroni and Larry’s Southwestern Chipotle Sauce. Stir it all together and transfer it to a baking dish. Sprinkle the minced poblano over the top and bake in a 350’ oven for 25 minutes.
Serves four to six.