Saturday, May 26, 2012

Salsa Mac and Cheese

This is a quick and easy no-bake macaroni and cheese recipe that is perfect for making on a hot summer day.  All you have to do is whip up a quick cheese sauce on the stovetop and boil some pasta and you are all set.  No oven.  Just quick, almost instant, gratification. 

Lately our favorite pasta shape is cavatappi.  I think the long hollow spirals of pasta are just perfect for macaroni and cheese and I highly recommend seeking it out for this recipe.  Also, be sure to use your favorite salsa in this recipe.  The flavor of the salsa really comes through.  If I was on the ball I would have made my own salsa.  As it was, I had a jar of Rick Bayless' Frontera Jalapeno and Cilantro Salsa that I had been saving for a special occasion and I decided this salsa mac and cheese was definitely a special occasion.

This mac and cheese is creamy and delicious and lends itself well to all sorts of garnishes.  You could easily amp it up with sliced chicken or steak.  You could also throw in some extra veggies, top with extra salsa, spice it up with some jalapenos, add some tortilla chips for crunch, and/or even a little chili powder for garnish.  It's definitely easy to make this recipe your own.


Salsa Mac and Cheese
Adapted from Rick Bayless
Recipe available online here 

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 to 2 cups of your favorite salsa
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
1 pound dried pasta (though elbow macaroni will do, I suggest you try cork-screw cavatappi or the spiral rotini or fusilli)
Optional: garnish with chili powder, additional salsa, tortilla strips, scallions, jalapeno, etc.

Pour 4 quarts of water into a large pot, cover and set over high heat.

In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then stir in the flour and whisk until the mixture turns a deep golden, about 2 minutes.  Add the milk and continue to whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil, 4 or 5 minutes.  (Whisk diligently and there will be no lumps.)  Stir in the salsa, remove from the heat, then stir in cheese.  Continue stirring until all the cheese has melted.  Taste and season generously with salt, usually 1 1/2 teaspoons. Cover to keep warm until the pasta is done.

When the water has come to a boil, add the dried pasta. Stir well to keep the pasta from sticking together and boil until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.  Drain thoroughly and add the pasta to the sauce.  Stir until all the pasta is covered in the salsa cheese sauce.  You’re ready to dig in.

Theme: Potluck!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND TO ALL MY AMERICAN FRIENDS!  IT'S OFFICIALLY SUMMER!!

21 comments:

  1. Mac and Cheese is such a comfort to me. Happy memorial day, Kim!

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  2. I will be doing this next week Kim - looking for new ways and tastes to usher in summer. Hope you have a lovely weekend.

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  3. This is yet another great recipe from Rick Bayless. A great recipe to accompany steak.

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  4. This sounds so good and easy!

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  5. How weird. I made stove top mac 'n cheese, with some broccoli in it (gotta get some veg in our diet). It was good. Just good. I felt it was missing something-- I didn't follow a recipe, just made a white sauce and tossed in garlic powder and mustard. Salsa. That's what was missing! Love it!
    Debby, "A Feast for the Eyes"

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  6. My mom only ever made stovetop mac and cheese so it's always been my favorite over baked anyway! Love how the salsa cuts the creaminess in this!

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  7. I have never eaten mac and cheese in my life, i now its an amercan favorite. So maybe now is the time to try it, because this sounds and looks delicious.

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  8. What a clever idea Kim. Love the salsa and no-bake. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.
    Sam

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  9. Yup, one of my faves!! Looks SO tasty...save me a bowl, will ya!? (Okay, I know it's long gone by now...)

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  10. This was one of the recipes which I've bookmarked to try! I've already bought a bottle of Mexican Salsa for this! Now I know that this is really good, I'll be making this sooner!

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  11. I love this recipe, so simple yet so delish -perfect for an easier meal for a late night or hot day, I'll have to try this :) Looks great.

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  12. Delicious! And kudos on finding the Frontera salsa. I like my mac and cheese unbaked too, it's creamier that way.

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  13. This does look like an easy, no fuss summer meal. We're big fans of changing up mac & cheese. Will have to try this one!

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  14. Heck yeah! Great idea and no house heating oven to deal with.

    And I know you get tired of me saying this but DAGNABIT I want this service set.

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  15. What a delicious mac and cheese!Looks creamy....my kids would love this one!

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  16. Fun idea to put salsa on mac and cheese, Kim! Love that it's all stove top!

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  17. I love that this is a no-bake mac and cheese. And adding salsa is a great idea! Recently I've been obsessed with the spicy salsa from Trader Joe's - so I'm glad to find yet another recipe incorporating salsa :)

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  18. What an easy recipe for mac and cheese and look at all that cheesy creamy goodness. Perfect for summer!

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  19. This looks wonderful--so creamy and cheesy. ;-) I was impressed with the Frontera salsa I tried--good flavor and pretty whole, natural ingredients.

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