An easy, creamy baked macaroni and cheese with corn and tomatoes… and a kick of Southwestern flair!
Welcome to day 1 of #HotSummerEats! Don’t forget to read all about the event and check out the giveaway here. There are lots of great items up for grabs and I’d love for my readers to win. 🙂 </end plug> When I first started thinking about the concept of hot summer eats, barbecue foods were the first to come to mind. And thanks to the sweet lady who served as our cook in my sorority house in college [shout out to RV!], when I hear barbecue, I also think “mac and cheese.” She’d always serve BBQ chicken with mac and cheese, and that combo is fabulous!
There are several mac and cheese recipes that I love–a stovetop version and a baked version–but both can be kind of fussy and time consuming. In the summer, especially when preparing food for a party or barbecue, speed is imperative. So when I found a recipe for a baked mac and cheese dish that used sour cream and shredded cheese for the sauce, I was pumped! That is SO easy and sounded fabulous. I also stirred in some of my kitchen staples–canned tomatoes and frozen corn–to kick up this dish a notch.
For flavors, I used some Gourmet Garden stir-in pastes: cilantro and chili pepper. I’ve used these so much in the past and am so glad to say that they’re a sponsor of #HotSummerEats! They’re so easy and convenient to use, and add a ton of flavor in one easy package! The result? This mac and cheese was super cheesy, super flavorful, and super delicious! The easy sauce was just as tasty as some of its more fussy counterparts, though you do have to give it a good stir after baking to evenly distribute to cheese. Small problems though, when this dish is so good! I hope you love it as much as we do. 🙂
one year ago: Black Bean and Rice Soup
four years ago: Lemony Kale Pasta
Southwestern Cilantro Mac and Cheese
adapted from Good Cheap Eats
Ingredients:
- 1 pound cavatappi pasta
- 8 ounces Jalapeno Light Cheddar Cheese, cut into chunks [I used Cabot; a pepperjack would also work]
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded – divided
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 – 10 ounce can diced tomato and green chiles, drained
- 1/2 cup corn, from an ear of cooked corn or frozen works too
- 1/4 cup Cilantro Paste – from Gourmet Garden [or about 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro]
- 2 tablespoons Chili Pepper Paste – from Gourmet Garden [or other spice like red pepper flakes or hot sauce, to taste]
- Lightly Dried Cilantro – from Gourmet Garden, for topping [or chopped fresh cilantro]
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees while a large pot of water comes to a boil. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook pasta until just under al dente, since it will cook further in the oven. In a large bowl, stir together Jalapeno cheese, half of the shredded cheddar cheese, tomatoes, corn, cilantro, and chili pepper paste.
When pasta is done, drain and add pasta to the sauce in the bowl. Stir together to combine, then transfer to the baking dish. Note: there will not be tons of extra sauce, just enough to coat the noodles. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Stir pasta and sauce together in baking dish to recombine and then serve with additional cilantro.
For more #HotSummerEats recipes, click the link below:
Disclaimer: Thank you to Gourmet Garden for providing samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats recipes without additional compensation. I was not asked to provide positive feedback. All opinions are my own. Please check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for more information on their products.
The Pajama Chef 
Mac and Cheese is a favorite around here too. Happy Hot Summer Eats!!
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thank you, wendy! we love it too! 🙂
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I always think Mac and cheese too for bbq!! This looks amazing. I’m a cilantro fan so I was sold from that alone.
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cilantro all the way! thanks! 🙂
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Oh this looks super yummy! I love coming up with new ways to enjoy mac n’ cheese and this one looks like it would be a hit.
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thank you, amy! can you go wrong with mac & cheese?!? nope! 🙂
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What a GREAT way to use herbs! I will definitely be adding herbs to my mac and cheese next time, Sarah! Thanks for sharing with #HotSummerEats.
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thank you, camilla!
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It’s rainy and cold here in Boston and the perfect night for a dish like this!!
Sues
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mmm, yes it would be! thanks!
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That mac & cheese sounds amazing! I’m loving the pepperjack!
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thank you, amy! the cabot ‘pepperjack’ aka jalapeno jack was amazing!
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I love all the recipes the Gourmt Gerden products are snoring. Great flavors. RV would approve!
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thanks! hope she would haha 🙂
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I love the cooking method you used! I will have to try it- my two year old loves Mac and cheese!
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thanks ashley! making the sauce is SO easy this way. 🙂 you’ll have to let me know what you think if you try it.
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This looks so cheesy and wonderfully flavorful! Perfect side for a grilled spicy burger 😉
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thank you, erin!
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Sounds delicious!
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thank you! it was 🙂
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I love everything about this mac n’cheese! One of the perks to living in the South, getting mac n’cheese for a side ALWAYS! I love spicy food, so this recipe has my name written all over it! Yum, Hugs, Terra
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yes, i agree! the south is pretty great 🙂 thanks terra!
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