Spicy Italian Macaroni and Cheese

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I am excited to partner with DairyPure milk to bring you this new recipe. While this post was sponsored, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

We love mac & cheese in our house. I don’t get to make it from scratch as often as I like but I try to make a big batch and then freeze it for later use at least once per month. Since we eat it a lot, I like to try and change it up from time to time and go beyond a basic macaroni and cheese. Recently, I wanted to make some that was geared a little more to the adults in our house and created spicy Italian macaroni and cheese.

Now, this can totally be customized to be a little more friendly to the little ones in your house but I like the little kick that the pepperjack cheese offers. A big bonus for me is knowing that this is a good way to get some extra calcium in thanks to the delicious milk and cheese; two things we ALWAYS have in the house. 

Spicy Italian Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients:

16 oz cavatappi pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cloves roasted garlic, minced
1 cup roasted red pepper strips
2 1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

Let’s Make It:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente; approximately 6 minutes. Drain.
3. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and garlic. Slowly whisk in milk, letting each addition fully incorporate before adding more.
4. Bring a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in 1 cup pepperjack, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2/3 cup asiago cheese.
5. Stir cheese sauce, pasta, crushed red pepper and red pepper strips together. Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining pepperjack and asiago cheese.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

I used DairyPure milk for my recipe and have recently switched my kids to drinking it now that it is available nationwide. I love it because it is backed by an exclusive Five-Point Purity Promise, ensuring that the milk
– contains no artificial growth hormones
– is tested for antibiotics
– is continually quality tested to ensure purity
– only comes from cows fed a healthy diet
– is cold shipped fresh from a local dairy

Spicy Italian Macaroni and Cheese

2015-05-14 21:36:14

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Ingredients

1. 16 oz cavatappi pasta
2. 1/4 cup butter
3. 1/3 cup flour
4. 2 cloves roasted garlic, minced
5. 1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips
6. 2 1/2 cup milk
7. 1 3/4 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
8. 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
9. 3/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
10. 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain.
3. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and garlic. Slowly whisk in milk, letting each addition fully incorporate before adding more.
4. Bring a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in 1 cup pepperjack, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2/3 cup asiago cheese.
5. Stir cheese sauce, pasta and red pepper strips together. Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining pepperjack and asiago cheese.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

By Shannah @ Just Us Four

My Suburban Kitchen https://www.mysuburbankitchen.com/

 Get even more macaroni and cheese ideas from these great posts.

Cajun Mac & Cheese // Pumpkin Mac & Cheese / Turkey and Spinach Macaroni Bites