White Cheddar Jalapeno Mac n’ Cheese with Meatballs
When my kids were little, there were always boxes of Annie’s Mac N Cheese on hand. Whenever they were being finicky about what was for dinner, it was an easy thing to whip up.
Of course, trying to be a good mom I was always looking for a homemade version that my kids would prefer. So many recipes called for baking the mac n cheese, which resulted in a dry, pasty casserole.
Fast forward and perhaps one of the greater compliments you can get from a spouse is “My mom made good mac n’ cheese, but yours is better.” Mission accomplished.
Mac n’ cheese is one of my favorite dishes to play around with different variations. This one has a little kick of heat from a jalapeno and some cayenne pepper . It’s creamy because it is made on the stovetop. And it’s easy because using frozen meatballs allows you to focus on getting the cheese sauce right.
White Cheddar Jalapeno Mac n’ Cheese with Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 jalapeno, diced fine
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper can use less to reduce the heat
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt plus more to adjust seasoning to taste
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder or flakes
- 8 ounces extra sharp white cheddar shredded, or in thin slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven and heat frozen meatballs according to package directions.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add about 12 oz. (about 3/4 of a package) of macaroni, penne, gemelli, or similar pasta. Cook until just tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Combine flour, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Dice jalapeno into small pieces and place in pan with butter. Melt butter with jalapeno on medium low heat until butter is melted and jalapeno just starts to soften, about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour and spice mixture into the pan with butter and stir to combine into a paste. Let the flour cook, stirring often, for about 30 seconds.
- Add a splash of milk, no more than 1/4 c., and stir into the flour mixture. It will look like something went wrong and the mixture has seized up. When the milk and flour are well combined, add another splash of milk and stir until combined.
- Continue adding the milk in increments, increasing the amount of milk slightly each time and stirring the paste until no lumps remain. It should take about 4-5 additions to incorporate all of the milk. Your goal is something that looks like the consistency of a cream soup.
- Reduce heat slightly and add the cheese. Stir occasionally until all the cheese is melted. Taste and season with salt as needed. Keep warm until ready to use.
- When pasta is ready, drain it in a colander and return it to the pan. Off heat, stir in the cheese sauce and cooked meatballs.
Recipe Notes
Don’t skip the cayenne, even if you don’t like heat
If you want to leave out the jalapeno, feel free. I do recommend using a little cayenne pepper regardless. I learned this from chef Caprial Pence. Her potato leek soup recipe has a splash of Frank’s Red Hot and I’ve found over the years that a little cayenne just adds a little je ne sais quoi to any cream sauce without adding noticeable spiciness.
Substitute Onion and Garlic Powder with the real Thing
You can absolutely use about 1 clove of minced garlic and a tablespoon of minced onion instead of the onion and garlic powder. I find using the dried powders adds a little more flavor and also ensures that the sauce is creamy and smooth. If you use real minced garlic or onion, there will be small lumps in your sauce which more discriminating palates (i.e. little kids) might object to.
Frozen Meatballs for the Win
The main star is the creamy cheese sauce and it does require some attention because once the butter melts you need to pay attention because it comes together fairly quickly. If you prefer to make your favorite meatballs from scratch, feel free, but I like using frozen. This makes this dish easy enough for a quick weeknight supper.
My favorite meatballs are the Kirkland Italian Meatballs from Costco, or the Party Meatballs from Trader Joes. if your meatballs are larger, you could cut them in half before adding to the sauce.
use Extra Sharp Cheese
This it perhaps the biggest secret to great mac n cheese. I once watched a cooking course with the late Bill Briwa from the CIA. He stated that any sauce needs to be bold so that when you combine it with whatever you are saucing it is still flavorful.
For mac n’ cheese, the noodles will dilute the flavor of your cheese sauce so make it bold. I promise that extra sharp cheese will soften in flavor once it is combined with all the other ingredients. I have tried making this with just sharp cheddar and it’s still creamy, but loses some of the cheese flavor.
Adjust Salt before Adding more Cheese
Be sure to taste your cheese sauce and adjust the seasoning. Sometimes just adding a little extra salt livens up the cheese flavor. If it tastes salty enough but still a little weak in cheese flavor add another ounce or two. Sometimes adding a different variety of cheese (a little Gouda, or Monterey Jack for example) can also liven up the flavor.
