This kicked up Chorizo Mac and Cheese with Poblanos is the mac and cheese you never knew you needed in your life. It uses not one, but THREE delicious cheeses to create a blend of delicious flavors that perfectly complement the chorizo and poblanos. It's the perfect balance of cheesy carbs with a hint of spice and smokiness, making it an excellent side dish or main course!
(This recipe was originally published in March 2017, but was updated with new photos and content in 2023).
This chorizo mac and cheese with poblanos is a kicked up mac and cheese variation. Chorizo sausage infuses its smoky quality to the entire dish, while chopped roasted poblanos add a hint more spice.
The cheese sauce begins with a combination of canned evaporated milk, regular milk, and heavy cream boiled and then whisked together with three kinds of cheese. No roux here. The richness and thickness of the evaporated milk and the decadence of all the cheeses is plenty to creates a luscious and gooey cheese sauce.
The dish is finished with an herbed bread crumb topping featuring crunchy panko, a touch more cheese, and chopped herbs for a bit of color.
This is not your typical mac and cheese. It's definitely elevated for an adult palate, but it couldn't be easier to make (like I said, no need to even make a roux!).
Ingredient notes
- Chorizo: Chorizo is a type of cured, smoked pork sausage hailing from Spain and Portugal. Because it's a cured and not fresh sausage, it can be eaten without cooking it, however for this recipe we dice and sauté it to crisp it up and release some of its excess fat before stirring it into the mac and cheese.
- Poblanos: Poblanos are mild chili peppers which are often used for making chiles rellenos. In their dried form they're called ancho chiles, but you'll need the fresh ones for this recipe. Roast them in the oven or over a flame until they are soft and the skin is charred in spots. Let them cool slightly before peeling the skin (it should easily tear off—if it doesn't, you haven't roasted them long enough) and then seeding and chopping for the recipe.
- Milk/Cream: You'll need a combination of canned evaporated milk (NOT condensed milk, which is sweet), regular milk, and heavy cream. Think of it as the tres leches of this mac and cheese! Evaporated milk has a richer flavor than fresh milk, so it's a good addition here. If you don’t happen to have canned milk, use 1 ½ cups fresh regular milk and ½ cup heavy cream.
- Cheeses: A combination of sharp Cheddar, Gruyère, and goat cheese creates a wonderful balance of cheesy flavors, taking the best that each cheese has to offer: sharpness from the Cheddar, nuttiness from the Gruyère, and creamy tanginess from the goat cheese.
- Pasta: Any short pasta shape would work well for this chorizo mac and cheese, however a few recommendations include cavatappi/cellentani, radiatore, and ziti.
- Panko: Panko is a Japanese style of bread crumb. It's made with larger, extra crunchy flakes, and yields the perfect crispy topping for this chorizo mac and cheese with poblanos!
How to make it
First, make the herbed bread crumbs. Combine panko and melted butter in a small bowl until the panko is evenly coated with the butter. Stir in shredded Gruyère and chopped herbs. Set aside until ready to use.
Next, cook the diced chorizo (PHOTO 1). Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to paper towels to drain (PHOTO 2). It will shrink down quite a bit after cooking. Set aside until ready to use.
To make the cheese sauce, bring evaporated milk, fresh milk, and cream just to boil in a large saucepan (PHOTO 3). Reduce the heat and gradually whisk in shredded cheddar, Gruyère, and crumbled goat cheese (PHOTO 4).
Mix until the cheeses are melted and the sauce is smooth (this may take a few minutes of constant whisking). Whisk in sriracha and dry mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper (PHOTOS 5-6). Set the cheese sauce aside and keep it warm.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a large 3-quart baking dish or large cast iron skillet.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until a couple minutes shy of al dente. Drain well. Return the pasta to the cooking pot and stir in the cheese sauce, chorizo and poblanos (PHOTO 7). Then stir in the egg yolks, mixing well (PHOTO 8).
Spread the mixture in the oiled dish (PHOTO 9) and sprinkle the herbed crumbs on top (PHOTO 10).
Bake until the crumbs are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Sprinkle with chopped chives, if using, and serve hot.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Chorizo mac and cheese with poblanos is an excellent side dish for a cookout or barbecue meal (the smoky elements really tie it together), but is substantial enough to stand on its own as a main course if you prefer.
The cheese sauce is not as saucy as some other baked mac and cheese recipes. It lightly cloaks the pasta before baking, but provides the perfect amount of cheese without being overly heavy. There is enough richness in the dish without it swimming in cheese sauce.
I prefer reheating leftover chorizo mac and cheese in a small casserole dish in my toaster oven in order to retain the crunchy topping!
You can assemble this dish a day in advance without adding the topping, and cover and refrigerate it. Before you're ready to bake it, add the panko topping. It may require a few minutes extra to bake from a cold state.
Other recipes you may like
- Baked Mac and Cheese with Ritz Crackers
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Baked Pasta Bianca with Five Cheeses
- Trinidad Macaroni Pie
- Schinkennudeln (German Ham and Cheese Noodle Casserole)
- Älplermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni and Cheese)
- Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Chorizo Mac and Cheese with Poblanos
Ingredients
Herbed Bread Crumbs:
- 1 cup panko Japanese bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup (1 ounce / 30 grams) shredded Gruyère cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, or a combination
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chorizo:
- 8 ounces (225 grams) smoked chorizo cut into ½-inch dice
Cheese Sauce:
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups (8 ounces / 225 grams) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (4 ounces / 115 grams) shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1 cup (4 ounces / 115 grams) crumbled goat cheese
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mac and Cheese:
- 1 pound short pasta such as radiatore, ziti, or cavatappi
- 2 poblano (fresh ancho) chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- To make the herbed crumbs: Combine the panko and melted butter in a small bowl until the panko is evenly coated with the butter. Stir in the Gruyère and herbs. Set aside until ready to use.
- To cook the chorizo: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to paper towels to drain. Set aside until ready to use.
- To make the cheese sauce: Bring the evaporated milk, fresh milk, and cream just to boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, taking care that the mixture does not boil over. Reduce to low heat and gradually whisk in the cheddar, Gruyère, and goat cheese. Mix until the cheeses are melted and the sauce is smooth (this may take a few minutes of constant whisking). Whisk in the sriracha and mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set the cheese sauce aside and keep it warm.
- To make the mac and cheese: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a large 3-quart baking dish or large cast iron skillet.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until a couple minutes shy of al dente (it will bake and soften further in the oven). Drain well. Return the pasta to the cooking pot and stir in the cheese sauce, chorizo and poblanos. Then stir in the egg yolks, mixing well.
- Spread the mixture in the oiled dish and sprinkle the herbed crumbs on top. Bake until the crumbs are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped chives, if using, and serve hot.
Notes
- Evaporated milk has a richer flavor than fresh milk, so it's a good addition here. If you don’t happen to have canned milk, use 1 ½ cups fresh regular milk and ½ cup heavy cream.
- Roast the poblanos in the oven or over a flame until they are soft and the skin is charred in spots. Let them cool slightly before peeling the skin (it should easily tear off—if it doesn't, you haven't roasted them long enough) and then seeding and chopping for the recipe.
- I prefer reheating leftover chorizo mac and cheese in a small casserole dish in my toaster oven in order to retain the crunchy topping.
- You can assemble this dish a day in advance without adding the topping, and cover and refrigerate it. Before you're ready to bake it, add the panko topping. It may require a few minutes extra to bake from a cold state.
- Adapted from Share
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Jess says
10/10 would recommend.
My boyfriend made an offhand comment a couple days ago that "he doesn't like Mac and cheese, but he did have a poblano Mac he loved once"
---Since cooking is practically my love language, I got to googling.
I was wary because this recipe had no reviews and a lot of cheeses that I wasn't familiar with. I've also never roasted a pepper in my life. And the gruyere and goat cheese were kinda spendy, considering I had no idea what I was doing. But I got to cooking.
soooooo good. mmm. little bit of a kick to it. but not too much. my 10 and 12 year old had no problem with it. i used ground chorizo instead of a sausage, that was tasty. I served it with a side of creamed corn,and that mixed SO well with this. kinda like a southwestern Mac dish. seriously turned out great.