Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

Friends, I am in trouble. Big, calorie-laden, gut-busting trouble. You see, I have learned how to make baked macaroni and cheese in a whole new way. A you don’t have to cook the noodles, you don’t have to make a cheese sauce kind of way. And best of all, it is crazy delicious.

All you need for this miraculous mac and cheese is a blender – and your oven, of course. You take some milk and cottage cheese (weird I know, but trust me), whirl them up in a blender with some seasonings, and pour the mixture over dry pasta. All that’s left to do is stir in some cheese and bake it in the oven. That’s pretty much it.

Before trying this recipe, I’ll admit I was skeptical about how the finished product would turn out. Would the pasta be cooked all the way through? Would it be overcooked and mushy? Would the cheese sauce thicken up the way a proper baked macaroni and cheese sauce should? Yes, no, and yes. I don’t know how it happens, but this process, quick and easy as it is, results in some rockin’ macaroni and cheese.

You can use this basic method to make pretty much any kind of macaroni and cheese you desire. Stick with basic sharp cheddar cheese and standard seasonings for classic mac. Switch up the cheeses and spices for a French or Italian twist. Or try it out this way, with a little garlic and a smoky chipotle kick. The bacon on top is purely optional. I used turkey bacon because real bacon grease kind of freaks me out. All together, the flavor combination is so good I have had to force myself not to make it every week. Try it yourself and see what I mean. You may never make traditional baked macaroni and cheese again.

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Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
Adapted from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
Butter, for greasing the baking dish
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
2 cups milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 chipotle chile in adobo
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
Pinch of cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 pieces raw turkey bacon or 4 pieces cooked bacon, chopped
1/4 cup of crumbled cotija cheese (optional) *

* Cotija cheese is a hard, white, crumbly Mexican cheese. It has a fresh, slightly salty flavor and can be found in the international cheese section of many supermarkets. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet or a 9-inch round or square baking dish. Add the dry macaroni.

In a blender, purée the milk, cottage cheese, chipotle chile, garlic, mustard powder, cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Pour the milk mixture over the dry macaroni. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese (2/3 of the cheddar and 2/3 of the Monterey Jack.)

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil, stir the macaroni, and top with the remaining cup of cheese and the (turkey) bacon, if using.

Bake the macaroni, uncovered, for another 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbling.

Remove the macaroni from the oven and top with the crumbled cotija cheese, if desired.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 large main dish servings or 6 to 8 side dish servings.