Roasted Tomatillo and Green Chili Mac N' Cheese

I know I haven't blogged in awhile, but I'm back and I've got a great recipe for you! You know how much I love Mac N' Cheese, not only to eat, but to make. There are so many flavor combinations you can do with it and this version may very well be my favorite Mac N' Cheese I've ever made. The flavors of this recipe are so complex and delicious and yet, it's so simple to make! It's loosely based on one of my dad's chili recipes. Here's what I did...

-rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken, shredded (about 3 cups) 
-5 medium to large tomatillos
-1 small can of diced green chilies
-about 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded 
-about 1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
-3 to 4 scallions, finely diced
-a handful of cilantro, chopped
-1/2 lb of short cut pasta (penne or rigatoni)
-2 TBS butter
-2 TBS flour
-1 1/2 cups of warmed milk
-2 tsp ground coriander
-about 1/2 cup of crushed tortilla chips
-salt and pepper

 This is what a tomatillo looks like before peeling off the husk. They have a pretty tart flavor so roasting them helps to balance out the tartness. 
 

This is a standard bechamel sauce. The typical flavors of a regular bechamel sauce is salt, pepper and nutmeg, but I used coriander here to compliment the other Mexican flavors.

This is the cheese sauce with the roasted tomatillos and green chilies. 

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a casserole dish with Pam and set aside. Peel the husks off of the tomatillos and rinse them with water. (Even after rinsing they will feel slightly sticky and have a funny smell, but as long as they are a bright green color they are good.) Place them on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them until golden brown about 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then chop finely. Meanwhile, place a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Cook pasta for about 7-8 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven). Drain and put the pasta back into the pot, off of the heat. While the pasta is cooking, preheat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour, whisking to combine. Let the mixture cook about 1 minute and then slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Allow the milk to thicken about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. (The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.) Season with coriander, salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low and with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in a small handful of cheese at a time. Once all of the cheese is melted into the white sauce, stir in the chopped tomatillos and diced green chilies. Add the chopped scallions, cilantro and shredded chicken to the pot of pasta and pour the cheese sauce over it. Stir to combine the ingredients evenly. Pour the mac n' cheese into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the crushed chips. Place into the oven and cook until the chips are golden brown about 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately. 


This Mac N' Cheese is so flavorful and has a little heat to it, but if you want to kick it up a notch, you can add some diced pickled jalapenos to the mix. I really hope you try this out because I think you will love it!