Southwest Chorizo Mac & Cheese

Southwest Chorizo Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese...  Seriously, is there any dish more versatile?  Is there anyone out there who doesn't like some form of it?  I'll tell you right now, the answer to both of these questions is no. I have personally spent a lot of time struggling to figure out the secret to making a creamy and gooey baked mac & cheese, but it was not until I purchased an actual mac & cheese cookbook that I learned what I was missing.  Bechamel sauce.  If you are not familiar with bechamel, it sounds fancy, but is super easy to make and only requires 3 base ingredients -

butter, flour and milk.
Bechamel is the key to any homemade Alfredo sauce, or gooey mac & cheese and I love using it because if you want your dish extra creamy, all you need to do is make some extra!
I had been wanting to make a meal with Chorizo (Spanish pork sausage) for a while, so the last time I was at the Story City Locker, I made sure to pick some up.  After putting this together, I really couldn't be happier about how this flavorful dish turned out!

What You Need:

1 lb bulk Chorizo Sausage

2 strips thick cut bacon

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

2-3 cups cream, half & half, or milk (whole, or 2%)

salt & pepper

1/2 tsp each cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper

1 Chipotle pepper (chopped) w/ 1 tbsp Adobo sauce

3 cups shredded cheese (at least 2 types, cheddar being 1)

1 cup fire roasted corn

1/2 lb uncooked pasta (macaroni or shells are ideal)

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Place a large pan on the stove over medium-high heat.  Once pan is hot, add the Chorizo and break apart the sausage as it cooks.  While Chorizo is browning, start a pot of water on the stove for your pasta.  When water comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and the pasta.  Cook to al-dente according to package directions.  When pasta is cooked, drain the water and place the pasta in a large baking dish, cover and set aside.  Once Chorizo is fully cooked, lower heat to medium and use a slotted spoon to remove sausage from pan and place in a heat-proof bowl lined with paper towels.  Set sausage aside and place bacon in the pot pan.  Cook bacon over medium heat, turning often, until fully cooked.  Remove bacon from pan and place on paper towels - set aside.

Drain any collected sausage/bacon grease from the pan, leaving about 1 tbsp still in the pan.  Over medium heat, add the butter to the pan.  Melt the butter, mixing it in with the reserved fat.  When butter is melted, whisk in the flour.  This makes a rue - the base of your bechamel sauce.  Whisk in the milk/cream, about 1/2 cup at a time until it is all incorporated.  Add the cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt & pepper to taste.  Whisk in

chopped Chipotle pepper and Adobo sauce.  Turn off burner and add the cheeses all at once.  Stir up just enough to incorporate but not melt all of the cheese.

Chop the cooled bacon strips and add them to your pasta in the baking dish along with the Chorizo and the corn.  Pour hot cheese mixture over everything and lightly toss all ingredients together.  At this point you can either place your dish in a preheated oven, uncovered, at 375 degrees, or refrigerate for later baking.  

Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is hot and melty.
 Remove from oven and top mac & cheese with chopped fresh cilantro.  Serve immediately and enjoy!