Cheese

Jalapeno Cheddar Cheeto Mac

June 24, 2023
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Photo by the_happy_veg
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • makes 6 -8 Pieces
Author Notes

Remember cheetos? Crispy, cheesy, and addictive? Ring a bell? They just so happen to make a glorious, spicy little crust for a baked mac and cheese. —the_happy_veg

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Dry Macaroni Pasta
  • 1+ cups Jalapeno Cheddar Crunchy Cheetos
  • 3 pieces Jalapeno Peppers, 2x seeded & diced, 1 x sliced
  • 125 grams Full Fat Cream Cheese, room temp
  • 1 1/2 cups Extra Old White Cheddar, shredded
  • 1/3 cup Grana Padano, shredded
  • 1 cup Old Marble Cheddar, shredded
  • 1 1/4 cups Whipping Cream, room temp
  • 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted & cooled
  • 2 pieces Large, Free-Range Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
  • 3/4 + teaspoons Himalayan Salt
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Whisk together the cream, butter, eggs, mustard, cayenne, diced jals, garlic powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Bring a large pot of cold, generously salted water to a boil. Once boiled, add your noodles and cook about a minute less than what's recommended for al dente. Turn off the heat and strain the noodles. Return the noodles to the pot and put the pot back on the burner that is now off. Pour in your cream mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the cream cheese, grana, cheddar, and marble until combined and mostly melted. Some blobs of cream cheese are fine because they're delicious once baked.
  4. Spray the inside of a 7" x 11" baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the mac mixture in to the greased dish and tap it off the counter a few times to settle everything.
  5. Add your cheetos to a ziplock and smash them up in to smaller pieces / crumbs using a rolling pin or another heavy duty item from your drawers. Sprinkle them over the mac to coat the top followed by your sliced jalapenos. Sprinkle salt over the top of the mac.
  6. Bake for 30 + minutes until bubbly and golden brown on top and firm otherwise. Remove and let cool for 5 - 10 minutes before slicing.
  7. Slice in to 6 or 8 equal sized pieces. For service, crumble up some more of those cheetos and sprinkle them over each serving for some crunch and additional flavour. ENJOY!

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