This Buffalo Hot Sauce,Bacon & Jalapeno Mac and Cheese is THE Best. Mac N Cheese. EVER. Guys and gals, I have never had mac and cheese this dang good, anywhere. This recipe took everything I love about mac n’ cheese and added in some fabulous flavours.
Jalapeno Mac and Cheese Doesn’t Have to be Too Spicy!
Please do not be scared of this recipe because you think it’s going to be too spicy. This mac n’ cheese is so easily adaptable to every taste in your household, from picky to fire-breathing dragon.
I love the flavor of hot sauce. Love. It. Love it so much I would marry it, however I am not a huge fan of food that burns my mouth and thus ruins the entire meal for me. I like to taste with my taste buds, not have them burned off.
I also love the flavour of jalapenos, but don’t like the heat. When I was pregnant with my son, many years ago, I craved jalapenos. Great craving for a pregnant woman with heartburn, yes? I used to eat them smothered in sour cream to dull the heat and would eat a can at a time.
Since my pregnancy cravings, the love of jalapeno flavor continues, but I no longer eat them smothered in sour cream.
I prefer to smother them with cheese!
What Type of Cheese is Best for Mac and Cheese?
The answer my friends, is whatever cheese YOU like! I like to use a mixture of old ( aged) cheddar and some white cheddar, but other great choices are fontina, Parmesan and smoked Gouda!
My husband has rated this the second best meal I’ve ever made, so either I’m a terrible cook (could be true) or this is really that dang good. This is most certainly a man-pleaser, thought I loathe to use that word.
It just shrieks football parties, man cave, hot-wing eating contests, hairy chests (what, just me?) and MAN FOOD. Eat this and it’ll put hair on your chest! *insert manly growl here* This woman loved it too. Luckily it didn’t put hair on my chest. So, to sum up, if you love hot sauce, jalapenos and bacon, this is for you. If you are looking for a mac n’ cheese that kicks some serious hairy chest, this is for you. There’s a lot of hairy chest talk this post. I’m not sure why. Must be the hot sauce talking.
What is the best pasta to use for mac and cheese?
Again, this is your personal preference but macaroni (elbow) noodles are the best for a good reason – the sauce gets into the hollow pasta and fills it up. Whatever pasta you DO use, make sure it’s hollow, then the cheese sauce can fill it up! Yum!
Mmmm. So good.
There were enough leftovers for lunches the next day and only because we all forced ourselves NOT to go back for seconds.
My son takes the best lunches EVER. I win Mom of the Day for this lunch, I’m not even going to pretend to be bashful.
Jalapeno Mac and Cheese Tips and Tricks
- Make the sauce and pasta, set aside a portion of plain cheese sauce and pasta for the picky eaters. THEN add in the hot sauce and bacon.
- I chop up the jalapenos and then place them in a dish for everyone to top their own pasta according to their tastes. This works out much better than mixing them in.
- Top with additional hot sauce if you want, my recipe is just mildly spicy but full of flavor.I use Frank’s Red Hot original sauce because it’s the best flavor.
- Leave out the bacon for an amazing vegetarian version!
This is a very saucy, very creamy mac and cheese. There is no baking it, you make the sauce, you make the noodles and then it’s just noodles swimming around in a LOT of sauce. I hate dry mac n’ cheese so this to me is mac n’ cheese nirvana!
Oh, you are seriously going to HAVE TO MAKE THIS. You’re not allowed to read any of my upcoming Christmas Cookie recipes until you’ve been good girls and boys and eaten all your mac n’ cheese first!
Let me know what you think! I honestly don’t know if we’ll ever eat mac n’cheese without a little hot sauce in it ever again, it just bumps the flavour up so perfectly.
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
Buffalo Hot Sauce,Bacon & Jalapeno Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups macaroni pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups 1% milk
- 3 cups grated old cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 7 slices bacon cooked until firm not crispy, then sliced in 1/2
- can jalapeno peppers diced and set aside
- small serving bowl
Instructions
- Boil the macaroni until cooked according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the flour and salt.
- Stir constantly over medium heat until it forms a soft ball.
- Stir in the milk slowly, bit by bit, whisking constantly.
- Once the flour and milk has combined into a liquid without lumps, whisk in any remaining milk. Whisk constantly until the sauce thickens.
- Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in the cheese, stirring until melted.
- Add in the hot sauce (more or less to taste; start with 1 tbsp).
- Stir in the bacon.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and stir until the noodles are covered.
- Serve topped with jalapeno peppers.
Nutrition
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Tiffany says
Cheesy, spicy, yum! I added some jalapeno cheese that we had left over from nachos as well as cheddar, so just did 1 tbsp of franks. Used 2 green and 1 red jalapeno. Absolutely delicious and not overly spicy. So good!
Cynthia C says
HA I laughed at your dipping your jalapenos in sour cream!I still do the same thing on my nachos. This recipe is six stars, or seven! SO good,
Noreen S says
Maaagpie, you are the bomb diggety! Thank you for what is now my favorite mac and cheese, I have made it 3 times!
Deb McKay says
It was nummy.
Amanda Vankoughnet says
Have made this before but with penne noodles its fantastic!!!
YUP YUP YUP says
If I was in jail, this would be my last meal! Thanks!
Mike Johnston says
OMG you need to make this again, was so good!
April says
OH god, it’s SO freaking good. I am a hot sauce freakazoid. This recipe makes my life complete!
Deb McKay says
Annnnd Print!
ANNA BANANA says
I can put that sh%t on everything and anything – the hot sauce – and this was the BEST MAC N CHEEEESE EVAH! I used some more than the recipe and oh baby, it was great.