{recipe: spicy herb mac n’cheese}

Heyy June!

It’s summertime which means days out on the water, fresh cocktails, fancy sunglasses, and of course tons of cookouts! For me summer also means lots and lots of mac n’ cheese. I don’t know why, it just seems like a cookout staple. Just ask my hubs---if it’s on the menu, I’ll most likely want to try it. I especially love when the traditional mac n’ cheese is recreated. Some have been absolute fails, but others have taken my taste buds straight to the moon. I just love it! Can’t you tell? Recently, I had a craving for cheesy noodles and decided to experiment with a few random ingredients I had on hand. It all amounted to this delicious recipe. The hubs gave it two thumbs up! Try it out and let me know what you think. Seriously, I’m always open to suggestions!

spicy herb mac n’ cheese:

Servings: 4

Source: Jkrabbits INC Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 cups of cavatappi pasta

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

3 oz of velveeta (cubed)

1/4 cup of shredded smoked gouda

1 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of chipotle powder

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup of bacon pieces (optional)

How To:

Step 1: Bring slightly salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente. 

Step 2: In the meantime, add whipping cream, velveeta, gouda, and butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. 

Step 3: Once cheeses have melted, add minced garlic, pepper, chipotle powder, garlic salt, parsley, and basil.  

Step 4: Incorporate baby spinach leaves and bacon pieces. Turn heat to low and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Step 5: Once pasta is cooked to al dente, remove from heat, strain, and rinse with cool water. Shake out any excess water. 

Step 6: Add pasta to your serving dish and pour cheese sauce over top. 

Step 7: Slowly combine the sauce and pasta until all the noodles are covered. 

Step 8: Serve warm and enjoy!

Super easy and incredibly good! If you want to tone down the spice, take out the chipotle powder. I personally enjoy it as it adds a bit of a smoky flavor. I may experiment with it some more in the future and come up with a baked version.

J

So long for now!

The Mrs.