Pepper Jack Mac is a spicy pepper jack macaroni and cheese recipe studded with fresh jalapeños. If I were you I’d skip straight to the recipe and make this outrageous meal asap, it’s that good.
There pretty much aren’t words to tell you how much I loved this recipe. Seriously, I ate the whole skillet without any help from family members. Not all at once, but for dinner, then breakfast (yes, really) lunch, and dinner again. SO good. Pepper jack mac is comfort food of the highest order.
Did you know that the fat in dairy products helps mellow out the heat of hot chile peppers like jalapeños? Capsaicin, the compound responsible for the heat in peppers, is fat-soluble, which means it dissolves in fats and oils, preventing it from hitting your tastebuds directly. That means you can tolerate hot peppers better in a cheesy dish like pepper jack mac. Super cool!
There’s nothing revolutionary about the concept of pepper jack mac; I used pepper jack cheese to make a spicy macaroni and cheese, and then folded in one or two sliced jalapeños for good measure. But trust me, this is one of those meals that is so much better than the simple sum of its parts. Maybe it’s the luxuriously twisty Torchio pasta I used, it’s big and has lots of folds for the cheese sauce to settle into.
TIP: Italian pasta, that is, pasta imported from Italy, tends to be lighter (more delicate) and less filling than American made, even in larger shapes like my Torchio. I love it with heavier sauced pasta dishes like this pepper jack mac.
Shape matters!
I’ve used another of my favorite large Italian shapes, Cavatappi, in my Cacio e Pepe Macaroni and Cheese, it’s a large loose spiral that really catches the sauce. And in my Bucatini with Burst Tomatoes, the thick strands of Bucatini pasta make a fun contrast with the delicate burst tomatoes. Any pasta dish can be stepped up a notch with a fresh new pasta shape. My Easy Pasta Bolognese gets even more luxurious when I serve it over the wide soft folds of Papardelle.
pairing pasta shapes with the right sauce
Long, thin pasta (e.g., spaghetti, linguine): best with light, glossy sauces that coat rather than clump—think olive-oil emulsions, simple tomato, or quick seafood pan sauces. The strands twirl and carry a thin veil of flavor beautifully. See my Easy Pasta Alla Checca.
Ribbon-shaped pasta (e.g., fettuccine, tagliatelle): wide, silky ribbons can shoulder richer sauces—Alfredo, carbonara, creamy mushrooms—without getting weighed down. The flat surface grabs every bit. See Mushroom Carbonara with Gruyere and Hazelnuts.
Short pasta shapes (e.g., penne, fusilli, rigatoni): ridges and spirals are built for chunky sauces—meaty ragùs, veggie-packed mixes, or anything with bits that need catching. Expect a sauce-in-every-bite situation. See Chili Mac and Cheese.
Tubular pasta shapes (e.g., macaroni, ziti): tubes shine in baked dishes and thicker, cheese-forward sauces that flow inside and cling outside. They hold their shape and deliver that cozy casserole bite. See Truffle Mac and Cheese.
Rule of thumb: match weight to weight (delicate + delicate, hearty + hearty): ridges/tubes → chunky or cheesy, long strands → loose, glossy.
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Pepper Jack Mac
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound large shape pasta, I used Torchio
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 pound Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
- 1-2 jalapenos, thinly sliced, seeds and all
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Set aside 1/2 cup or so of the shredded cheese for topping.
- Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water just until al dente. I usually cook pasta a good 2 or 3 minutes less than the package says. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pan and add the flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for a minute or so. Add the milk and stir or whisk until well combined. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, a little at a time, while stirring, until all the cheese has been incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce, along with the sliced jalapeños and mix well. Top with the reserved cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until browned and bubbling throughout. You can run it under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to brown it further. Serve right away with a green salad.
Notes
- Add a nice buttery crumb crust if you like. Toast fresh made bread crumbs with melted butter, salt, and pepper, and toast them in a skillet until crisp. Scatter across the top of the macaroni before baking.
- Add crisp crumbled bacon. Why not?
- Make your own high octane pepper jack cheese ~ just grate Monterey Jack and blend it with finely minced jalapeños.
Nutrition
I love the heat in this mac and cheese. It looks utterly delicious´, Sue.
I love that kick of heat! This is my dream comfort meal! 🙂
It IS a dream comfort meal, especially when you eat it right out of the skillet 😉
Oh wow! This looks absolutely incredible. I can see why you polished it off yourself. Love that you included a guide to shape pairing.
This looks amazing Sue!
I would love to expand the types of pasta poster but it doesn’t want to open up. It’s so small I can hardly read it.
Let me see if I can fix that, Carol, but I’m not super ‘techy’ so it might take me a while…
Thanks Sue – I would so appreciate it!
Hello dear Sue,
Can you include an option to print your recipes with the photo? Recipes without photo are not as enticing. We need to snip the recipe and the photo to put it on the same page to PDF it and print it… it is unproductive.
Other than that you have great recipes!
Warm regards,
I understand, and I’ll work on that Roger…I will probably be updating my recipe plugin soon, so I’ll make sure it has that function. Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Have tried and tried. Can’t get the recipe to print. Too bad, because it looks good!
It works for me Becca, what device or browser are you on? here’s the link:
https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/wprm_print/93719/
Oh how I wish this was my lunch instead of the salad I’m getting ready to make 🙂 It looks fabulous!!
I love that this recipe is a few ingredients but heavy on flavor. I never would have thought to add jalapenos to mac and cheese but you sold me. This would be a great way to entertain for fall football. Yum.
I agree, this has game day written all over it!
I love mac and cheese and I love spicy foods so yes yes yes to all of the above! haha 😀 I love that tidbit you have on the different types of pasta! I never knew there were so many out there! :O
Thanks Joyce, I think that just scratches the surface, there are SO many types!
Oh, Sue! I am so hungry right now! Pinning this to try soon!
Photos of mac and cheese do that to me too, Suzy!
I thought it was so funny when you wrote, “Shape Matters”. Hehe. I agree. I love most shapes of pasta but I love the ones you used – Torchio! Mmmm. I can’t wait to try your recipe as I love a little spice to my food and your recipe looks perfect!
Thanks Elaine 😉 I am loving unusual pasta shapes lately, thank goodness for stores like World Market that carry them, my supermarket lineup can be pretty dull!