Nothing beats gooey, cheesy comfort food this time of year. The air is a little chilly, the leaves are starting to turn, and football season is in full swing.
Our household is pretty big into football. We participate in a pick ’em league every year, which is just assigning points to different teams and picking who will win. My fiance does the whole fantasy thing too, but that takes way too much football knowledge for me.
When Sunday rolls around I like to make a simple meal that we can kind of snack on throughout the day or re-heat if necessary and this green chile macaroni and cheese is the perfect tailgating meal.
Chobani Yogurt challenged me to create a tailgating recipe for their #madewithchobani campaign. I actually substitute greek and regular yogurt into a lot of my recipes instead of using mayonnaise or sour cream. It’s healthier and I love the flavor that yogurt adds.
This green chile macaroni and cheese starts with elbow pasta (classic) and is topped with a bechamel sauce that has cheddar, fontina and greek yogurt mixed inside. To kick this mac and cheese up I’ve also added roasted anaheim chiles – it adds heat, a smokey flavor and a wonderful texture. And then this is all topped with a thyme and breadcrumb topping – such a perfect crunch.
This recipe makes a ton of mac and cheese – which means delicious leftovers for a few days after the big game! For more Made with Chobani inspiration, head over to their site for a ton of delicious ideas.
green chile macaroni and cheese
- 1 pound elbow (or your favorite pasta noodle) cooked according to package and drained
- 3½ tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 6 ounces greek yogurt
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
- 4 ounces fontina cheese, grated and divided
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 3-4 anaheim chiles, roasted, skins and seeds removed, and diced
- ⅓ cup fine breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and place oven rack on middle position.
- In a large saute pan, add 1½ tablespoons butter and garlic and cook over medium heat for one to two minutes or until garlic just begins to become fragrant.
- Add flour, whisking until you get a smooth paste. Cook for 2 minutes until paste becomes golden brown.
- Very slowly, and while whisking, add the first ½ cup of milk to the pan. Add in greek yogurt and whisk together.
- Slowly add in the rest of the milk, stirring frequently, and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
- Stir in all of the cheddar cheese and half of the fontina cheese, along with the buttermilk. Whisk until combined and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Add in green chiles and pasta noodles and stir just until the pasta is coated.
- Pour pasta into a large, oven-proof dish.
- In a small saute pan, combine breadcrumbs with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, thyme and salt and pepper. Toast over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, or until just starting to crisp.
- Sprinkle the top of the pasta with Parmesan cheese, remaining fontina and toasted breadcrumbs,
- Bake for 10 minutes or until top is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
