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Baked Four-Cheese Chipotle Mac and Cheese

This baked mac and cheese layers a smoky chipotle cheese sauce made with sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and smoked Gouda over pasta loaded with hidden pockets of melted mozzarella and Jack cheese cubes buried inside. With a customizable heat dial and a bubbly, golden top, it’s the most indulgent, deeply cheesy mac you’ll ever pull out of an oven!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dinner, main, Main Course, Main Dish, Side Dish, Sides
Cuisine: American, Fusion, latin-inspired, Mexican-inspired
Keyword: baked pasta recipe, best mac and cheese, cavatappi mac and cheese, chipotle, comfort food, comforting, family dinner recipe, mac and cheese, side dishes, Sides, Spicy, thanksgiving sides
Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Pasta:

  • 1 lb cavatappi rigatoni, or elbow pasta

For the Chipotle Cheese Sauce:

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 garlic cloves finely minced
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup pasta water reserved before draining
  • 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar
  • 2 cups freshly grated Monterey Jack
  • 1 cup freshly grated smoked Gouda
  • Salt to taste

Chipotle Heat Dial (pick one):

  • Mild: 1 chipotle pepper in adobo plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
  • Medium: 2 chipotle peppers in adobo plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
  • Hot: 3–4 chipotle peppers in adobo plus 2 tbsp adobo sauce and ¼ tsp cayenne

For the Cheese Cubes:

  • 8 oz low-moisture whole milk mozzarella block cut into ¾-inch cubes
  • 4 oz Monterey Jack block cut into ¾-inch cubes

For the Topping:

  • 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar
  • 1 cup freshly grated Monterey Jack
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish generously with butter. Cook the pasta in heavily salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the package directions, since it will finish cooking in the oven. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and set the pasta aside.
  • Make the chipotle paste for your chosen heat level. Add the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce to a small blender or mince them together on a cutting board until they form a smooth paste. A smooth paste spreads the heat evenly through the sauce.
  • Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and onion powder and stir constantly for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chipotle paste (and the cayenne if going hot) and cook for 1 more minute, stirring, so the heat blooms in the butter.
  • Pour in the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, then add ½ cup of the pasta water and whisk. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cheddar, Monterey Jack, and smoked Gouda one handful at a time, whisking constantly between additions until each handful is melted and the sauce is glossy and smooth.
  • Taste the sauce now and adjust before the pasta goes in. If you want more heat, stir in another teaspoon of adobo sauce at a time. If it’s too hot, stir in a splash more cream. Add salt only if needed, since the adobo sauce is already salty. If the sauce feels too thick, loosen it with a splash of pasta water.
  • Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss until every piece is coated. It should look almost too saucy, since it will absorb into the pasta in the oven.
  • Pour half of the mac and cheese into the baking dish and spread it out evenly. Scatter all of the mozzarella and Monterey Jack cubes over it, pressing them in slightly so they sit in the pasta. Pour the rest of the mac and cheese over the top and spread it evenly to cover the cubes.
  • Mix the topping cheeses together and scatter them over the surface. Dust with the smoked paprika.
  • Bake for 20–25 minutes until the topping is golden and the mac and cheese is bubbling around the edges. For a more golden top, broil for the last 2–3 minutes and watch it closely. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then scoop and serve.

Notes

  • Cook the pasta 2 minutes short of al dente, it finishes cooking in the oven and overcooked pasta turns mushy once it bakes in the sauce.
  • Grate all the cheese from blocks yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking starch that prevents it from melting smoothly and will give you a grainy sauce.
  • The sauce should look almost too loose before it goes in the oven. The pasta absorbs a lot of liquid as it bakes, so what looks too saucy now will be perfectly creamy after 20 minutes.
  • Bury the cheese cubes in the middle layer so they melt into hidden gooey pockets when you scoop!