chipotle mac & cheese

howdy, partners!

you know what i love?

cheese. pasta. bacon. chipotle.

so, of course, i had to combine them for a delicious

chipotle mac & cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni

1/2 C butter

1/2 C all-purpose flour

{about} 1 C milk

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

4 chiptole peppers in adobo, diced

salt & pepper, to taste

3 chicken breasts, cooked & sliced

4 slices of bacon, cooked & chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

1. in a large pot, bring enough water to cook pasta to a boil. cook pasta until barely al dente, about 6 minutes.

2. while the pasta is cooking, in a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. add the flour & whisk to form a roux. when the flour & butter are well-combined, whisk in 3/4 of the milk & let it cook until it just starts to thicken. add the cheese, chipotle peppers, salt & pepper. add more milk to reach the desired consistency of sauce.

3. drain pasta & return to pot. add cheese sauce, chicken, bacon & tomatoes.

{i've also made this with spinach & broccoli... delicious!} stir to combine, & enjoy!

you could also turn this into a 13"x9" baking dish, top with bread crumbs & bake!

the hubs & i like spicy food,

so i may add some of the adobo sauce to the cheese mixture.

if you're unsure of how much spice you can handle, start small with 2 peppers & go from there!

please excuse my sporadic posting for the next week & a half...

the semester is winding down & it's crunch time!

:D

make sure you click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

{this picture is "artsy"}