Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Mac and Cheese Suiza

This mac and cheese can really be described in one word: YUM. It. is. delicious. It takes all the flavors of enchiladas suizas and combines them with macaroni and cheese. Rachael Ray really is the master of dishes that combine two well-loved meals into one, but she’s outdone herself this time. This macaroni and cheese skyrocketed right to the top of my favorites list – and you know I’ve tried quite a few versions.

Joe liked this too, although not quite as much as I did. He said it wasn’t “cheesy enough.” This sort of boggled my mind, actually, considering that it contains three cups of cheese. The only thing I can think of is that the Swiss I bought was too mild, and that in combination with the mild Monterey jack didn’t add enough cheesy flavor for him. I thought it was pretty perfect, myself.

I replaced the tomatillos in the original recipe with jarred salsa verde, since tomatillos aren’t readily available in my supermarket. It was a fine substitution, and wasn’t nearly as much work as husking the tomatillos would have been. I’ll absolutely make this again.

Be sure to check out Taste and Tell’s Saturdays with Rachael Ray for more awesome recipes! (This week Deborah made the chicken sandwiches I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. You really must try those!)

Mac and Cheese Suiza
adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray

Salt
1 pound short pasta
1 16-ounce jar salsa verde
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
Pepper
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup sour cream

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, then return to the pot.

2. While the pasta is working, in a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the salsa verde, honey and cumin; season with salt. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Swiss and Monterey jack cheeses.

4. Preheat a broiler. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and toss. Spread half of the pasta in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish and top with half of the salsa verde sauce; repeat the layers. Sprinkle the chips and pepper jack cheese on top. Broil until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the sour cream.