Poblano & Corn Baked Mac & Cheese

Recipe by Cook's Hideout

Blogging Marathon# 37: Week 4/ Day 1 Theme: Member's Choice Dish: Baked Mac & Cheese with Poblano & Corn We are starting our last week of blogging marathon for this month and I chose 'Member's Choice' as my theme. Valli compiled a list of dishes that all the BM members suggested and we were asked to pick 3 dishes for this week. When I saw 'Baked Mac & Cheese', I knew I will definitely be making it. I like mac & cheese, but rarely make it because my husband is not a big fan of it -- he thinks it...

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta (. Any short cut (like macaroni or penne) - I used penne rigate -- penne with lines)
• 3 cups corn (- (fresh or frozen))
• 1 onion (- medium, chopped)
• to taste Salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cups milk (- (You can also use 1 cup milk and ½cup heavy cream))
• 2 cups Cheese (- shredded (I used a combination of sharp cheddar and pecorino cheese--original recipe had m
• 2 poblano (- medium, deseeded and chopped)
• ½ cup cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup Water Vegetable Stock (or)
• to taste Salt

Method

1. Prepare the Veggies: Heat 1tbsp oil in a saute pan; add the onions and corn and cook on medium heat until the veggies are soft and lightly browned around the edges. Once down, set them to a side.
2. Prepare the Green Sauce: Grind the ingredients listed under Green sauce into a smooth paste.
3. Prepare the Cream sauce: In a medium saucepan; melt butter and oil. Add the flour and cook whisking constantly until flour doesn't smell raw anymore and turns golden. Add milk, whisking constantly, until a smooth homogenous mixture forms. Stir in 1cup of grated cheese.
4. Next add the poblano green sauce and cook until the mixture thickens, about 20~25 minutes.
5. In the meantime, cook pasta according to package instructions. Before draining reserve 1cup of pasta cooking water, then drain and return to the same pot.
6. Preheat oven to 400°F.
7. Add cream sauce and the sauteed veggies to the cooked pasta, stir in a little bit of pasta cooking water, if the mixture looks too dry.
8. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 15~20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and pasta is bubbly.

View the recipe instructions at Cook's Hideout