Spicy & Smoky Macaroni and Cheese


Behold REAL macaroni and cheese. Not the stuff that comes from a box with powdered cheese, although I do enjoy that sometimes. This is a basic ratio of my mother's macaroni and cheese but I mixed in my own cheese to make it spicy for my husbands birthday. He wanted macaroni and cheese and blueberry cheesecake for his birthday so that is what he got. I went out to the commissary (military grocery store) and started looking through their cheese selection. I found fontina cheese that I thought would go good with the cheeses that I had at home. I know that it is a lot of different cheeses but I wanted to use up what I had. The apple wood smoked gruyere really set it apart from the typical taste of macaroni and cheese because it gave it this smokey flavor, it almost tasted like there was smoked ham in the macaroni. The habanero of course added some heat but not too much to where you couldn't eat it, just enough to make you notice that there was a kick.



  • 2 Tbsp. margarine/butter
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 1/2 c. skim milk
  • 2 c. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 c. fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 c. Irish gouda
  • 1/2 c. apple wood smoked gruyere
  • 1/2 c. Cabot habanero cheddar cheese, shredded (topping)
  • 1 lb macaroni




  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook a few minuted less than the recommended time on the package. Drain and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot melt butter over medium heat then pour in the flour mix well to combine. Cook for about a minute or two to make a rue.
  4. Add milk to the rue and stir until there are no lumps. When the milk comes to a simmer add half of the cheese and stir until creamy but leave the habanero cheese for the top.
  5. When the macaroni is done add it to the cheese mixture and stir until all the macaroni is covered in the cheese mixture.
  6. Spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour in the macaroni and top with the other half of cheese and the habanero cheese.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling. If you want a crunchy crust on top. Put the macaroni and cheese until the broiler on low for 5 minutes, make sure it doesn't burn.

This post is submitted in:
Just Another Meatless Monday
My Meatless Monday
Just Something I Whipped Up Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays
Real Food Tuesday

18 comments:

Yenta Mary said...

While I think we all have a soft spot in our hearts for those little blue boxes of mac 'n' cheese, there is NOTHING like the real thing!

foodfloozie.blogspot.com

Simone +Jarrod said...

yummmmm, I will try that one for sure, I prefer Mac-n-cheese from scratch

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

I LOVE homemade mac and cheese. Unfortunately the family doesn't agree, they want the boxed stuff. *cringe*. I LOVE fontina cheese and the other cheeses sound awesome in this, thanks!

☺lani☺ said...

This is what I like "homemade"! I like cooking from scratch if possible... thanks for sharing!

Cooking Creation said...

Hello! I found your blog through a mutual foodie blogger and am so excited to follow you! Your recipes and photos look amazing and I cannot wait to try some recipes from your site. :)

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

You even made mac and cheese special. Lucky hubby.

Thanks for linking to My Meatless Mondays.

Anonymous said...

holy cannoli!! this looks awesome!!

anne
www.anniebakes.net

The Diva on a Diet said...

Just popped over from Laura's Just Another Meatless Monday ... and so glad I did! Mac 'n cheese is my all-time favorite dish and I'm loving your version with the habanero cheese. Wow, this looks good!

Jen said...

My husband LOVES mac-n-cheese. I'll definitely have to try this one. Thanks for sharing.

Laura said...

Oh Holy Cannoli! this looks so great. I love all the cheese you put in there. My husband would LOVE!!! this. Thanks for sharing on Just Another Meatless Monday and I can't wait to see what you bring next week!

Joanne said...

I really love dressed up mac and cheeses! This one has an awesome cheese combination in it! And then of course there's the spice factor. Mmm.

Sarah said...

Mmmm! I love cheese and I love spicy. Can't wait to try this.

Heather S-G said...

OH! EM! GEE! Gouda, gruyere and spicy habaƱero cheddar. I do believe I've died and gone to heaven! This looks amazing =) Thanks for bringing it to Two for Tuesdays this week!

Reeni said...

This sounds excellent! Love the spicy kick and your choice of cheeses. Some of my favorites!

Esme said...

I so love mac and cheese-your recipe sounds quite inviting-I must confess while I hate eating anything out of a box-I love Kraft mac and cheese-nasty I know.

Aubree Cherie said...

Ooo, sounds really tasty! I've never had a more spicy mac and cheese, but I get its fantastic!

~Aubree Cherie

Bethany said...

I love that you used such a variety of cheeses - I love cheese! This looks wonderful. Thanks for joining us for our Two for Tuesday blog hop!

Alex@amoderatelife said...

Kristin, you are killing me here! I adore mac and cheese and hot food so this is a must try! Thanks so much for participating in the two for tuesday recipe blog hop and I hope to see you again next week! Am following your blog. Keep it REAL! Alex