One Pot Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Creamy, cheesy and just a touch of heat! This incredibly easy dish takes no time at all to make and is perfect for a quick weeknight meal!

Have you ever heard of one pot mac and cheese? Because if you haven’t loves, then you need to get on that train asap! There’s just too many reasons not to love it! 1) There’s no complicated roux/flour mixture. 2) It’s takes maybe 10-15 minutes from start to finish to make. 3) It tastes out-of-this-world amazing with soo much flavor and better for you ingredients too! And of course this time I had to spice it up a bit to create this ultra creamy (and ultra tasty) one pot green chile mac and cheese!

Ingredients

This easy recipe calls for NO FLOUR/ROUX, NO BUTTER and can easily be made gluten free too! Here’s everything that you’ll need below.

• Dry pasta: I recommend using either a short or medium type of pasta noodle. Some of my favorites to use are rotini, elbow or even cavatappi (cork skrew). (Gluten free pasta noodles also work well too!)
• Cheddar cheese: Adds so much flavor to your dish and turns the pasta into gooey cheesy goodness! (You can use regular cheddar or white cheddar cheese if you prefer.)
• Pepper jack cheese: Adds a little bit of spice to compliment the green chiles.
• Milk: Adds creaminess to your dish. (I used unsweetened almond milk for this recipe but any type of milk would work too!)
• Water: Helps to cook the pasta.
• Salt: Elevates all of your flavors!
• Canned green chiles: Adds flavor and even more spice to your dish. (I used hot green chiles because we love spicy food in this house. You can replace them with mild chiles instead if you don’t want too much spice.)

How to make one pot macaroni and cheese

This could not be any easier loves! Honestly, I was shocked with how simple it was after the first time making it. And I love that it’s all done in one pot too so clean up is always a breeze! Here are step by step instructions on how to make it below.

1. Combine your milk, water, salt and dry pasta in a large pot on the stove. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Let the pasta boil for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta becomes tender and the liquid has slightly reduced down.
2. Then add both cheeses and your green chiles and stir until the cheese has completely melted.
3. Take the pot off the stove and serve immediately with your favorite toppings!

Sounds so easy right?!

How to reheat one pot green chile mac and cheese

We absolutely LOVE having this mac and cheese leftover for an easy lunch during the week or even use it as a side dish for a different dinner. And while sometimes reheating pasta dishes can get a little…err gross, this one still tastes just as delicious as it did the first time we made it. And it’s so easy to reheat too!

1. Heat a pot on the stove over medium high heat and add your leftover mac and cheese. (Your pasta will congeal and stick together after being stored in the fridge. But don’t worry, we’ll make sure it turns back into cheesy deliciousness in no time. 🙂 )
2. Pour a splash of milk into the pot and gently break up the pasta with a large spoon or spatula. (As the pasta heats it will start to break up on it’s own.) Continue adding splashes of milk and stirring the mac and cheese until it reaches your desired temperature and becomes creamy again.

Toppings & Variations:

This dish is delicious served as either a side dish or even a main dish too! Usually if i’m serving it as a main dish though I’ll provide a few different toppings so my family can jazz it up a bit. Here are some of our favorite toppings below:

• Bacon bits
• Chorizo, cooked & crumbled
• Extra green chiles
• Pickled jalapenos
• Toasted breadcrumbs
• Shredded chicken (for a heartier meal)
• Shredded pork/carnitas (for a heartier meal)
• Green onion
• Red pepper flakes

Gluten free version: Replace the noodles with your favorite gluten free noodles and follow the same directions as above.

More recipes like this:

• One Pot Mac & Cheese
• Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
• Pasta with Vodka Sauce
• Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
• Everything But the Bagel Pasta

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5 from 1 vote

One Pot Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Creamy, cheesy and so easy to make too! This spicy mac and cheese recipe is loaded with green chiles, cheddar and pepper jack cheese and only takes 10 minutes to make! (Plus there's no flour!)

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: 30 minutes or less, American, Easy

Keyword: easy, gluten free, green chile, healthier, mac n’ cheese, macaroni and cheese, one pot

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Caitlin

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry pasta noodles (can be replaced with gluten free noodles if needed)
• 2¼ cups milk*
• 1 cup water
• 1¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded (white or regular)
• ¾ cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1 4oz. can green chiles, drained (hot or mild)**
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

• Place the milk, water, pasta and salt in a large pot and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Boil the pasta for 8-10 minutes or until your noodles are tender and the liquid has reduced down slightly.
• Stir in both cheeses (cheddar and pepper jack) and your green chiles. Keep stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Take the pot of the stove and serve immediately.

Notes

*Any type of milk with work for this recipe. I used non-dairy almond milk but feel free to use your favorite!

**I used hot green chiles for this recipe too. I would suggest using mild chiles if you don’t want your mac and cheese too spicy.