Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus some for drizzling
- 3/4 pound chorizo, 1 package, casing removed and diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 chipotle in adobo and their juices, chopped or 1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 cups shredded smoked Cheddar
Directions
Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni. When it boils, salt water and cook pasta until a little under done, just shy of al dente.
While pasta cooks, place a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and chorizo. Brown the chorizo then add the canned tomatoes to the pan and heat them through. Remove from heat and reserve.
While chorizo begins to cook, heat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, then add onions and chipotles and cook 3 to 5 minutes to sweat it out and turn the juices sweet. Raise heat up a bit, add the flour and whisk together until mixture bubbles up. Cook 1 minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat up a little more to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop heat back to a rolling simmer sauce to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes.
Drain macaroni or pasta. Add cooked pasta back to the large pot.
Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt, a minute or so. Stir in chorizo and tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over cooked pasta in large pot and toss to combine. Transfer to a large serving platter, garnish with chives and serve.
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By banana9babe
on November 22, 2011
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3.5 stars. The concept is great but the recipe itself needs some alterations. 3 cups of milk makes this dish WAY too runny so I would sub 1 cup of cream and some butter to make the dish creamier. Also, I'm pretty sure the function of the flour is to thicken the sauce but corn starch works much better.
By The Petite Gourmet
Portland, OR
on September 08, 2011
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Oh god I could eat this every day!! But I won't, because then I'd die of a heart attack at 28, haha. I used regular chorizo, but an easy way to cut down on fat and calories would be to use either soy chorizo or spicy bulk Italian turkey sausage - the latter is one of my favorite, almost low-fat ingredients to cook with. I also think it's ridiculous that the recipe calls for whole milk - so gross and unnecessary. I used non-fat milk, which is what I always drink and cook with, and you would never know the difference. The fire-roasted tomatoes, chipotles, and smoked Cheddar all work SO well together and impart a deliciously deep and smoky flavor.
I actually cooked the entire meal together when I made this and it was FABULOUS together. The other two recipes are Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli and Tomato and Red Onion Salad with Lime-Cilantro Dressing. It was a wonderful, spicy, south-of-the-border meal!
By figdog2002
Raleigh, NC
on August 13, 2011
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I could never find the chorizo that Rachael used in the show. I use either a smoked sausage or chicken sausage. I love this easy pasta dish and so does everyone in my household. I've taken this to work for years and I end up giving the recipe to most of my coworkers that are lucky enough to get to try it.
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