Peppers Shells & Cheese

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings
  • Total: 35 min
  • Active: 30 min
This is a spicy take on one of Ree’s all-time favorite dishes, mac ‘n’ cheese. It can be cooked in a matter of minutes, perfect for those who lead busy lives.
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Ingredients

1 pound large shells

5 tablespoons salted butter

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 serrano chile, diced

1 jalapeño, diced

1 Fresno chile, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

2 green onions, sliced

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the peppers, onions and garlic. Season with the salt, black pepper and chile powder. Cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the flour and stir as you add. Let cook for 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk, followed by the cream. Cook until thick and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cheese in handfuls until completely melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the pasta until completely coated. Bowl up and garnish with the green onions.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Ducky

made this for dinner tonight. was a bit disappointed. While I did use 2 lbs of cauliflower florets instead of the pasta shells, the sauce was not very thick - more soupy. it never really thickened up and seems that maybe less milk or cream would have helped. flavor was decent but not as spicy as expected - I do suspect it is a bit of a sneaky spiciness though.

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