Roasted Poblano and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese (2024)

Is there anything better in this world than the ultimate of ultimate comfort food??? We are talking mac and cheese here! It's ooey, gooey, creamy, lay on the couch in your sweat pants delicious, with alllllll the carbs and cheesy goodness! And this Roasted Poblano and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese will fill your soul with cheesy happiness! This is the perfect side dish for your favorite proteins, or enjoy it as a main course all on its own!

This homemade mac and cheese has converted even the most notorious of mac and cheese haters (cough *Mark* cough). Do you like cheese? Then you will love it. Do you like pasta? Then you will love it. Do you like a little spice in your life? Make this, you will love it!

Looking for more poblano recipes? Check out ourCheese Stuffed Poblano PeppersorAncho Chile Corn and Poblano Crab Cakes.

And for another incredibly delicious Mac and Cheese recipe, try out ourGorgonzola Apple Walnut Mac and Cheese.

Our Version of Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

This recipe was adapted from a recipe that we have been making for many years fromJust a Dash blog. You can find the original recipe for their Smoked Gouda and Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheesehere.

In our version, we add mascarpone and white cheddar. We love this combination of cheeses and the mascarpone adds to the creamy, gooey texture of the cheese sauce. Additionally, we add a variety of seasonings and roasted poblanos that complement the combination of cheeses and give this mac a bit of a kick!

Ingredients

The combination of ingredients in this roasted poblano mac and cheese give it tons of flavor and a bit of a spicy kick! You should be able to find all these items easily at the grocery store. Here's what is in it:

• Dry Pasta: For mac and cheese, we prefer to use dry macaroni elbow noodles, cavatelli, creste di gallo, or small shells. Use the shape that you prefer for this mac and cheese, you really can't go wrong!https://match.prod.bidr.io/cookie-msync?ai=ChUIm8Xa7AUQm7YDGI-G-KXjlIUDIAASCQoHY2hpY29yeRoDY2hpYACSAQNjaGk=&gdpr=0&gdpr_consent=&gdpr_pd=0&
• Poblano chiles:We use fresh whole poblano peppers that we cut into strips, roast, then dice to add to the mac and cheese. Poblanos have an incredible flavor and aren't too spicy so they work really well in this mac and cheese recipe.
• Unsalted butter:We use unsalted butter then adjust the salt content to our preference later in the recipe. If using salted butter, you likely won't need to add much salt to the sauce.
• All purpose flour:The flour is used to create the roux for the sauce which thickens it and gives it a nice texture.
• Heavy Cream:To make the sauce super creamy, heavy cream is our recommendation.
• Mustard powder:Mustard powder is very common and considered a secret ingredient in homemade mac and cheese. It balances out the rich flavors in the dish by adding a touch of acidity. You won't get a mustard taste at all, so don't worry if you don't like mustard, just trust us on this!
• Mascarpone:Mascarpone is a creamy Italian cheese that is mild in flavor and adds to the ultra creamy and cheesy sauce consistency.
• Smoked gouda cheese:Gouda cheese has a super melty texture and is the perfect addition to this homemade mac and cheese recipe. The smokiness is also a nice complement to the roasted poblano peppers.
• Aged white cheddar:We are big fans of the deep rich flavors of aged white cheddar cheese, which are perfect for the combination of cheeses in this dish.
• Sharp cheddar:Sharp cheddar cheese is a common ingredient in mac and cheese and we love it in this version.
• Cajun seasoning:We love adding a bit of heat to this mac and cheese dish with Cajun seasoning. We linked the post with our homemade Cajun seasoning blend here, but any store-bought Cajun seasoning blend works well too.
• Cayenne pepper:Another nice addition for a bit of heat in the final dish.
• Smoked paprika:Smoked paprika complements the smoky flavor from the smoked gouda as well as the roasted poblanos.
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Panko bread crumbs:Panko bread crumbs are sprinkled on top of the mac and cheese before it goes in the oven. The panko provides a nice crunchy texture to the finished dish.

Substitutions

• Dry pasta:​You can, of course, use fresh homemade pasta in mac and cheese. If using fresh homemade pasta, you will not need to pre-cook the pasta as it will cook once combined with the cheese sauce in the oven.
• Poblano peppers:​If you want a spicier dish, you can use jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers, or a combination of peppers in place of the poblanos. Additionally, if you want to reduce the heat, you can use roasted bell peppers instead.
• Panko bread crumbs:​You can use Italian bread crumbs instead here, but we prefer the crunchier texture in panko.
• Mascarpone:​You can use cream cheese in place of the mascarpone in this recipe, although the flavor will be a bit different. Cream cheese has a bit more acidity whereas mascarpone is much more mild in flavor.
• Grated Cheeses:There are a variety of cheeses that you can use in place of the 3 we have here. The best cheeses for mac and cheese are sharp cheddar, gouda, gruyère, brie and goat cheese.

Can I make this mac and cheese less spicy?

If you aren't into anything spicy, you can still try this recipe with a few modifications.

For less heat, try the following:

• Cut out the cayenne out of the recipe altogether
• Use 1-2 poblanos instead of 4. You will still get a good amount of flavor with this modification, but you won't have as many pieces of pepper throughout the dish
• Cut both the cayenne and poblanos - this obviously changes this recipe into a regular Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese, which we have made for others who wanted a plain mac dish and loved it.
• Cajun Seasonings have a little heat, but vary quite a bit from one brand to the next. So if you find one you like, stick to that. Our homemade version is likely slightly hotter than common store-bought brands.

How to Make Roasted Poblano and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

This homemade mac and cheese recipe is very easy to make and doesn't require any special equipment or advanced techniques. Anyone can make it! Here is how to make it:

​Equipment

• Sheet tray(baking sheet or cookie sheet) to roast the poblano peppers. You can do this in a toaster oven or your regular oven.
• Large potto par-cook the pasta and make the cheese sauce. You can use the same pot and simply make the pasta first, or use 2 large pots and save some time cooking the pasta and cheese sauce at the same time.
• Baking dish​to assemble the final mac and cheese dish for baking. We use a7x11 inch baking dishor a9x9 inch baking dish. If using a larger baking dish, you will likely not need to bake the mac and cheese as long in the oven because it will be in a thinner layer and will bake much quicker.

Step-by-Step Instructions

​You can make this homemade mac and cheese in a few easy steps as follows:

Step 1: Roast the Poblanos

• Cut poblanos into 1 inch wide strips, discarding seeds and stem and place strips skin side up on a baking sheet. Broil on high in the oven for 6-10 minutes or until the skins are mostly black. Check every 2 minutes to make sure the skins don't get too dark, but they should be mostly black once done. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes, then place the strips in a ziplock bag for 5 minutes. Once cool, remove skins and finely chop. Set aside.

Step 2: Cook Pasta

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoon salt to boiling water then reduce heat slightly so that the water is barely boiling. Add pasta to pot and follow the package directions to cook for 75% of the total time stated on the package (the pasta will cook through in the oven). Remove to a strainer. If your pasta begins to stick together, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside.

Step 3: Cheese Sauce and Assembly

• ​Preheat your oven to 350°
• ​While the pasta cooks, start the sauce. In a large pot, begin by making a béchamel sauce as follows: Melt butter over medium heat, then slowly add the flour while whisking constantly. Cook until smooth and mixture begins to smell nutty and slightly colors. Turn down heat as needed to prevent the mixture from gaining too much color. The goal is to make a blonde roux here.
• ​Reduce heat to low and slowly add the cream and continue to whisk constantly until all cream has been added and the mixture is smooth. Then whisk in mustard powder.
• ​Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the béchamel has thickened to a paste-like consistency. If your béchamel becomes too thick, you can add a little water to thin it out, but it should be fairly thick yet still creamy. You can always add water later in the process after the cheese is added. Keep béchamel warm on low heat.
• ​Add mascarpone and the 3 grated cheeses. Stir until melted completely and combined. Turn heat up to medium to assist in melting the cheese if needed. If you notice that the mixture is not creamy at this point, add a small amount of water to thin it out. You should have a very creamy, thick sauce at this point.
• ​Add all remaining seasonings and roasted chopped poblanos. Taste the poblano cheese sauce at this point and add additional seasonings or salt to taste if needed.
• ​Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce, and stir to combine. Transfer to a large baking dish (we use a 7'x11' rectangular dish or a 9'x9' square dish), then sprinkle the top with bread crumbs.

Step 4: Bake the Mac and Cheese

• ​Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce just begins to bubble on the sides. Be careful not to bake for too long or the sauce could separate.
• ​Finally, move the dish to the top rack of the oven and broil on high for 1 minute or until the bread crumbs look golden brown and nicely toasted.Once done, remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Variations

Mac and Cheese is such a wonderfully versatile dish that you can almost do anything to. Here are a few ways we like to add a delicious twist to this mac and cheese recipe:

• Make it spicier!Swap out the poblanos for jalapeños or serrano peppers for more heat. Or use a combination of your favorite chili peppers - we love hatch chiles in this recipe as well!
• Cut down the heat.​If you are into the spicy life, you can omit the cayenne and cut the amount of poblanos in half for a less spicy version of this recipe. Or omit these altogether for a regular smoked gouda mac and cheese.
• Gluten free:This Roasted poblano and smoked gouda mac and cheese can be made with gluten free flour (we like theKing Arthur GF flouras it acts very similar to regular flour when making the roux). Use your favorite gluten free pasta andgluten free panko bread crumbsas well to make this a gluten free mac and cheese.
• Different cheeses:​Add a variety of different cheeses (see options under substitutions above).
• Add bacon or prosciutto:If you want to add a bit of bacon or prosciutto, we highly encourage this!
• Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.Add a bit of parmesan cheese to the top of the poblano macaroni before baking for another added cheesy flavor that will brown on top with the panko breadcrumbs.
• Elevate with Homemade Pasta: We love making homemade pasta instead of store-bought for this mac and cheese. Try out our Homemade Pasta Recipe shaped into cavatelli to elevate this recipe!

Storage

How to store leftover Mac and Cheese:

• Store leftover mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to reheat leftover mac and cheese?

• We recommend that you reheat mac and cheese slowly in the oven at 350°F in an oven-safe baking dish covered with foil until heated through. Heating the mac and cheese too quickly at high heats will make the sauce break and become oily.

Can you freeze leftover mac and cheese?

• We don't recommend doing this because the texture of the sauce will change and it won't be creamy once reheated. Additionally, you risk significantly overcooking the pasta.

Can this mac and cheese be made in advance?

• Yes! You can make and assemble the mac and cheese in advance and then simply complete the baking step when ready to enjoy. Once assembled and cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. When ready to bake, remove from the fridge and allow the dish to come to room temperature before putting it in the oven for the final baking step.

Troubleshooting

• Sauce too thick?If you find that your sauce is too thick you can thin it out by adding a little water before adding your pasta.
• Not enough flavor?​If you find that the cheese sauce isn't as flavorful as you hoped, this could be due to your seasonings being old or lacking in salt. We encourage you to taste the cheese sauce before assembling the final dish for baking and adding additional salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and even cayenne if you wish.
• Mac and Cheese dries out during baking.This can happen if you are using a larger dish and the mac and cheese is in a thinner layer than what we recommend here (see equipment section above). Additionally this can happen if your oven is hotter than the recommended baking temp (sometimes older ovens or gas ovens heat unevenly and inaccurately). If this happens to you, you should reduce the baking time and watch it carefully for bubbling. Once you see some bubbling around the outside of the baking dish, you can go ahead and move on to the broil step.
• Pasta is too hard:If you find that your pasta is less than al dente after baking, then you likely didn't cook it long enough before assembling your dish. We recommend cooking for 75% of the package directions, or slightly less than al dente, before baking. You can test a noodle for texture by biting into it to make sure it is ready for the assembly step to prevent this in the future.

What to Make with Roasted Poblano and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

As mentioned, this can be enjoyed as a main dish on its own, but it is also the perfect side dish for a variety of proteins and main courses. We love making this dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter as well. Here are a few of our favorite proteins to serve with this mac and cheese:

• Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Juniper Red Wine Sauce
• Chicken Fried Steak with Ancho Poblano Gravy
• Crunchy Chicken with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce

What Wines Pair with Mac and Cheese

We always love wine with every meal, and this mac and cheese is no different! Because of its rich cheesy flavor we love to enjoy this mac and cheese with a Chardonnay, specifically from the California Sonoma coast or Burgundy region in France. Because this mac and cheese packs a bit of a kick from the poblanos and spicy seasonings, a nice bright Rosé is wonderful with this as well. If you are enjoying this mac and cheese with a heartier meat dish, you can opt for a medium to full bodied red wine as well!

FAQs

Looking for other pasta recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

Serving this mac and cheese for a holiday or gathering? Enjoy these roasts with this mac and cheese side dish:

📖 Recipe

Enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this recipe for Roasted Poblano and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese! Let us know your thoughts in comments and make sure you tag us on Instagram when you make it @cooking_with_wine.

If you like this recipe, check out some of our other popular comfort food recipes below:

• Crunchy Chicken with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce
• Homemade Garlic Fries
• Italian-Style Meatloaf
• Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta
• Veal and Beef Shepherd’s Pie