By Wendy Monro

A while ago, I went to Trader Joe’s. They have the best frozen mac and cheese. It is so creamy and delicious. I was surprised to see that they had a new version sitting next to the regular version I love so much. This was a green chile mac and cheese. I was intrigued. I bought both. About two days later, I craved some mac and cheese and went to the freezer. Somebody got to both of these first. They were gone. I was crushed. My 16-year-old son, Jack, gets to everything good before I can.

I haven’t had a chance to get back to Trader Joe’s since then but I didn’t forget about the mac and cheese. I keep craving it. Last weekend, I went out to lunch with my parents who were visiting from California. I immediately eyed the truffle mac and cheese on the menu. I knew what I wanted. Turned out this restaurant was a tapas restaurant and everything we ordered came in small portions to share. Darn. So, I ended up eating about three bites of this delicious mac and cheese. This seemed to further my craving for a big plate of mac and cheese.

Finally, this week, I decided I needed to make a large casserole of this so I could have as much as my heart desired. Daphne had the day off of work and school and we decided to spend the day together. I went to the store and bought everything I needed to make the mac and cheese casserole. Afterward, we went to a movie. While I sat in the movie with my daughter, I thought about adding some green chile to the mix. I asked Daphne if she thought that was a good idea and she said it was a great idea. So, after the movie, we went back to the market. I headed straight over to where I know they keep the Hatch green chile in the freezer section. I couldn’t find it. It was always there. I walked around the freezer section about three times until I finally found it. I was relieved.

Your market may not have Hatch green chile on hand year round or ever. You can use any green chile. You can roast them yourself or buy roasted green chile in a can. I am a huge fan of Hatch green chile. It is grown in New Mexico and usually arrives fresh in our stores around August or September. I grew up with this stuff. My grandma used to ship it to us every year from Colorado. When I grew up and moved out, my mom would sometimes share some with me. It was a real treat. We would try to make it last all year. Now, I find it everywhere and feel so lucky to have it. That being said, I think this mac and cheese would taste delicious with other green chile too. I am just nostalgic for the Hatch.

Once we arrived at our house, Daphne and I got cooking. I love cooking with her. It is pretty rare these days because she is so busy. However, she and her boyfriend cook our family dinner every Monday. That is such a treat. Daphne thought we just added shredded cheese to the macaroni. No way. I taught her how to make the cheese sauce. You have to make the sauce if you want it to taste creamy. Also, I never buy shredded cheese anymore. I prefer to shred it myself. I read a while ago that the ingredient, cellulose, in shredded cheese is actually powdered wood pulp. Although it doesn’t harm you, I would rather live without eating wood. So, we shredded up some cheese and went to work. I used cheddar and Gouda. You can mix this up however you like. I have seen recipes with cream cheese and cheddar and also goat cheese. I also added roasted red peppers for some color. In the end, the casserole was delicious. The entire dish was finished by the next day. I miss it already. I might need another one.

Green Chile Mac and Cheese:

Time: 1 hour

Serves: 10

16 ounces macaroni noodles, cooked al dente according to the package directions

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 large onion, diced

cup flour

2 cups of milk (possibly more depending on consistency of the sauce)

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups Gouda cheese, shredded

1 cup roasted red peppers, cut into small strips

2 cups roasted Hatch green chili, diced (you can use Anaheim peppers too or any roasted green chili in a can)

cups bread crumbs (I toast 8 pieces of white bread and mix well in the food processor)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon red chili flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil water in a large pot and cook the macaroni. In a medium sized pot, melt one tablespoon of butter. Add the diced onions. Saut onions for about ten minutes, until they become transparent. Remove the onions from the plan and place in a bowl for later. Add the other two tablespoons of butter to the pot. Put heat to medium. Melt the butter. Add the flour. Stir until it forms a thick paste. Slowly add the milk while stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon until creamy. Reserve a half cup of shredded cheese for the top. Once you have a creamy sauce, slowly add in the cheese. Lower heat. Mix in the cheese until completely melted. Add the red peppers and the green chiliSalt and pepper to taste. Add red chili flakes if you desire. Pour the cooked macaroni into a casserole dish. Pour the cheese over the pasta. Mix in well. Spread the bread crumbs on top. Add a little shredded cheese to the top. Place into the oven for twenty minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook another five or ten minutes, until brown on top.