easy-breezy chile mac & cheese

In September 2009 I posted a fabulous recipe for Chef Robert McGrath’s Green Chile Mac & Cheese. It is still one of my favorite recipes on this site. Last Sunday night I was craving it but was so wiped out from the heat that I didn’t have the strength to make it. It’s not that it is difficult to make, I simply didn’t feel up to roasting peppers, doing a bunch of dicing, or spending more than a few minutes in the kitchen. How to feed that craving without the effort … cheat and use boxed mac & cheese … I know, Sacré Bleu!

Easy-Breezy Green Chile Mac & Cheese

• Two 6-ounce boxes Annie’s Shells & White Cheddar
• 6 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)
• 7-ounce can roasted, peeled, and diced green chiles
• 2 or 3 handfuls of Trader Joe’s Elote Corn Chip Dippers (or other corn chips)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and butter a baking dish, set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta from both boxes according to package directions.

Drain and add the cream to the same pot. Stir in both of the cheese packets.

Stir in the can of green chiles.

Next, stir in the drained pasta until completely coated. (You may notice that I didn’t stir in all the green chiles at first. After giving the pasta a quick taste once I had it stirred in, the rest of the can was added!)

Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Crush a couple of handfuls of corn chips on top and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!