Green Chile Mac & Cheese

My coworker Jen gave me some peppers from her garden so I thought I'd make my favorite green chile mac and cheese with them! I've gotten pretty good at hiding vegetables in food since my boyfriend Andrew is a little picky about his veggies. And mac and cheese is a great medium for hiding vegetables or just adding them in, considering it's not the healthiest entree to begin with!  My favorite veggies to add to mac and cheese include spinach, onions, carrots, and collard greens, but this recipe's use of peppers gives it a wonderful heat! Try it out and make it your own! Also, I almost never measure ingredients when I'm just cooking so I apologize for the lack of preciseness of this recipe! 

Ingredients: 

• At least two whole chile or poblano peppers
  
• olive oil
• whole grain pasta
• milk
• cream cheese
• your favorite cheeses (I used colby jack & feta, but a sharp white cheddar would also be wonderful with this) 
• onion, diced
• garlic, minced
• panko bread crumbs
• butter
• cayenne pepper
  
• salt
• pepper

Directions: 

• Rub the outside skin of the peppers with a small amount of olive. Roast the peppers whole in an oven at 425 F for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the outside skin of the peppers is slightly charred. 
• While the peppers are roasting, boil the water for your pasta and cook according to the package directions. In a small pan, saute the onions in a small amount of olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan) until they turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two more (you don't want to overcook the garlic or it will turn bitter). 
• When the peppers are done roasting, let them cool for a few minutes. Then carefully peel off the thin outer layer of skin as shown below: 

• After the skin is peeled, gently pull the stem of the pepper to pull out the ribs and seeds. You'll want to cut (or pull, the roasted peppers are quite fragile) the pepper in half and gently wipe out the rest of the seeds. Then throw the peppers and onions and garlic (if you'd like them to be pureed as well) into a blender with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk. 
  

• Pour the entire mixture back into the pan you used to saute the garlic and onions. Add your choice of cheeses (I used about 4 oz. of cream cheese plus 3 oz. of colby jack) and stir the mixture over low heat until completed melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I added some cayenne pepper for some extra heat as well. If you didn't use onion or garlic you could also use onion powder and garlic powder for extra flavor!)
  
• When your pasta is done, drain it and pour into a baking dish. Pour the sauce mixture over the pasta and mix to combine. 
• To add some crunch, melt a tablespoon of butter and mix with about a 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta. (I also sprinkled feta on top!)
• Throw under the broiler for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are nicely browned! Serve and enjoy! 

-- Amy