Hand-grated mozzarella cheese – I recommend hand-grating all of your cheeses. This helps the cheese melt evenly and smoothly. Mozzarella adds stringy goodness! Slowly add milk, and then half and half, whisking them into the flour mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk for about 6-12 minutes over medium heat (depending on how cold your ingredients were when you started) until it passes the wooden spoon test. Stir constantly!

Cook the macaroni. Slightly undercook your noodles (about 1 minute under al-dente). Drain and set aside.Hand-grated parmesan cheese – parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano and lobster are like PB&J! It’s a great garnish on top of your mac at the end of the baking process. This Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese also gets topped with bread crumbs (and more cheese) and baked in the oven for a delicious crunchy topping. It’s an extra step that I don’t always do when making mac and cheese, but it’s so worth it for this recipe. Make the roux. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Blend in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.

Butter: salted or unsalted will work–just adjust the amount of salt you add, depending on the butter. In a separate medium pan over low heat, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Let melt. Increase heat to medium, add flour and whisk until incorporated. The type of cheddar makes a difference. High quality aged cheddar cheese will give you a stronger taste and smoother texture. More mild and inexpensive cheddar cheeses will have less flavor and almost a grittier taste. This recipe freezes well. Just like with my other freezer friendly meals, I love to prepare two and freeze one for another day. You’ll want to freeze this dish prior to baking it in the oven! Make sure to let the mac and cheese cool completely then pour it into a freezer friendly dish, cover it well and freeze if for up to 3 months.Hand-grated Emmental or Jarlsberg cheese – Emmental or Jarlsberg are relatively inexpensive Swiss cheeses. You can use gruyere cheese, but it’s more expensive. Any of these cheese will add a buttery, nutty flavor that complements the lobster. This classic mac and cheese recipe is made with cheddar cheese. I particularly love medium or sharp cheddar cheese but any type will do. If you want a more luxurious mac and cheese or you’re really trying to impress a crowd, you could use a combination of different cheeses. Just be sure to select a type of cheese that is good for melting, like white cheddar, smoked gouda, gruyere, brie, goat cheese, mozzarella, or fontina. Freezing and Storing: I prefer green chiles from New Mexico for their flavor, but any kind will do. You can buy fresh chiles in season, but I use canned chiles all year long. Hatch chiles offer an ideal balance of heat and sweetness and vary in intensity, so don’t automatically assume that this dish will be too spicy. Cooked lobster meat – you can steam your own lobster but I recommend getting pre-cooked lobster meat which can usually be found at your grocery store or local fish market. For me, mac and cheese has to have a smooth and creamy cheese sauce, and I’ve had enough trial and error in this department to understand that there are a few simple things you can do to achieve that smooth sauce we all want in our macaroni!

High quality aged cheddar cheese will give you a stronger taste and smoother texture. More mild and inexpensive cheddar cheeses will have less flavor and almost a grittier taste. I’m pretty sure that most adults love a great homemade macaroni and cheese recipe just as much as our kids do! My kids will enjoy a box of Kraft macaroni and day, but everyone gets especially excited when I make this homemade mac and cheese, and for good reason!I don’t think they would let me in if I didn’t bring my famous Pecan Pie, but this year I’m also going to upgrade one of my favorite holiday dishes and bring a batch of this Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese made with hot green chiles and Tillamook Cheese. Thank you Tillamook for sponsoring this post. Visit your local Target to buy Tillamook Cheeses today!

Bring the cheese to room temperature. I like to grate the cheese very first, before moving forward with the recipe. That allows it to sit at room temperature while I prepare the white sauce.Pour into baking dish. Pour half or the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over the top. Pour remaining pasta over it and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Use fresh grated cheese. Pre-shredded store-bought cheese will not melt the same as freshly grated cheese, and grating the cheese helps it melt smoothly and evenly in the sauce. In a large pot, boil your elbows for the cook time on the box minus 1 minute for extra al-dente pasta. Drain. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and toss to coat.