Mexican Mac and Cheese

 This is cheesy, yummy, and a teeny bit spicy from the chilis. Also a great vegetarian (and pantry) meal.

Mexican Mac and Cheese

adapted from Talking Chow, Playing House

Recipe (yield 8-10 servings):

16 oz bag uncooked pasta, any kind you prefer (I used some ziti but usually use egg noodles)

3-4 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 15 oz can of corn

3/4-1 cup whole milk

1 7 oz can diced green chiles (make sure you don't buy the small can)

2 1/2 tablespoons salt, divided

pepper to taste

Fill a large pot half way full with water. Add to the water 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. I like to make mine in a large skillet. Dump the corn, chiles, and 3/4 cup milk. Turn heat to medium. Stir and allow everything to heat through for 3-5 minutes. When the milk begins to bubble around the edges, add shredded cheese in batches. Stir mixture and allow each batch to completely melt before adding the next. I do this about three times. Your noodles will finish cooking sometime around now, so remove them from heat and drain in a colander. When the noodles have finished draining, put them back in the same pot you used to boil them in. Set aside. The sauce should be about done at this point. Give it a good stir and make sure the cheese is all melted. If you feel like the sauce is too thick you can add a little more milk in to thin it or if you feel like it is too thin then add a little more cheese (you can't go wrong). Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. It won't need much pepper, but it will need some salt. Start with 1/2 tablespoon and go from there. When the sauce is seasoned to your liking, pour all the sauce directly over the waiting noodles in the pot. Stir to combine and coat. Serve immediately.