Spicy Sharp Cheddar Pasta Bake Recipes

SPICY MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
• Cook pasta in very salty water until it's a few minutes less than al dente. (The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so undercooking it during the boiling phase helps it hold up once baked!) Drain and set aside.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour to form a roux and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant.
• Whisk the milk into the roux a little at a time, making sure to work out all the clumps so you have a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until milk has thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk mustard powder, cayenne, paprika, salt, and black pepper into sauce.
• Turn off the heat. Add most of the cheddar cheese (reserve 1/2 cup for topping the mac later) and stir until melted.
• Stir cooked pasta into sauce.
• Pour pasta into an oven-safe baking dish (we used a cast iron skillet). Top with remaining cheese.
• Bake at 350° F for 15-25 minutes, or until cheese has melted and edges are crispy.
• Top with fresh chopped parsley and another pinch of spices (optional) and serve immediately.

CHEDDAR CHEESE CHICKEN PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Toss in chicken, onion powder, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Whisk chicken broth and flour together in a bowl until well blended. Pour over the chicken in the skillet. Add half the Cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, cream, butter, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; stir to combine. Continue stirring over medium heat until sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Stir cooked pasta into skillet.
• Pour chicken-pasta mixture into a glass baking dish. Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is bubbly and melted, about 15 minutes.

SPICY SHARP CHEDDAR PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, combine cheeses; set aside. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in large saucepan on low heat. Add peppers and garlic; cook 30 sec. Add flour; cook and stir 2 min. or until hot and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly; simmer on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1-1/2 cups cheese mixture; stir until melted.
• Drain pasta. Add to cheese sauce; mix well. Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese mixture. Melt remaining butter in small skillet on medium heat. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir 1 to 2 min. or until lightly toasted. Sprinkle over cheese mixture.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

CHEDDAR CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1 cup cheese, soup, milk, pimientos if desired, salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti; add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat. , Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 20-25 minutes.

CHEESY, SPICY BLACK BEAN BAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Fry the garlic until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, red-pepper flakes and cumin (be careful of splattering), and fry for 30 seconds, reducing the heat as needed to prevent the garlic from burning.
• Add the beans, water and generous pinches of salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top then bake until the cheese has melted, 5 to 10 minutes. If the top is not as browned as you'd like, run the skillet under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes. Serve immediately.