Queso Fundido Mac and Cheese
Queso fundido, the classic Mexican baked cheese and chorizo dish, turned into a super easy and flavorful mac and cheese! The flavors in this dish are truly incredible. Chorizo and sauteed peppers and onions in a mac and cheese? Yes please!
The inspiration for this queso fundido mac and cheese
I was thinking recently about how easy it is to make queso fundido. It basically forms it’s own sauce in the pan as it bakes. Why shouldn’t it be that easy to make a mac and cheese? I decided to follow the same formula as the queso fundido, but add pasta to the mix, and see if it formed an easy mac and cheese. Spoiler alert – it worked!
Cook the chorizo and veggies first
Get a cast iron pan nice and hot and cook the chorizo first. Remove it from the pan, but keep the tasty oils. Cook the veggies in the oil, then add the garlic, and add the chorizo back in. If you are lazy you can skip the in and out process and it will be mostly the same. I would add the veggies for like 5 min with some oil, then the chorizo, then the garlic last.
Add the mac and the cream
Traditionally queso fundido doesn’t have cream but I wanted to add some to make sure the mac and cheese wouldn’t be dry. Remove the pan from the heat, then add in the just cooked pasta, followed by the cream. I also added about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Bake the queso fundido mac and cheese
Top with lots of cheese! I stirred in about 3/4 of the cheese and saved the remaining 1/4 for the top. I wanted there to be a nice top layer of cheese with the mac hidden underneath like the chorizo would be in a classic queso fundido.
Serve the queso fundido mac and cheese
Top the queso fundido mac and cheese with some crushed up chips, scallions, and cilantro and serve! You should let it sit for about 5 minutes before digging in.
The Oaxaca cheese gives it a fantastic cheese pull! So satisfying. The true flavor hero in this dish though is the chorizo and all the spicy umami you get from the chorizo oils.
Twists on this recipe
Check out this recipe if you are looking for a traditional queso fundido. I always reference it when I am coming up with fun twists like this one!
You could do this with a vegan chorizo and it would be just as tasty! You could also switch up the pasta shape to whatever your favorite is. If you can’t find Oaxaca cheese, you can use low moisture mozzarella.
For more fun twists on queso fundido check out my fundido stuffed burger, or this pork belly version of the classic.
Queso Fundido Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- cast iron pan (12 inch)
Ingredients
- 1 pound loose Mexican chorizo
- 1 pound pasta I used lumache (aka shellbows)
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced into strips
- 2 poblano peppers sliced into strips
- 2 serrano peppers sliced into half rounds
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounces crema I used the brand Cacique
- 12 ounces Oaxaca cheese shredded
- 8 ounces jack cheese
garnish
- chopped scallions
- crushed tortilla chips
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Bring a 12 inch cast iron skillet to medium heat and add a splash of peanut or other high heat oil. Add in the chorizo and cook, breaking up as you cook, until it has darkened a few shades and is fully cooked. Remove from heat, leaving the oil in the pan.
- This is a good time to drop the pasta into some well salted boiling water
- Add in the onion and both peppers. Cook and stir to char on the outsides, about 8 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and return the chorizo to the pan. Cook and stir for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the drained pasta, and about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Also add the crema, and 3/4 of the cheese. Stir a bit to combine. Top with the remaining cheese and pop into the oven.
- Bake about 20 minutes until the top is starting to lightly brown. Remove from the oven.
- Top with the chips, scallions, and cilantro and serve.