Roasted Red Pepper Mac and Cheese

Allow me to wow you with yet another mac and cheese dish that both the kids and adults love AND it sneaks in a veggie. We love red peppers in this house. I eat them year round. I purchase them on sale, roast them, skin them, and keep them in my freezer. I find that I can use roasted peppers in tons of different ways. This mac and cheese is a total hit. It uses my secret ingredient mac and cheese recipe as a base and works in 2 whole red bell peppers. Not bad for sneaking in a veggie. My kids absolutely loved it and didn’t even notice it was different. I loved it too. The bell peppers brought in a nice sweetness and the hot sauce gives it that punch. It isn’t spicy, it is just a well-rounded flavor. If you want it to be spicy, add in more hot sauce.  

Ingredients

1 box uncooked macaroni (1 lb)
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper (can use black, but it will be visible with black specks)
1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
3 1/2 cups milk

2 roasted red bell peppers, seeded, skinned, cored
2 Tablespoons Frank’s Hot Sauce
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan.

2. Fill a large saucepan with water, and bring to a boil. Stir in the macaroni; cook until al dente. Drain well. Pour noodles into prepared 9×13 pan.

3. Meanwhile in another large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, mustard powder, and milk; whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes until the sauce is hot and begins to bubble.  Reduce heat to low. Add in the red bell peppers and puree using a hand mixer or transfer to a blender or food processor to puree until smooth. Return to heat and whisk in cheese and hot sauce. Stir until melted.  Pour cheese sauce over noodles in prepared 9×13 pan.

4. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes. 

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