Sriracha Mac 'n Cheese

For those of you who are unaware- I love hot sauce. I would even say that love is probably an understatement. I am obsessed with hot sauce- cholula, sriracha, franks... I love them all! So when The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens was released this past spring, of course I jumped at purchasing it!

Since I've purchased the book, I've made several recipes from it.... Chilaquiles, carne asada, gazpacho, pulled pork.. but one thing reigns about all others- the mac n cheese! The spiciness of the Sriracha mixed with the sharpness of the cheddar, sweetness of the nutmeg and the crunch from the bread crumb topping make this a fantastic fall meal! (Or any time of year meal for that matter- it just happens to be fall)

Baked Mac n' Cheese
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
8 oz. elbow macaroni
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
1/4 all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 Sriracha
7 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (NOTE: I used 8oz. so I could just use the whole bag)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spritz a 2-qt. casserole dish (I used my 9x13 baking dish) with nonstick cooking spray.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp. of the butter. Add the bread crumbs, stirring gently. Turn off the heat, allow the bread crumbs to absorb the butter and reserve.

In a large stockpot, bring 2 qts. of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni noodles and stir. Cook until the noodles are just slightly undercooked.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the remaining 4 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan (I used my Wok) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, gradually. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add 1/2 cup of the milk while whisking until it is absorbed and thickened slightly. Then add the rest of the milk, followed by the cream. Add the salt, dried mustard, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Stir in the Sriracha. Gradually add the cheddar cheese while slowly whisking, one handful at a time. (NOTE: the recipe says only add 1 1/2 of the cups here and put the rest on top. I add all the cheddar into the sauce and put extra parmesan on the top.)

Once all the cheese has melted, toss in the cooked macaroni, coating the noodles with the cheese sauce. (NOTE: this will almost look like cheese soup with a little bit of noodles. This is OK- the cheese thickens while in the oven.) Transfer the noodles and sauce to the baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese (or in my case, just parmesan). Cover with an even layer of the buttered bread crumbs.

Bake, uncovered, until golden brown for 18-22 minutes.

I took this to a potluck on Friday night and it was a HUGE hit! It's great a for any size group of people and makes GREAT leftovers! The breadcrumbs aren't usually as crunchy the next day, but they are still tasty!

Tonight's menu?? Pumpkin chili! Mmmm! I am clearly on a Fall foods kick!