Sweet and Spicy Tomato Cream Mac & Cheese Recipe

The brewery where Mr. Peculiar works makes THE BEST sweet and spicy mac & cheese.  I've been trying to emulate it for a while now.  Last night I decided to give it another go a) because I bought heavy cream (it's all about the bottle) and b) we had to eat.

I used whole wheat pasta to make this dish *slightly* more healthy.  However this is not diet food.  This recipe contains butter and it contains cream.  Nom, nom.  But whole wheat people.  That's good, right?!! This is assuming you are not gluten intolerant.

This recipe makes a lot of food.  I'd say it serves 8 to 10 people.  Perfect for us as we'll use the left-overs tonight.  Left overs are ideal for nights when I have to work and am not home to prepare dinner.  Of course you can always halve it.

And it has a kick.  My kids ate it but definitely drank their milk too.  I use two chipotle peppers.  Use only one to decrease the spice.  

Ingredients:

32 oz Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

Small Yellow Onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 -2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato paste

3 tablespoons honey

14.5 oz (1 can) stewed tomatoes

2 cups heavy cream

8 slices of bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes

4 tablespoons butter

1-2 cups grated parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Kosher Salt

Instructions:

• Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and set aside

Sauce:

• Lightly coat dutch oven with olive oil.  
• Add onion and cook on medium heat until soft and translucent
• Add garlic and cook for approxiamtely 30 seconds or until fragrant
• Add stewed tomatoes (including juice), honey, pepper(s) and cream
• Using an immersion blender (or food processor) blend ingredients until smooth
• Add tomato paste and stir together
• Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for ~10 minutes to allow sauce to thicken

Topping:

• Meanwhile pulse bread in food processor until forms crumbs
• Melt butter in medium pan and add bread crumbs.  Stir until butter incorporated.  

Combine:

• Pour noodles in large baking dish, add sauce and mix together
• Top with bread crumbs and cheese
• Bake in oven at 350 degrees until topping crispy (~ 20 minutes)

Serve and enjoy.