If You Haven't Made Mac and Cheese With Flamin' Hot Cheetos Yet, You're Doing It Wrong

Wipe off the drool and get to making this dish already! It's a bacon-loaded mac and cheese topped with the king of all spicy snacking - Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Trust us, this is one weird dish you're going to love.

Related: Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Bites Need No Hard Sell

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
By Nicole Iizuka, POPSUGAR Food

Ingredients

1. Salt
   
   8 ounces elbow macaroni pasta, cooked
   
   1 pound bacon
   
   2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
   
   1/3 cup flour
   
   2 cups milk
   
   1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
   
   2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
   
   1 teaspoon black pepper
   
   1/4 cup green onions, diced
   
   1 cup Flamin' Hot Cheetos, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.


2. Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot. Cook elbow macaroni pasta for 6-8 minutes, or until al dente. Remove from heat, drain pasta, and set aside.


3. In a large dishwasher-safe sauté pan, cook bacon until crispy and all of the fat has been rendered. Remove bacon from pan and place on paper-towel-lined plates to drain, and, once cool, crumble. Remove about half of the rendered fat from the pan.


4. Add jalapeños and cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until the flour and fat are combined. Whisk in milk and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add in cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and green onions. Continue cooking until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and add crumbled bacon, and macaroni. Mix to coat.


5. Pour macaroni and cheese into a medium-size casserole dish and top with crushed Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Cook in the oven for 5 minutes and serve warm.

Information Category Pasta, Main Dishes Yield 6 to 8 servings Total Time 24 minutes, 59 seconds