Chorizo Mac ’n Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups Racconto Pennette or Elbow pasta
1 cup milk
1 tsp corn starch
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
4 oz shredded pepper jack cheese (about 1 cup)
6 oz Mexican chorizo
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp lime juice
2 Tbsp Racconto Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp butter

Preparation:

Toss corn starch with the 2 cheeses in a bowl and set aside. (corn starch will help prevent the cheese sauce from getting too stringy). Heat milk in a small saucepan until steamy. Keep warm while you are preparing the recipe, do not let boil. In a large stock pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook half of the time recommended on the package. While pasta is cooking, prepare the chorizo cheese sauce. Remove chorizo from its casing and add to a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan on medium-high heat. When the chorizo begins to sizzle, reduce the heat to medium. Cook the chorizo, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the minced red onion and cook the mixture until the onions soften, about 3-4 minutes. When the pasta is cooked, but still rm, drain it and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°. Add the our to the pot with the chorizo and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pot, for 2 minutes. Add the hot milk a tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. When all the milk has been added, heat the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Mix the grated cheese into the chorizo milk sauce. Mix the cooked macaroni into the chorizo cheese sauce. Stir in the lime juice. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a small casserole dish. Make sure the top is level. Dust the top with the breadcrumbs, then dot with the butter. Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Total Prep Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4