Pimiento Mac and Cheese

My findings: for this level, take the pasta up to 12 oz. and use small shells. I pumped up the cheddar to about 2 cups. Definitely ends up reading as more of a pepper sauce than mac and cheese sauce, but still excellent. Peppadew peppers are the best, my new find.

• Anonymous

• Martha's Vineyard, MA

• 5/25/2019

Double plus ungood. Tastes like macaroni and romesco sauce. Going back to beschamel base. Maybe mix in some pimentos.

• pjcamp1

• atlanta, ga

• 1/17/2016

我一直在做这道菜好几年了nd it is delicious. I do amp it up a bit by adding a chipotle chile to the garlic and peppers and about a 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika.

• Anonymous

• McLean, va

• 1/3/2016

I grew up in the south and know pimiento cheese. Every time I go back, I get those little containers of pre-mixed pimiento cheese and take it home so I can slather it on whole wheat crackers. This recipe calls for a lot of unnecessary work-boiling chopped red bell peppers and hunting down peppadews?? Gee whiz Bullwinkle, buy a can jar of pimientos, chopped or whole (these you'll need to chop) and mix it in. This recipe=too much work for the results. Whoever developed this recipe is NOT southern!

• kitkatzap2

• Washington state

• 11/11/2015

I thought this was excellent and probably have made it 4 times. The Peppadew peppers were difficult to find in my local grocer so I had used a few varieties of bottled peppers. Turns out my local grocer had them this whole time not on the shelf but over near the olive bar by the fancy cheeses.

• devilpanda

• Chicago, IL

• 9/30/2013

"Peppadew" is a trademarked name for a specific product, mentioned by BA magazine in a later article. I couldn't find them on my deadline, I'm told that Trader Joe's has them, not willing to drive to the suburbs just for "sweet Piquante peppers, sugar, vinegar & salt", I substituted Sliced Red Bell Peppers that were jarred in vinegar and also added a generous portion of actual pimentos. I also doubled the ancho chili powder and slightly increased the cheddar cheese. Don't skimp on the "salt and pepper to taste" step. I also generously salted the water for boiling the pasta. I did all this on my second attempt to make this dish and it came out wonderfully.

• johnnyjboss

• Dallas, Tx

• 7/5/2012

Very disappointing, but let me say this, the flavor is great, but it was NOT like macaroni and cheese. It was... watered down. I'm determined to make this again, and do it right. I'll probably use a bechamel sauce base, and add in the the other elements to create the same flavor. I really wanted this to be great, it just was not. Not cheesy, at all.

• kirstenacole

• Providence, RI

• 3/15/2012

There seems to be some controversy regarding this recipe. The first thing I will say is that when I served this to my wife she said "This is not mac and cheese". If you are expecting to be that creamy gooey mac and cheese that many of us dream of and consider true comfort food, search on. The introduction of the pepper flavor to the mac and cheese is quite pleasant and worth pursuing. The amount of both garlic and ancho chiles were inadequate as the flavors were not discernible. Overall the recipe needs to have the flavors pumped up and its "cheesyness" restored.

• FreddieFoodie

• 1/18/2012

This is one of my favorite Mac and Cheese/Pasta dishes and I have made it multiple times. I have eaten Mac and Cheese at restaurants around the country and I have made it at home many times from various recipies, so I consider myself a bit of an expert. I have used the Peppadew peppers and also just used roasted red peppers in brine and it comes out great either way.

• JimDickinson

• Columbus, Oh

• 11/13/2011

Absolutely divine! Not sure how others found it dry - using the 8oz of pasta the recipe called for, mine was very saucy. Will definitely make again -

• srindar

• Columbus, OH

• 10/10/2011

I have made this recipe a couple times now - there has been a great variation in the spicyness of the Pepperdew peppers. It has made it interesting. The first batch of peppers were sweet and spicy but mild, the second set were much spicier. Both times the dish disappeared in minutes but I was definitely surprised by the spicyness. Also - I used skim milk mozzarella both times and it was fine. I will make this again and again.

• countess11

• Seattle and Tucson

• 9/27/2011

This was terrible -worse Mac and cheese ever -both in texture and Taste I make it for friends, was concerned about it cause it just wasnt right. Had to make a second version - my own recipe that is tried and true. Everyone took one bot of this and agreed it was awful - and finish my version. Don't waste your money.

• Anonymous

• Huntington beach, ca

• 5/12/2011

Doubled this for a group lunch and it went over like gangbusters. Couldn't find peppadew peppers, used jarred cherry peppers instead. Really delicious and gorgeously brown and gooey.

• delaneymae

• Nashville, TN

• 5/9/2011

I also grabbed a baking dish with a large surface area thinking it would give me more of the yummy crunchy topping, but agree that this made the dish less "creamy" than if I had used a dish more similar to the one pictured! May try it with a bechamel in the future but don't want to dampen the great pimento cheese flavor which is what this one is all about. If you want "Blue Box" style make it on the stove top not in the oven.

• einerson

• Hilliard,Ohio

• 4/21/2011

I really enjoyed this receipt. It was a nice twist to Mac'n'Cheese, that didn't involve $25.00 worth of artesianal cheeses. I added an egg into the cheese before mixing it with the pasta. Don't ask why, its just how my grandmother taught me to make it. I planning to try this again in the near future, but making a bechamel first and then adding the pimento cheese into it, and then mixing it into the pasta. Final note, make sure you use the correctly sized dish. Without thinking about it, I grabbed my largest Pyrex dish which was far too much surface area. I would suggest a 9" square to increase the depth and prevent the danger of it drying out.

• UrbanCleaver

• Atlanta, Georgia

• 4/13/2011