- 6
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 lb. cavatappi, or other short pasta
- 1 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
- 1 Tb. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. cumin, about 1/3 palmful
- 1/3 c. cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 3 Tb. butter
- 3 Tb. flour
- 2 c. milk
- 1 c. vegetable broth
- pepper
- 1 c. swiss cheese, shredded
- 1 c. monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 2 c. tortilla chips, crushed, preferably flaxseed
- 1 c. pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1 c. sour cream, optional
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, then return to the pot. While the pasta is working, using a food processor, pluse the tomatillos until chopped. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil, one turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatillos, honey and cumin; season with salt. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the cilanto and lime juice.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and vegetable broth; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the swiss and monterey jack cheeses.
Preheat a broiler. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and toss. Spread half of the pasta in a 9x13 baking dish and top with half of the tomatillo sauce; repeat the layers. Sprinkle the chips and pepper jack cheese on top. Broil until browned, 3-5 minutes. Serve with the sour cream, if using.