Pimiento Mac and Cheese

By gmasusan

How do you improve upon mac and cheese? Mix in a little southern charm. To amp up the classic, we made a cheese sauce inspired by im\\pimiento cheese. The mix of Parmesan, cheddar, bell pepper, and sweet-tangy peppadew peppers coats the pasta perfectly - and the panko topping adds just enough crunch.

Ingredients

• 1 7-8 ounce red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, halved, divided
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup drained mild Peppadew peppers in brine, 1 tablespoon brine reserved
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ancho chiles
• 1-1/4 cups packed coarsely grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup packed coarsely grated whole milk mozzarella
• 8 ounces medium shell pasta or gemelii

Preparation

Step 1

Bring 1/2 cup water, bell pepper, and 1-1/2 garlic cloves to boil in small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until pepper is soft, about 15 minutes.

Toast panko in skillet over medium high heat until golden, stirring often, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cool to lukewarm. Rub 1 tablespoon butter into crumbs to coat. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesean.

Transferbell pepper mixture to processor. Add Peppadews and 1 tablespoon brine, 2 tablespoon butter, ground chiles, and 1/2 garlic clove; then add cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Blend until sauce is smooth; seaton to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 8-cup baking dish.

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. retun to pot. Stir sauce and mozzarella into pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon pasta into dish. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake pasta until topping is crisp and sauce is bubblin, about 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.