Gluten Free Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese Recipe | Simple Green Moms (2024)

Our pepper jack mac and cheese recipe is the ideal adult comfort food. Not only is it easy to make, requiring just a few simple ingredients, but the homemade mac and cheese will remind you of the simpler days of your childhood. This is the perfect recipe to fill your belly and your soul.

Mac and Cheese Pepper Jack

When you think of macaroni and cheese, you may automatically think of a dish that is delicious yet also a little bit basic. Cheddar cheese is traditionally used to make mac and cheese and it is quite mild. Our recipe utilizes pepper jack cheese in order to make the cheese sauce more exciting and flavorful while still being creamy and classic.

While the main flavors may be more “adult”, the recipe is still simple enough that you can have this meal on the table in just a few minutes time. You will be cooking a dish that you will love, saving time and upgrading a classic to suit your adult tastes! Seems like a good recipe to try.

How to Make Pepper Jack Mac

Making macaroni and cheese from scratch is very easy and requires almost no prep time. In fact, once you make homemade mac n cheese, you may wonder why you ever purchased those boxes of macaroni mix! Take a look at these simple steps and you will see that you do not need a powdered cheese mix ever again.

1. Cook the pasta of your choice according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Add the butter, cup of milk and pepper jack to the hot pot that you cooked the pasta in. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the cheese has melted and blended into the other ingredients.
3. Add the cooked pasta back to the pot and stir the cheese sauce over the pasta, coating it completely.
4. Enjoy while hot!

It is pretty surprising how simple it is to make mac cheese from scratch. You should probably go buy some pasta and pepper jack right now so that you can make this recipe for dinner tonight– you’re going to love it!

How to Spice Up Mac and Cheese

Growing up, you probably ate macaroni and cheese that was very basic, made with plain cheddar cheese and milk. Even though you likely love that traditional mac and cheese, your tastes definitely change as you get older. While you may still want to enjoy comfort food from your childhood every now and then, you still might want to cater to those grown up taste buds.

Adding some heat to your macaroni and cheese is an easy way to take a classic dish and make it something more adult and also just more flavorful. Here are a few simple ways to do this:

• Using pepper jack to make the sauce as outlined in this recipe (probably the easiest way to add some well-balanced spice!)
• Add a tablespoon or two of Sriracha sauce to the melted cheese to give it a nice kick.
• Add a few chopped jalapenos to the sauce
• Add some buffalo wing sauce to the sauce- about a cup of buffalo sauce will add some amazing flavor and pairs well with the creamy texture.
• Saute some red peppers and mix them in with the macaroni

Macaroni and Cheese Additions

To make your pepper jack mac and cheese even better, you can try mixing some new ingredients into the mix. Here are a few things that we have tried that go great with the taste of the pepper jack macaroni.

• Cooked, crumbled bacon
• A cup of cooked, chopped ham
• Some shredded rotisserie chicken
• Crumbled breadcrumbs and butter on the top of the cooked pasta dish
• Steamed broccoli, asparagus or peas

All of these options are very quick and really add a lot to this delicious macaroni. Adding a little something extra also makes this dish more of a complete meal!

FAQ’s

Here are a few questions we are asked frequently about this recipe. Hopefully, these will help answer any questions you may have as well!

What kind of peppers are in pepper jack cheese?

Pepper jack actually has a lot of things blended into the cheese itself. Sweet peppers, rosemary, habanero chilis, garlic and spicy jalapenos are all mixed into the cheese. It’s not just peppers that are in there which is why we love using this cheese so much- it adds so many complex flavors!

What can I use instead of pepper jack cheese?

To make a delicious macaroni and cheese, your options are endless. You can essentially use any cheese that you love. You can even make your own cheese blend, adding one cup of one kind of cheese and a second cup of another. Some varieties that work well are cheddar, blue cheese, brie, swiss cheese or provolone.

Does pepper jack cheese melt?

It absolutely does! That is why it is so perfect for this recipe. When choosing what kind of cheeses to use to make the best, cheesy sauce possible, you always want a cheese that melts well. The cheese in this recipe does just that which is why pepper jack macaroni is pure perfection.

We hope that you love this recipe as much as we do and find some comfort in enjoying a childhood-inspired meal that is catered toward grown-up tastes. Send us your email address to sign up to have great, time saving recipes sent right to your inbox. We have thousands of dishes on our website that you are sure to love, many that are similar to this pepper jack macaroni too! Enjoy and happy cooking.

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Simple Pepper Jack Mac and Cheese

• Author: Simple Green Moms
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Gluten Free

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Description

Mac and cheese is so much better with pepperjack- you must give this recipe a try!

Ingredients

Scale

• 1 (16oz) box of macaroni elbows – we use gluten free
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 8 ounces shredded pepperjack cheese
• 2 tablespoons organic butter
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to box instructions
2. Drain pasta in strainer and set aside
3. Add butter, milk and cheese to the hot pan
4. Stir for a few minutes until it thickens into a sauce
5. Add pasta back into pan and stir until evenly combined
6. Serve immediately

Notes

Optional Toppings include:
Onions, garlic, and diced red peppers sauteed in a non-stick skillet for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
Fully cooked crumbled bacon.
You can also add 1 tablespoon of flour to the cheese sauce if you prefer it a little thicker or to blend cheese sauce better.

Pro Tips:

• To store this mac and cheese, place it in airtight containers after you have cooked the recipe completely. Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also choose to freeze the mac and cheese for about one month.
• To reheat the mac and cheese, place it on a plate with a microwavable plate cover to prevent the sauce from splattering as you reheat it. Heat for about a minute, stir and see if the dish is the temperature you’d like. Cover it again and heat a little more if needed (exact microwaving time will vary depending on if you are heating just one cup or an entire bowl of the dish).
• See if you can find pepper jack that is already shredded, saving you some time in the kitchen. Pre shredded or sliced pepper jack will also cook faster in the sauce as the uniform pieces will melt at the same time.

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