You are going to love this one-pot Southern Mac and Cheese recipe. If you’re a pimento cheese fan and have ever wondered if you can make mac and cheese using pimento cheese, the answer is an enthusiastic yes!
Here is my recipe for spicy smoked pimento cheese. Use it to make this pimento cheese pasta, or use store-bought. Make sure it isn’t too runny with mayonnaise, or your mac and cheese may be richer than you’d like.
For ease of browsing, here are all of my pasta recipes in one place. Thanks for stopping by!
Pimento cheese is one of my favorite things ever. While I would (probably) never eat an entire one-pound block of cheese in one sitting, I’d have no problem downing a pound or more of pimento cheese.
When it comes to this Southern classic, I have no off button.
For today’s episode of Fun with Pimento Cheese, I’ve taken some premium house-made pimento cheese and turned it into this pretty darn amazing one-pot pimento cheese pasta.
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How to Make This Southern Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
My thought process is that, because pimento cheese has oil in it (mayonnaise), it’s already halfway to a roux.
I figured I could just stir a bit of flour into the pimento cheese and then melt the whole thing into the pot of nearly-drained pasta to simplify matters.
Reserving some of the water not only gives the cheese something to melt into, but it provides additional starch to make the sauce incredibly creamy and smooth.
The first time I tried this was with homemade pimento cheese and fettuccine. It was spectacularly good, but it was also really rich because I’d used a bunch of mayonnaise in my pimento cheese.
I made a new batch of pimento cheese, going a bit lighter on the mayo, and it was perfect for round 2. And I was correct. Super cheesy and just rich enough. Seriously tasty. Dangerously so. And only one pot!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- short pasta: I used cavatappi because I think it’s a fun shape. Use any short shape you prefer such as penne, rotini, fusili, etc.
- pimento cheese: If purchasing it, get a premium brand that isn’t swimming in dressing. It will be too rich.
- flour: All-purpose flour works fine here. Substitute cornstarch if you cannot have wheat (and use gluten-free pasta, obviously)
- pasta water: About a cup of starchy water from cooking the pasta
- salt & pepper: Taste and add as needed
Garnish Options
- bacon: Crispy, crumbled
- pickled jalapenos: leave the rings whole or chop them more finely. Your call
- roasted red pepper: You can roast your own if you’d like. I usually buy the jars of roasted red peppers and dice some up
Here’s the Rundown:
- Stir flour into thick pimento cheese (store-bought or homemade that’s light on the mayo)
- Stir the pimento cheese mixture into mostly drained pasta in the pot.
- Bring to a boil so the flour can thicken the sauce.
- Serve and enjoy.
Southern Macaroni and Cheese
For this pot pimento cheese pasta, I used 6 oz each of The Butcher’s Market’s Jalapeno pimento cheese and Bacon pimento cheese. If you live in the Raleigh/Cary area, please go grab some. It is excellent.
If you are not in the area, use any excellent quality ready made pimento cheese or your own homemade pimento cheese.
One caveat: make sure that it is relatively light on the mayo.
Most mass-produced pimento cheese is fairly loose and will list mayo or oil as the first or second ingredient. Make sure that the mayonnaise is fairly low on the ingredient list just to make sure your pimento cheese pasta isn’t too rich–too much oil, and the sauce will break, too.
Also, note that you can use more or less pimento cheese in your pasta (or conversely, more or less pasta with your pimento cheese) depending on how gooey you want your mac and cheese to be and keeping in mind the pasta will suck up some of the sauce, especially if you have to refrigerate leftovers.
Before we make this deliciousness, here are my recommendations for some equipment that will make your life easier when making pimento cheese and/or a pasta dish. The following are affiliate links
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If you’re going to make your own pimento cheese, you’ll want something to help you shred your cheese. This can be as simple as a box grater, or you can get a mandoline or even a food processor with a shredding disc. I also like to have a nice large strainer for my pasta. This model that has expanding handles fits over the sink so I don’t need to call The Beloved to help me hold it.
More Southern Recipes for You To Enjoy
Looking for more easy, delicious southern recipes? Try these!
- My Favorite Macaroni Salad
- Spicy, Smoky Pimento Cheese Recipe
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Stove-Top Mac and Cheese (The best!)
- Pimento Cheese-Stuffed Grits Arancini
Okay. Now we’re set. Let’s make some one-pot pimento cheese pasta, friends.
Questions?
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Southern Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound short pasta shape of your choice (I used cavatappi)
- 1 ½ cups pimento cheese (light on the mayo)
- 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup pasta cooking water
- salt and pepper if needed
Optional Garnishes
- 4-5 slices thick cut bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- a few rings pickled jalapenos
- a few pieces roasted red pepper chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Cook to the shorter time indicated.
- Mix the flour into the pimento cheese until you can’t see any flour.
- When the pasta is done, reserve one cup of the liquid and drain out the rest of the water.
- Put the reserved liquid and the pimento cheese mixture in the pan. Stir together over high heat until the pimento cheese has mostly melted.
- Add the pasta back in and stir well to coat the pasta evenly and melt the cheese completely.
- Taste and add some salt and pepper if necessary.
- Garnish as desired, using my suggestions or doing your own thing, and serve hot.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
See how easy this Southern macaroni and cheese recipe is to make? I can assure you it is every bit as easy to eat as it is to make.
I hope you enjoy this sneakily easy one pot pimento cheese pasta. I’m pretty sure your kiddos who love to cook would love to make this mac and cheese, too, so let them help.
And that’s it for now. Thanks for spending some time with me today.
Take care, and have a lovely day.
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