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A bowl of elote baked mac and cheese.
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5 from 10 votes

Elote Baked Mac and Cheese

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: mexican american
Servings: 8
Calories: 532kcal
Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
  • 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided
  • 2 ears sweet corn kernels
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 12 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided
  • 1 pound cavatelli pasta, cooked al dente and drained
  • 6 ounces crumbled cotija cheese, divided
  • 1 lime, juiced
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375˚F. Lightly grease a 13”x9” baking dish and set aside.
  • Place first 6 ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir together until well blended together. Set aside.
  • Place 2 tablespoons butter into a medium pot and melt over medium-high heat. Add corn and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour corn out into a small mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Place pot back onto the stove and lower heat to medium. Add remaining butter and melt.
  • Add flour and stir together to create a roux. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in milk and continue to stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and no lumps remain.
  • Stir in cheese, 2 ounces at a time until fully incorporated and mixture is smooth. Add all but 1 ½ teaspoons of the spice mixture to the cheese sauce and stir in 2 tablespoons of cilantro.
  • Place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl and pour cheese sauce over. Stir together until all the pasta is well coated. Fold in the corn, 2 ounces of cotija cheese and lime juice into the pasta mixture until well combined. Adjust seasonings.
  • Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with remaining cotija cheese, spice blend and finally cilantro.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and slightly browned on top.
  • Cool for about 10 minutes, scoop and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 979mg | Potassium: 284mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1199IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 483mg | Iron: 2mg