Lone Star Beef & Green Pepper Mac & Cheese
with a Crispy Panko Topping
- Wheat
- Milk
Mac and cheese just got a flavorful makeover that’s got heads turning. This Tex-Mex twist on a classic is all about Southwestern flair: lightly charred green pepper, roasted garlic, and four kinds of cheese add serious oomph to the creamy sauce. This super savory melange coats corkscrew cavatappi, then is sprinkled with a layer of crispy panko. Beautiful!
Ingredients
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
8 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Pepper Jack Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
1 clove
Garlic
¼ cup
Monterey Jack Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
½ cup
Mexican Cheese Blend
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a medium pot (large pot for 4 servings) of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Halve green pepper lengthwise; remove stem and seeds. Peel garlic and place on a small piece of foil; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cinch into a packet.
• Place green pepper halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Place garlic foil packet on same sheet. • Roast on top rack until green pepper is tender and lightly blistered and garlic is softened, 15-17 minutes. • Remove from oven. Once cool enough to handle, transfer everything to a cutting board. Dice green pepper. Mash garlic with a fork. • Heat broiler to high or heat oven to 500 degrees.
• Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve ¾ cup pasta cooking water, then drain. • Meanwhile, place 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave until melted, 30 seconds. Stir in panko and half the Southwest Spice Blend (you’ll use the rest later). Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat same pot over medium heat. Add cream sauce base, cream cheese, and remaining Southwest Spice Blend; bring to a simmer, whisking, until smooth, 1-2 minutes. • Reduce heat to low and whisk in pepper jack, Monterey Jack, and Mexican cheese blend until melted and smooth.
• Stir drained cavatappi, mashed garlic, and diced green pepper into pot with cheese sauce. If needed, stir in reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until cavatappi is coated in a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer mac & cheese to an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (for 4 servings, use a 9-by-13- inch baking dish). Sprinkle with seasoned panko; broil or bake until panko is browned and crispy, 2-3 minutes. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning. • Divide between plates or serve directly from baking dish.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the creamy, cheesy sauce with a hint of spice, though some found it bland and wanted more seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Generally easy to make, though a few noted it took longer than expected with multiple steps.
- Suggestions: Consider adding protein like chicken or ground beef; some enjoyed extra veggies like broccoli or tomatoes 🍅.
- Portions: Generous servings that often provided leftovers, though some felt it was more of a side dish than a full meal.
- Texture: The crunchy panko topping was a hit, but a few found the roasted peppers' texture odd in the creamy pasta.
Reviews from our home cooks
We really liked this mac & cheese. The pasta is not the typical elbow macaroni and I like how the cheese really held onto the pasta! Easier to make than my own mac & cheese and the roasted green pepper gave this a nice kick and southwestern flavor. I'd order this one again.
This was the best Mac and cheese I ever had. The green pepper gave it a delicious flavor & it wasn't too spicy. I would get this over and over again. It was a hit! We even ate all the leftovers
Loved the southwest flavor in this! I think it was a great idea to add the seasoning to the panko as well as the sauce. The roasted garlic really made it, added some great flavor it. I do wish there was more roasted poblano for this, I ended up with a smaller amount than expected because a section of the pepper had gone brown inside.
There is absolutely nothing I can say to criticize this dish. The sauce is super creamy, the roasted pepper is a perfect compliment to the macaroni, and it's just a generally perfect meal.
This was a winner! So yummy and creamy, and the veggies added a great touch to basic mac n cheese. There was nothing basic about this! :)
I was SO shocked at how much I liked this, the pepper adds something so special to this mac. 10/10 would recommend!
This was such a good choice for the family! Great flavor and perfect blent of spices and sauce. Loved the time it took to cook and my only request is that you offer gluten free panko.
You changed the recipe. Old recipe was better. It's disappeared from my favorites, but I'm pretty sure it had that Firehouse seasoning and that pepper was sautéed, not cooked in oven. Also pretty sure one pack of cheese went on top with panko; sauce is too runny with all three packs.
Never added peppers to my Mac. Added a good crunch and flavor. Had to add more cheese so I added Gouda which made it 5 stars for me
It took longer than I expected to make mac and cheese but was super yummy. Kids didn't love the veggies in it and I only put some of the heat for picky eaters but flavors were great!
