Mac and cheese is possibly one of the greatest dishes ever created. The simplicity of pasta with cheese is beloved all around the world, from Italy to the U.S. to the Caribbean. And, it’s from Jamaica that this recipe for honey mac and cheese hails.
The combination of honey and cheese is common in many parts of the world and is particularly popular in parts of Europe. The sweetness of honey with the smoothness of cheese is a unique experience of flavor and texture. In this Jamaican mac and cheese recipe the two marry perfectly -along with a little bit of chili pepper- for a really tasty dish that feeds a crowd.
To start this recipe you’ll need to make a 1-pound box of elbow macaroni, penne, or cavatapi pasta and drain it. Then you sauté half an onion before making a simple white sauce using flour and milk.
Add the flour to to the onions, stirring constantly with a whisk, and cook for about 1 minute so that there is no “flour” taste in the finished recipe.
Then very slowly add in the milk, also whisking the the whole time. To that you add in the spices. For this recipe you’ll need need the aforementioned honey along with black pepper, mustard, chili powder, and one habanero pepper (diced). If you want something less spicy you can use a small jalapeño pepper instead.
Then add part of the cheese to the sauce and stir. Pour this over pasta in a 9×13″ casserole dish or baking pan. Top with the remaining cheese and the 1/4 cup crushed cheese crackers. If you don’t have cheese crackers on hand you can use croutons or breadcrumbs, but the cheese crackers add extra cheese flavor.
After that you bake for 25 minutes or until the top is bubbling and beginning to brown and all the cheese is melted.
The finished result is creamy and tangy, with just a bit of heat and sweetness and a little crunch on top. Try this incredible Jamaican honey mac and cheese and taste for yourself how well all these flavors come together.
Honey Mac and Cheese
Allergens: Milk
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 1-lb box macaroni
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 habanero pepper, minced
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded mild cheddar, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1/3 cup crushed cheese crackers
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 325˚. Prepare macaroni to package instructions and then drain.
- In a large skillet sauté onion in butter over medium heat until it begins to turn translucent. Add in flour and whisk to combine. Cook for one minute, whisking constantly. Slowly add milk to pan, stirring the whole time.
- Add black pepper, egg, mustard, honey, chili powder, habanero and stir. Remove from heat and add in cheeses, reserving 1/4 cup of each. Stir until smooth and cheese is fully incorporated.
- Pour macaroni into a deep 9x13 casserole dish or baking pan. Cover with sauce and stir to coat. Top with crushed crackers and the reserved cheeses.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese on top is fully melted and beginning to brown.
Recipe adapted from Original Flava.