Jalapeno Popper Pasta Food

CREAMY JALAPENO POPPER MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Melt the unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; transfer half the melted butter to a medium bowl and reserve. Add the chopped jalapenos to the saucepan, toss to coat and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to a small bowl and reserve.
• Wipe out the saucepan and add the half-and-half. Cook over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until the half-and-half is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and reserved pasta water and stir to combine. (The mixture will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Gently fold in the reserved cooked jalapenos, pickled jalapenos and pickled jalapeno juice. Season with salt and cayenne if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs in the bowl with the reserved melted butter and a sprinkle of salt. Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Lay the sliced jalapenos evenly on top of the bread crumbs. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

JALAPEñO POPPERS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, then top with a wire rack.
• Halve jalapeños lengthwise. (Do your best to halve them through their stems for added visual appeal.) Using the tip of a small spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds. Set the halved jalapeños aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, cilantro, scallions, garlic and lime zest, if using; season generously with salt and pepper.
• Season the inside of each halved jalapeño with salt and pepper, then fill each with about 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture. (Fill until there's a slight dome on top.) Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with 1 piece of bacon, setting one tip of bacon on top of the cream cheese filling, then wrapping the bacon under and over the popper at an angle, so the bacon covers the filling on top in two layers. (The bacon will shrink as it cooks, so you want to make sure the top of the popper is well covered.) Arrange poppers evenly on the wire rack, nestling each popper between two parallel wires to keep it upright so the cream cheese doesn't spill during baking.
• Transfer to the oven, and bake until bacon is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Broil on the rack closest to the broiler until crisp, about 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.

JALAPENO POPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta to al dente in salted water. Drain well.
• While pasta is cooking, stir together cream cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until mostly smooth. (It's ok if cream cheese isn't fully blended in.)
• Once pasta is drained, let it cool a few minutes, and then add it to mayonnaise mixture. It should still be very warm and the heat will help smooth out the cream cheese. Stir well.
• Mix in jalapenos, green onions. bacon, and shredded cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Cut jalapenos in half and remove seeds and veins.
• (Use gloves to work with peppers).
• Fill jalpenos with cream cheese and wrap a slice of bacon around each one.
• Secure with a toothpick.
• Bake at 425 degrees until bacon appears to be done, about 15-20 minutes.

CHEESY JALAPEñO POPPER PASTA SKILLET

Steps:

• Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in skillet. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir 2 to 5 minutes or until toasted. Transfer to small bowl; wipe out skillet.
• Heat same skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels.
• Add beef to bacon drippings in skillet; cook over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Return beef to skillet.
• Stir in milk, hot water, and uncooked pasta and sauce mix (from Hamburger Helper™ box). Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
• Remove from heat; stir in cream cheese until melted. Top with bread crumbs, bacon, jalapeños and green onions.

JALAPENO POPPER PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish. Slice one whole jalapeno lengthwise into slivers; slice remaining jalapeno into rounds. Set aside.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Let cool enough to touch; crumble and divide into two equal parts. Set aside.
• Heat bacon grease in the same pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and 1/2 cup chopped jalapeno in the hot grease until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and chicken broth until well combined. Stir in Neufchatel cheese until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in 1/2 cup pepper Jack cheese and 1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese until melted. Add pasta, chicken, and 1/2 of the bacon.
• Pour 1/2 of the pasta mixture into the prepared dish and top with jalapeno slivers. Add remaining pasta mixture and top with remaining pepper Jack and sharp Cheddar cheese.
• Bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and add jalapeno slices and remaining bacon. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

JALAPEñO POPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta, but don't rinse. (Tip: The dressing will stick to pasta better if it's not drained.)
• Cut bacon strips into small pieces and cook in a large skillet until nice and crispy.
• Cut jalapeños in half, scoop out the seeds and ribs. Then cut into small pieces. (Note: If you don't like too spicy food, make sure to remove all the white ribs inside, because that's where most of the heat comes from.)
• In a large bowl (I used 4qt bowl), whisk together cream cheese spread, reserved pasta water, parsley, black pepper and garlic powder. It doesn't have to be completely smooth.
• Add hot pasta, bacon, chopped jalapeños and cheese. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve warm or at room temperature.

JALAPENO POPPER PASTA SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pan, cook the pasta according to package directions. Then drain and rinse with cold water. Place them in a large mixing bowl.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and red wine vinegar. Mix well by hand or with a hand mixer. Make sure there are no lumps, then add the pepper, garlic powder and pickled jalapenos.
• Add the cooked bacon, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese and 2 teaspoons of cilantro to the pasta. Toss to combine.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta and combine.
• Serve with a sliced jalapeno and a sprinkle of cilantro.

JALAPENO POPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the ranch dressing, jalapenos, lime juice, and garlic in a high powered blender or food processor. Pulse until completely smooth.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini according to package directions. Drain pasta, run under cold water until completely cool, set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the pasta and jalapeno ranch. Add the jalapenos, cheddar, pepper jack, and bacon, stir well to combine.
• Stir in half of the crushed croutons. Top the pasta salad with remaining croutons before serving. Chill until ready to serve.