Baja Mac and Cheese (Copycat Panera Recipe) – Easy, 20 Minutes

👀Baja Mac and Cheese at a Glance

⏱ 20 minutes | 🍝 Stovetop | 🥑 Vegetarian | 🌶️ Gluten-free adaptable | 👨‍👩‍👧 Serves 6 Creamy homemade stove top cheese sauce + fresh pico de gallo + avocado + chili lime. Panera copycat, made better at home.

Ingredients for Baja Mac and Cheese

Pasta – One of the most versatile pasta shapes that you could use for this mac and cheese is elbow macaroni. Its shape is perfect for holding onto creamy sauces like mac and cheese. Don’t have elbow macaroni on hand, no need to run to the store, penne pasta with its cylindrical shape and a slanted cut at the end, makes it a great choice as well.

Cheese – Just like this stovetop mac and cheese recipe, I like to use cream cheese and cheddar in this one. Save your fancy cheeses for another time and recipes like this grown up mac and cheese. Here we are talking about a classic that screams comfort food. 

Grating your own cheese is definitely a great way to control the quality and flavor of the cheese you are using, as well as avoiding any additional additives or anti-caking agents that may be present in pre-shredded cheese. Plus, it can provide a good arm workout! Using different types of cheese, such as sharp cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, pepperjack, or gouda, can also add variety and depth of flavor to this baja mac and cheese.

Pico de Gallo – This is the star of this Baja Mac and cheese. This pico literally takes that center stage and though simple, elevates a classic mac and cheese to a whole new level. To make the pico you will need onion, roma tomatoes, jalapeno (or serrano, if you like it hot), cilantro, salt and a big squeeze of lime. Keep acocado separate from the mix just in case you have leftovers. See recipe notes for more.

Substitutions

To make this Baja mac and Cheese gluten free, you can use any gluten free pasta like chickpea, lentil or rice-flour pasta. You can also skip making the roux and I promise you will still get the same creamy consistency.

How to add more protein to this Baja Mac and Cheese?

If you want to keep this vegetarian, you will get protein from the cheese and dairy in the recipe, healthy fats from avocado and carbs from the pasta itself. But if you want to add animal protein to it, you can marinate and grill chicken breasts and slice them to top the baja mac and cheese bowl. Keeping with the Baja theme, this recipe of grilled chicken works perfectly.

What to serve with it?

Some additional options to serve alongside this Baja mac and cheese could include a side salad (we love this cucumber and fire-roasted corn salad) or some of my easy summer fruit salad and is a great way to incorporate more nutrients into a meal. Grilled chicken (as stated above), roasted veggies, or my thyme and rosemary focaccia bread are also tasty and versatile options that can complement this pasta. Though, it’s also worth noting that most people (like a lot!) may prefer to have their baja mac and cheese on its own, without any additional sides. 

How to make Baja mac and cheese?

There are two main parts of this recipe – making the cheese sauce for mac and cheese and the making the pico de gallo to add that Baja component. The good news is that these can be made simultaneously.

1. Right when you start thinking about making mac and cheese, set a big pot of water to boil on high heat. Salt it liberally.
2. Add your dried elbow macaroni to boiling water and set the timer to 8 minutes (for al-dente pasta)
3. Set a wide, heavy bottom pan on medium high heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Then add the flour.
4. Whisk the flour and butter together until the raw smell of flour goes away, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the milk along with garlic, nutmeg and mustard powders. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil while whisking lightly.
6. Once boiled, lower the heat to medium and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Keep stirring. At this point add the cheeses and turn off the heat.
7. Proceed to make the pico de gallo by chopping onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro. Mix everything, add salt and lime juice and set aside. Chop the avocado, add lime juice and keep aside as well. 
8. Once the timer for the pasta goes off, save a cup of pasta water and then drain the pasta. See notes.
9. Add the drained pasta to your cheese sauce, add salt and a lot of fresh cracked black pepper.
10. Serve hot garnished with about a ¼ cup of pico de gallo and avocado. Sprinkle some trader joe’s chili lime seasoning or tajin and enjoy!

How to store and reheat Baja mac and cheese?

This is best enjoyed warm, fresh from the stove. But if you have leftovers, you can store the pico and the mac and cheese separately in the refrigerator. Since avocados will oxidize and turn brown even with the lime juice, I would recommend not to mix avocado in the pico. To reheat mac and cheese that has been stored in the refrigerator, add a tablespoon of milk and microwave or heat on the stove top. Serve warm topped with pico and avocado.

❓ FAQs

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