This is sweatpants food, and I mean that as a compliment. Spicy Sausage and Chipotle Mac and Cheese is cold weather comfort with some fight in it: cheesy whole wheat rotini where the chipotle burn creeps up a few bites in, right about when you’re reaching for seconds.
Sweet potato hits the hot skillet first and browns on every side, then the chorizo goes in right on top, so all that red, spicy pork fat soaks into the potatoes while they caramelize. Those sweet edges keep the chipotle in check, and a couple handfuls of spinach wilted in at the end make the whole pan feel a little less like a dare.
🔪 Ingredients for Spicy Sausage and Chipotle Mac and Cheese
- Vegetable oil: any neutral oil that can take medium high heat.
- Sweet potato: peeled and diced small, 1/4 to 1/2 inch, so it browns and cooks through in the skillet.
- Chorizo: fresh, raw chorizo with the casings removed, not the cured kind you slice for a cheese board.
- Red bell pepper, onion and mushrooms
- Whole wheat rotini: the spirals grab the sauce. Any short pasta works.
- Processed cheese, like Velveeta: it keeps the sauce smooth and stops it from breaking.
- White cheddar: shredded, for the sharp cheddar flavor.
- Milk
- Adobo sauce: the sauce only, spooned from a can of chipotles in adobo.
- Salsa: your favorite jarred or fresh.
- Fresh spinach
Equipment
- Large skillet: big enough to hold the sausage mixture and the pasta at the end.
- Saucepan: for the cheese sauce.
- Pot: for the pasta.
📝 How to Make Spicy Sausage and Chipotle Mac and Cheese
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the sweet potato and cook, turning, until browned on all sides.
- Add the chorizo and break it into bite size chunks as it cooks, 7 to 10 minutes, until browned and it reads 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
- Add the onion, pepper and mushrooms and cook until the onion is soft and the mushrooms have released their liquid.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions and drain.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the processed cheese and cheddar into the milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in the adobo sauce and salsa.
- Combine the pasta, cheese sauce and sausage mixture in one pan. Toss in the spinach and stir until it wilts. Serve hot.
Want your mac and cheese smoky instead of spicy? Go for our Smoked Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese, or take it outside with Mac and Cheese Stuffed Peppers on the campfire. For a special occasion, there’s Bourbon Braised Short Ribs with Honey and Fig Mac and Cheese, and you’ll find more weeknight ideas in our ground pork recipes.
🔄 Substitutions
- Hot Italian sausage: swaps in for the chorizo. Cook it to 165°F the same way.
- Butternut squash: in place of the sweet potato, diced the same size.
- Regular pasta: elbows, shells or classic rotini instead of whole wheat.
- Pepper jack: in place of the white cheddar for extra heat.
- Kale: instead of spinach. Give it a minute longer to wilt.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Let the sweet potato sit. Get the oil hot first and leave the pieces alone long enough to brown before you stir.
- Watch the fat. Chorizo renders a lot of it. If the skillet looks greasy before the vegetables go in, spoon some off.
- Add the adobo to taste. Heat varies from can to can, so stir it in a little at a time.
- Shred your own cheddar. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to keep it from clumping, and that coating can make the sauce grainy.
🍽️ What to Serve with Spicy Sausage and Chipotle Mac and Cheese
- Green salad with a lime vinaigrette: something crisp and sharp next to all that cheese.
- Roasted broccoli: charred edges, no extra work at the stove.
- Pickled jalapeños and red onions: for anyone who wants more bite.
🧊 Leftovers and Storage
- Fridge: store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: warm on the stove over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring until hot, or microwave covered.
- Freezer: not recommended, since the cheese sauce can turn grainy after thawing.
Spicy Sausage and Chipotle Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 sweet potato peeled and diced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 lb fresh chorizo casings removed
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 6 to 8 oz whole wheat rotini
- 1/2 cup processed cheese, like Velveeta
- 1/2 cup white cheddar shredded
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, sauce only
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh spinach
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil until just smoking. Add the sweet potato and cook until browned on all sides.
- Add the chorizo and break it into bite size chunks as it cooks, 7 to 10 minutes, until browned and it reads 165°F.
- Add the onion, pepper and mushrooms and cook until soft.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the processed cheese and cheddar into the milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in the adobo sauce and salsa.
- Combine the pasta, cheese sauce and sausage mixture in one pan. Toss in the spinach and stir until it wilts. Serve hot.
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Quick Summary
Sweet potato and fresh chorizo browned in one skillet with peppers, onion and mushrooms, then tossed with whole wheat pasta, a cheddar cheese sauce spiked with adobo and salsa, and fresh spinach. Brown the sweet potato before the chorizo goes in, and cook the chorizo to 165°F.
❓ FAQs
Fresh, raw chorizo with the casings removed, so it browns into chunks in the skillet. Cured Spanish-style chorizo is firm and ready to eat, so it won’t break up or render into the pan the same way.
It has a medium, slow building heat from the chorizo and the adobo sauce. Use less adobo for a milder pan, or swap in pepper jack to turn it up.
Cook the chorizo and vegetable mixture up to a day ahead and refrigerate it. Make the pasta and cheese sauce fresh, then toss everything together hot, since the sauce tightens as it sits.
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