Jalapeño Popper Pasta (Printable)

Creamy pasta with roasted jalapeños, crispy bacon, and rich cheese sauce. Spicy comfort food ready in 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or rotini pasta

→ Bacon

02 - 6 slices bacon, chopped

→ Vegetables

03 - 4 large jalapeños, halved, seeded, and sliced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small onion, finely chopped

→ Cheese Sauce

06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
08 - 2 cups whole milk
09 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
10 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
11 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
14 - Salt to taste

→ Garnish

15 - ¼ cup toasted panko breadcrumbs
16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

# Directions:

01 - Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
02 - Place jalapeño slices on a baking sheet and broil on high for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly charred. Set aside.
03 - In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat in the skillet.
04 - Add onion to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
05 - Stir in the butter and let it melt. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a roux.
06 - Gradually pour in the milk while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until thickened, approximately 3 minutes.
07 - Lower the heat and whisk in the cream cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Stir until smooth and melted. Add salt to taste.
08 - Add roasted jalapeños and half the bacon to the sauce. Stir in the cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly.
09 - Serve immediately, topped with remaining bacon, toasted panko breadcrumbs, and chopped chives.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It satisfies that craving for creamy comfort food while giving you just enough heat to keep things interesting.
  • The roasted jalapeños lose their harshness and become sweet and smoky, which makes even pepper skeptics come back for seconds.
  • You can have this on the table in under an hour, and it feels way fancier than the effort required.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully, and somehow taste even better the next day when the flavors have melted together.
02 -
  • If you leave all the seeds in the jalapeños, the heat level goes from pleasant warmth to genuine fire, so seed them unless you really know what you are doing.
  • Do not let the roux burn when you add the flour, because even a hint of bitterness will travel through the entire sauce.
  • Whisk the milk in slowly and constantly, or you will end up with lumps that are almost impossible to smooth out later.
  • The sauce will thicken as it sits, so if you are making this ahead, reserve a bit of pasta water to loosen it up when reheating.
03 -
  • Toast the panko breadcrumbs in a dry skillet with a little butter until golden, and they will add an incredible crunch that makes every bite more interesting.
  • Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining, because that starchy water is magic for loosening up a sauce that has gotten too thick.
  • If your cream cheese is not softened, cut it into small cubes before adding it to the sauce so it melts faster and more evenly.
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