Crunchy Tortilla Mac n Cheese

Crunchy Tortilla Mac n Cheese

This one is genuinely one of our all-time favourite comfort food mashups. Mac n cheese is already a winner, but we took it full Mexican and topped the whole thing with crushed tortilla chips for that insane crunch factor, and honestly we haven't looked back since. You get that creamy, smoky, paprika-spiked cheese sauce clinging to every piece of pasta, sweet pops of sweetcorn, and then that shattering tortilla crust on top. It's rich, it's indulgent, it's got a little kick from the cayenne, and it looks proper impressive when you bring it to the table. Make this tonight, trust us on this one.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Large baking dish
  • Large saucepan
  • Large pot
  • Whisk
  • Microplane or zester

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 20g plant-based butter
  • 40g plain flour
  • 650ml plant-based milk
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 250g plant-based cheese
  • 350g macaroni pasta
  • 1 x 200g can of sweetcorn
  • 100g tortilla chips
  • salt and pepper
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • ½ red onion
  • 10g coriander
  • 1 jalapeño chilli
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Method

1

Prep the veg

  • Peel and dice the onion
  • Peel and mince the garlic cloves
  • Drain the sweetcorn
2

Make the cheese sauce

  • Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat
  • Add the olive oil and onion with a pinch of salt, cooking until softened and lightly caramelised
  • Add the garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper and tomato paste, frying for a minute
  • Add the butter to the pan to melt
  • Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to make a paste
  • Gradually pour the milk into the pan, whisking to combine until gently simmering
  • Add half of the cheese and nutritional yeast to the pan and stir until melted
  • Taste to season with salt and pepper
3

Cook the pasta

  • Pour the pasta into a large pot of salted boiling water and cook over high heat for 8-9 minutes
  • Add the pasta and sweetcorn to the cheese sauce, mixing to coat
  • Transfer the pasta and sauce to a baking dish
  • Top the macaroni with the tortilla chips and rest of the cheese
  • Bake for 15 minutes while you prepare the pico de gallo
4

Make the pico de gallo

  • Quarter the cherry tomatoes and add to a bowl
  • Peel and finely dice the red onion
  • Finely slice the jalapeno
  • Pick the coriander leaves and roughly chop
  • Zest and juice the lime
  • Add everything to a bowl with the red wine vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
  • When macaroni is baked, spoon the pico de gallo over the tortillas and finish with coriander leaves to serve

Tips & Variations

  • Get the crunch right: Don't be shy with the tortilla chips on top. We crush them to different sizes so you get some big shards and some finer crumbs. It gives you loads of different textures in every bite.
  • Spice it your way: The cayenne gives it a gentle heat but if you want more of a kick, Henry always adds a pinch of chilli flakes into the sauce as well. If you're cooking for kids or spice-sensitive friends, just leave the cayenne out entirely.
  • Don't overcook the pasta: Cook it a couple of minutes less than the packet says before it goes into the oven. It'll carry on cooking in the sauce and you really don't want it going mushy under all that glorious cheese.

Why This Works

The trick is building proper depth into the cheese sauce from the start. Caramelising the onion before anything else goes in gives you this sweet, savoury base that makes the whole sauce taste way more complex than the cooking time suggests. Then cooking the flour in the butter and spices before adding the milk means you get a silky, lump-free sauce with real flavour baked right in, not just milk with cheese stirred through it.