VeggieConverter

recipes the entire family can enjoy together!

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese {Vegetarian}

By

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE:I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.


Day 250.

PhotobucketI am participating in the Crazy Cooking Challenge today, which has 70+ bloggers cooking up various Macaroni and Cheese recipes for the day. I chose a Macaroni and Cheese recipe from Taste and Tell Blog. It was the perfect macaroni for this challenge. Exciting and different, but not too much stuff in the mac and cheese. I’m a big fan of “normal” mac and cheese, too, but I wanted to challenge myself with something at least a little different for this cooking challenge. I debated about a butternut squash macaroni and cheese, similar to my Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese, but I REALLY wanted to use real cheese this time. I’ve been on a bit of a buffalo chicken kick lately, so this recipe was a perfect fit.

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.
Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter, unsalted
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cups “chicken,” finely chopped (seitan, chickpeas or other chicken susbstitute)
  • 1 tablespoon House seasoning
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a 9 x13 baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the “chicken” and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the breadcrumbs, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

The Results
Oh my goodness. Seriously? This is fantastic. I think this is my new “normal” macaroni and cheese recipe, too. I’ll just leave out the “chicken,” hot sauce, onions and bleu cheese. I snuck a few “taste tests” of the cheese sauce be pouring it on the macaroni and it was simply fantastic. I ended up making two smaller dishes of macaroni (about the equivalent of two 8 x 8s) and reduced the amount of hot saucy chicken in the kids’ portion. They adored the mac and cheese with about half the amount of saucy chicken. My husband and I gobbled up our saucier version. We loved it. This is definitely going in our favorites list.


This post is shared with Real Food Wednesday, Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s on Your Plate?, What’s on the Menu Wednesday, Let’s Do Brunch, Works for me Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Recipe Link Party, Foodie Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday and No Whine Wednesday.

Due to spam, I've decided to close comments on posts older than 14 days.

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Related Posts:

Comments

  2. oooo Chicken… did I hear Chicken! yes! this looks awesome! Stopping by from the MACARONI & CHEESE Linky Party through Moms Crazy Cooking

  5. I love buffalo treats! This looks spectacular… especially with the blue cheese. YUM – looks great!

  6. The flavors sound wonderful in this dish! I like the addition of chicken.Stopping by on my way through the links from Moms Cooking Challenge!

  7. What a great post – looks and sounds fab!! I can't wait to do next month's challenge.:)ButterYum

  8. Oh my gosh, this sounds absolutely awesome! Thanks for sharing!MirandaCrazy Cooking Challenge: Beer Mac and CheeseMangoes and Chutney|Foodie Forums

  11. I must admit, you had me stumped when I clicked on a recipe link for "Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese {Vegetarian}". Buffalo and chicken both being meat. So you cheat by saying to add (seitan or other chicken susbstitute). More like this recipe should be named 'Fake Chicken Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese'. I'm sorry, but it's vegetarian or it's not. :○

  12. Thank you all for the lovely comments, much appreciated. Amateur–like I always say, to each his own. If calling it "chicken" offends you, don't. Call it buffalo chickpeas or buffalo seitan. And calling "buffalo" sauce not vegetarian is just a completely silly semantics exercise. It's hot sauce plain and simple. Rather than focusing on the words and names, try focusing on whether you like the taste of something. I like chickpeas with buffalo sauce. So, I'll continue to make and enjoy them. I'll also continue to call it buffalo "chicken."

On Instagram

Get Social

On Pinterest

Visit VeggieConverter's profile on Pinterest.
Essential Oils Ad

On Facebook

These statements have NOT been intended to treat, cure, diagnose or prevent any disease or illness. You are encouraged to seek the counsel of your medical health care professional.