Latin-Spiced Cheddar Shells
with black beans / broccoli
We dug deep in our archives to find these cheesy shells that many community members return to again and again for a quick weeknight meal. This time around we've added a Latin twist with flavorful spices and black beans.
Ingredients
- Onions, medium - 1, chopped
- Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
- Broccoli - 1 lb, chopped
- Cheese, cheddar - 5 oz, grated
- Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
- Coriander, ground - 1/2 tsp
- Cumin - 1/2 tsp
- Milk, any type - 1 cup
- Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
- Nutmeg (opt) - 1/4 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Flour - 2 Tbsp
- Beans, black (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Pasta, uncooked shells - 8 oz (sub any small pasta shape)
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions / Garlic / Broccoli / Cheese - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make spice mix - Combine chili powder, ground coriander, and cumin. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make sauce base - Mix garlic with milk, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and flour.
- Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
- Bring a large stock pot (stock pot should accommodate pasta and broccoli) of water to boil. Salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Add broccoli in the last 1 1/2 minutes of cooking.
- When pasta is done, reserve 1 cup / 235 ml (for 4 servings; adjust if customizing) of pasta water and drain pasta and broccoli.
- Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add oil and then onions to heated oil. Saute until onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add beans and spice mix and continue to saute until spices are fragrant.
- Pour sauce base over beans. Whisk sauce base and, once it starts to thicken, add in pasta and broccoli.
- If the sauce is too thick, pour in some of your reserved pasta water. Keep on adding the pasta water until you get the consistency you want.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
- Season pasta with some salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
50 reviews
Having read the reviews, I made a couple of modifications: swapped nutmeg for smoky paprika (do it!), brown mustard for Dijon (we hate Dijon), added dash of Better than Bullion, and a bit of butter. It was a hit! Easy weeknight meal. Favorite.
0 HelpfulYum! Adult Mac & Cheese is amazing. Now that we have the recipe for cheese sauce from week of 10/28/18, I would love to use it for this recipe.
0 HelpfulVery good! Great "adult" Mac'n'Cheese. Used regular chicken breasts cut up and sautéed first.
0 HelpfulMy 7yo daughter loved this. It was actually quite excellent after I added smoked paprika to mine.
0 Helpful