Mac and cheese has always had a special place in my stomach, especially if it’s spicy cheese pasta on stovetop. Using the right cheese with this meal is crucial; it will enhance your dish dramatically. This spicy cheese pasta is a homemade stovetop recipe straight from our kitchen to yours. I made this dinner by experimenting with different flavors and tasting a lot of cheesy pasta over the years. Fusilli bucati pasta is my choice of noodle for this stovetop recipe because of its corkscrew shape and it is a long noodle. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Now for my beer selection. Cheese pasta is filling so I usually pair this cheese and noodle meal with a simple no frills crisp beer or a beer with citrus flavors. When I first created this recipe I really enjoyed the Cali-Belgique Indian Pale Ale from Stone Brewing Co., but it is currently retired. There are a lot of brews that would pair well with this cheesy dish. Plenty for All, a pilsner from Fall Brewing Company, Karl Strauss’s Boat Shoes, a hazy Indian Pale Ale, or Mosaic, a session Indian Pale Ale are all beers that I would drink with this spicy cheese pasta dish. Let us know what beer you select to go with this meal or let us know if you prefer a wine with this cheesy fare. We would love to hear what you have to say.
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Utensils
- Sharp dicing knife
- cutting board
- large sauce or saute pan
- Measuring cups
- Large saucepan for boiling pasta
- cheese grater
- colander
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of fusilli bucati (This would be 3/4 of a bag of pasta that is 16 ounces. It doesn’t have to be an exact measurement. Just eyeball it.)
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp of cayenne (you can add more for an extra kick)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika (Normal paprika will work too.)
- Dash of pepper, 1/8 tsp or less (This one is optional.)
- 1/2 medium onion, sweet yellow, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced or crushed with a garlic press
- 1 cup of milk (You can add more to make it creamier, typically around 1/2 cup. I use whole milk.)
- 1 cup of cheddar cheese, grated (I use a vintage sharp cheddar.)
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
Cooking Instructions
On your stovetop heat a large pot of water for your pasta noodles. When the water boils add the fusilli bucati and cook for 12 minutes or follow the instructions for cooking on your bag of pasta. Drain from water when finished cooking and add a little olive oil so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Melt the butter in a saute or frying pan over LOW heat. Add onion, mix with butter and cover for about 8-10 minutes. You want your onions to be soft so keeping the moisture in the pan is important here.
Increase the heat to medium-low and add garlic to the butter and onions. Stir for 2 minutes.
Add flour slowly and stir. The mixture will become very pasty and thick. If your mixture gets too dry you can add a little bit of milk, not more than a tablespoon.
Increase heat to medium or medium-high. Now slowly add the milk 1/4 a cup at a time and stir in between each 1/4 cup. You should wait at least 2 minutes in between each 1/4 cup of milk and make sure you stir the mixture well to smooth it out. Sauce should be nice and creamy once you have poured all the milk into the saucepan.
Decrease heat to medium-low and add the cooked noodles. Stir for about 2 minutes, then add the cheddar and parmigiano reggiano cheeses. Stir for about 5-6 minutes or until all the cheese has melted. You can add more milk if you want it creamier, just remember to stir it longer after adding the milk. You want the sauce to heat up enough after adding cold milk.
Add pepper, cayenne, chili powder and paprika and stir until spices have made your sauce orange. You should cook it here for another 3 minutes before serving.
If you like our spicy cheese pasta recipe try our Jalapeño Cheddar Drop Biscuits if you’re looking for comfort food with a little kick.
