Hot Cheeetos & Jals Skillet Shells

Hot Cheetos & Jals Skillet Shells

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 30 - 35 Min

Yields: 4 Servings

WHAT YOU NEED

• 5 C Dry Large Shell Pasta
• 1 C + Hot Cheetos
• 2 Jalapenos, seeded and sliced in to rings*
• Ranch Dressing
• Green Onions, sliced

C H E E S Y S A U C E 

• 1/4 C Unsalted Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
• 1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 Heaping Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
• 2/3 C 2% Milk, room temp
• 1 C Whipping Cream, room temp
• 1 Tsp. Dry Mustard
• Ground Nutmeg
• Cracked Pepper & 1/2 Tsp. + Himalayan Salt
• 1/4 Tsp. Cayenne 
• 1 C Old Orange Cheddar, shredded
• 1 C Extra Old, aged White Cheddar
• 1 C Pizza Mozzarella, shredded

N O T E S

• To de-seed the jalapenos, cut the top stem area of the japs off, slicing a touch in to the actual pepper. Take a small, sharp pairing knife and slide it in to the peppers. Start rotating the knife, digging out seeds and pith as you slowly go lower. Most of it will start falling out, use the pairing knife to touch up where needed.
• If you don't intend to eat all of the mac the first night, I'd recommend serving the portions of mac with some of the chunky bits of cheetos as opposed to serving them on the skillet. Reheating makes the cheetos soggy, delicious as they may be. I'd serve the skillet with cheetos dust, and top the servings with crunchy bits!

DIRECTIONS

• SKILLET MAC - Bring a large pot of cold, heavily salted water to a boil and once boiled, add your shells and cook to al dente. In the meantime, begin heating the butter, pepper flakes, and garlic, in a large skillet set to just about medium. Once heated, continue to stir for 30 seconds - 1 minute without burning. Add the onions and a good pinch of salt and pep. Reduce the heat if needed to allow the onions to cook without scorching.
• After a few minutes, sprinkle in the flour and stir until a nice, light golden roux is formed. Continue to stir and simmer another minute or so to cook out the flour flavour. You do not want the roux to brown. Whisk together the cream & milk, and slowly whisk in the cream / milk until combined. Bring your sauce to a boil and once boiled, season with dry mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, some cracked pep, cayenne, and a few dashes nutmeg. Reduce to a simmer, whisk to combine, and let simmer 4 - 5 minutes until the shells are ready.​​

• Reserve 1/3 of the cheeses, and add the rest in to the creamy sauce along with a small ladle of pasta water. Whisk and stir until your sauce is thick and creamy, adding additional pasta water if needed. Strain the noodles directly in to the pot with the cheesy shells and stir until all of the noods are coated and cheesy. Taste and adjust salt / pepper if desired at this point. Next, top with the reserved cheese, and set under the BROILER at high / 500 F until the cheese is melted and blistered.
• Set the cheesy skillet on to a wire cooling cooling rack. Add your Cheetos to a baggie, and use a mallet or rolling pin to crush them up. You want an equal amount of dust and chunks. Drizzle the skillet with ranch dressing and top / serve accordingly. ENJOY!

HAPPY VEG