Southwestern Macaroni & Cheese

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for salting the pasta water
• 1 lb fusilli or 1 lb rotini pasta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (1 cup)
• 1 cup finely diced bell pepper (preferably green and red)
• 14 cup finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper, stems and seeds removed
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups firmly packed shredded monterey jack cheese (about 1/2 pound) or 2 cups monterey jack pepper cheese (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded (or diced, about 1 chicken breast)
• 12 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 12 cup sour cream, for garnish
• 14 teaspoon minced chipotle chile (from canned chipotles in adobo)
• 12 cup thinly sliced scallion, for garnish

1. Bring a medium (6- to 8-quart) pot of water to a boil; salt it generously; stir in the pasta and cook according to package directions; drain(do not rinse, or you'll rinse away starches that will help thicken the sauce) and return to the empty pot.
2. Meanwhile, place a large (12- to 14-inch) saute pan over med-high heat for several minutes.
3. When hot, add the butter or oil, onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos; saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the heavy cream; bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer until the cream is reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.
5. Add in the cheese and chicken; stir well and cook over med-high heat until the cheese has melted and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Stir the sauce into the cooked and drained pasta in the pot; place over medium heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes to thicken the sauce and allow the pasta to absorb the flavors, stirring now and again; if too thick, add a little more cream.
8. To make the garnish--in a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and minced chipotle.
9. Serve the macaroni and cheese in individual bowls topped with a dollop of the chipotle sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.
10. **Alternative--if you like the smoky-spicy flavor of the spices but want to avoid the extra fat in the sour cream garnish, just add a teaspoon of the sauce from the canned chipotles in adobo to the macaroni and cheese itself and skip the garnish altogether.
11. **OR, can use chipotle chile powder, New Mexico chile powder, or regular chile powder, to taste, instead of the canned chipotles.

kosher salt, fusilli, unsalted butter, yellow onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, heavy cream, cheese, chicken, ground black pepper, sour cream, chipotle chile, scallion

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/southwestern-macaroni-cheese-428694 (may not work)