A recipe for Chorizo Mac and Cheese! Crumbled chorizo sausage and diced red onion are tossed with pasta and a creamy cheese sauce, then baked until golden.
Add a bit of spice to your pasta with this Chorizo Mac and Cheese! Fresh chorizo sausage is crumbled into a pan and cooked until browned along with diced red onion.
The mixture is coated with flour, then combined with chicken stock and milk to create a creamy base perfect for melting 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) of shredded cheese.
To finish, season the mixture with a little salt, paprika, and black pepper before transferring to a baking dish, topping with golden, crispy breadcrumbs, and baking until golden and bubbly.
For best results, allow the Chorizo Mac and Cheese to rest 10 minutes after removing from the oven before serving warm.
Notable Ingredients
Store-bought Mexican chorizo is best for this recipe. Mexican chorizo is a fresh sausage made from ground meat (pork) seasoned with red chile powder and other spices. It is different from the Spanish and Portuguese varieties, which are cured or smoked and seasoned with smoked paprika.
Mexican Chorizo can be found in the meat section of larger American grocery stores and in markets with Mexican ingredients. For those in Northern Virginia, I usually pick it up at Wegmans in Chantilly.
Avoid pre-shredded cheese and shred immediately before using if possible. This will help it melt more easily into the sauce. I used a blend of Cheddar and Monterey Jack. For more of a kick, you can swap the Monterey Jack for Pepper Jack cheese.
For the paprika, use hot or sweet based on personal preference. I usually go with a smoked hot paprika.
A Few Chorizo Mac and Cheese Tips
This Chorizo Mac and Cheese is perfect for pairing with a medium-shaped pasta. My favorites tend to be medium shells or cavatappi. They have enough grooves to trap in the chorizo pieces and sauce.
Boil the pasta until nearly tender, but still firm. It will continue to soften in the oven as it heats and soaks up more sauce.
Remove the chorizo from the casing and crumble into the pan in small pieces. Continue to break apart the pieces with a spoon so they are small enough to easily mix throughout the pasta.
Slowly whisk the chicken stock into the flour-coated chorizo at first. Adding too much in the beginning may create lumps in the sauce.
Make sure the sauce is not bubbling when whisking in the cheese. The pot should be removed from the heat source and just hot enough to melt the cheese until smooth. If the milk is too hot, the cheese (especially the Cheddar) may separate.
If the cheese will not melt into the sauce, place back on very low heat just until smooth.
Adjust the flavors to taste after mixing in all the cheese. The exact amount of salt may differ based on the salt content of the chicken stock.
What to add some more flavor? Toss in one or two diced Jalapeño peppers or a diced bell pepper along with the red onion.
I like to add the golden Panko breadcrumbs on top for a bit of extra texture, but this is completely optional. You can simply omit or swap for additional shredded cheese.
This Chorizo Mac and Cheese is best warm from the oven. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days.
Looking for more Macaroni and Cheese recipes?
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This recipe was originally posted in November 2013 and updated in January 2025.
Chorizo Mac and Cheese Recipe
Adapted from Sew You Think You Can Cook
Chorizo Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
- 1 cup (90 grams) panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Chorizo Mac and Cheese:
- 1 pound (450 grams) dried medium-shaped pasta such as shells, elbow macaroni, or cavatappi
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil plus more for greasing the baking dish
- 1 small red onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo removed from casing
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (710 milliliters) chicken stock
- 2 cups (470 milliliters) milk
- 1 pound (450 grams) Cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 8 ounces (227 grams) Monterey Jack cheese freshly shredded
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the topping:
- In a medium skillet, drizzle the 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil for the topping over medium heat.
- Add the panko and constantly stir until golden.
- Stir in the 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic powder. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make the Chorizo Mac and Cheese:
- Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C) and grease a 9×13 inch (23 x 33 centimeter) deep baking dish with olive oil.
- Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta and cook until it begins to soften, but not yet tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, drizzle 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the diced red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften.
- Add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Crumble the chorizo into the pan. Cook the chorizo while stirring and breaking into small pieces with a spoon.
- Once browned, stir in the flour until well coated.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock, while stirring and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in the milk and continue to stir until the mixture is heated through and thickened.
- Remove the pot from heat. Once the mixture is no longer bubbling, slowly stir in the shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese until melted.
- Season with the salt, paprika, and black pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Add the cooked pasta and gently toss to coat thoroughly.
- Pour the cheese coated pasta into the prepared baking dish. Top with panko mixture and bake in the preheated oven until the panko is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, 30-45 minutes.
- Allow the Chorizo Mac and Cheese to rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving.
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