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    Home » Family Style Dinners

    Mexican Street Corn Mac and Cheese

    Published: Nov 24, 2020 » Modified: Sep 29, 2022 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 6 Comments

    1.8K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    This One Pot Mexican Street Corn Mac and Cheese comes together in about 20 minutes and is made with REAL ingredients. Ditch the blue box in favor of this easy, vegetarian weeknight dinner with a twist, that your family will love!

    White plate with Mexican street corn mac and cheese garnished with fresh cilantro
    Table of Contents show
    1 You'll Love It
    2 Benefits of One Pot Pasta
    3 Instructions
    4 Tips
    5 Family Favorite Pasta Recipes
    6 Recipe
    7 Mexican Mac and Cheese

    You'll Love It

    • The flavors are amazing! The lime zest might be throwing you off, but I SWEAR it is SOOOOO freaking good! It combines with the creamy mac and cheese and the salty, nutty Cotija and it's totally *chef's kiss*! It literally tastes like elote mixed with mac and cheese and your taste buds aren't going to know what him 'em!
    • It's has a short list of REAL ingredients! No "processed cheese product" or preservatives you can't pronounce! You can also use whatever noodles you've got hanging around in the cupboard AND this stovetop mac and cheese is made with mostly pantry ingredients!
    • It will be ready in about 20 minutes! The best part about one-pot pasta (other than only dirtying one dish!!) is the amount of time it takes to cook. From start to finish you're looking at just 20-25 minutes. You'll have to stir the pasta every few minutes so the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan, but you can easily get some other stuff done while it's simmering on the stove or just take a break from the hustle and bustle of the day and take some big, deep breaths!
    White marble counter top filled with ingredients to make Mexican street corn mac and cheese

    Benefits of One Pot Pasta

    • It cooks in one pot! If you've never made a one-pot pasta before, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
    • You'll find tons of them on my site: Mushroom Stroganoff, Mediterranean Pasta, Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese, Stove Top Mac and Cheese, Lemon Garlic Pasta, One Pot Sausage Rigatoni...shall I go on?!
    • Why so many one-pot pasta recipes? Because - I. LOVE. THEM. By the time you bring water to a boil, cook the pasta, strain it, make the sauce, and then combine the sauce and the pasta you're looking at probably 45-50 minutes of active preparation PLUS you have tons of dishes to wash!
    • One-pot pasta means everything goes in at the same time, cooks together in about 20ish minutes and you've got ONE POT to wash!
    • PLUS all that liquid gold starchy pasta water stays right in the pot instead of getting poured down the sink. So it coats every noodle and leaves you with the creamiest sauce ever.
    • Have I convinced you that one-pot pasta is the best yet??!?!

    Instructions

    Add butter, pasta, cheddar, pepper jack, corn, half and half, veggie broth, chili powder, garlic powder, lime zest, salt, and pepper to a large pot.

    Large white pan filled with ingredients to make one pot mac and cheese

    Stir to combine and turn heat to medium-high.

    Large white pan filled with ingredients to make one pot mac and cheese

    Bring to a simmer, stirring every few minutes so the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low or medium-low and gently simmer for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente and sauce is smooth and creamy. Stir every couple of minutes while it's cooking.

    Large white pan filled with homemade Mexican street corn mac and cheese

    Top mac and cheese with cotija and fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!

    Large white pan filled with homemade Mexican street corn mac and cheese

    Tips

    • The cook time may vary depending on what kind of noodles you use. I used large shell noodles and 8-10 minutes of simmering was just right. If you find that your noodles are not quite done but your sauce is getting too thick, just add more liquid. Half and half, veg stock, or even milk will work to loosen it up in no time!
    • Be sure to stir this one-pot mac and cheese every few minutes so that the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Some pans are stickier than others (I like to use my favorite large saute pan when cooking this mac and cheese because it can go from stovetop to dining table and still look nice). Stirring the noodles while they cook will also ensure that they cook evenly in the sauce.
    • Feel free to use other kinds of cheese! If you like it spicy, try using more pepper jack in place of some of the sharp cheddar cheese. If your family isn't into heat, you can replace the pepper jack cheese with more sharp cheddar or even American or Monterey jack cheeses. 12 oz. of cheese is the sweet spot, but feel free to mix it up with whatever you've got on hand!
    White plate with Mexican street corn mac and cheese garnished with fresh cilantro

    Family Favorite Pasta Recipes

    • The Easiest Chicken Alfredo Recipe
    • The Very Best Italian Meatballs Recipe (Ready in 30 Minutes!)
    • Easy 20 Minute Marry Me Chicken Recipe
    • Easy 20-Minute Lemon Chicken Pasta

    Questions?
    Leave a comment below!
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    Leave a comment below!
    Made this dish?
    Leave a comment and star rating below!

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    Recipe

    Mexican Mac and Cheese

    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    This One Pot Mexican Street Corn Mac and Cheese comes together in about 20 minutes and is made with REAL ingredients. Ditch the blue box in favor of this easy, vegetarian weeknight dinner with a twist, that your family will love!

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 10 servings 1x
    • Category: Main Dish
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • 16 oz. large shells pasta, uncooked
    • 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
    • 4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded
    • 12 oz. frozen corn
    • 16 oz. half and half
    • 32 oz. vegetable broth
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • zest of 1 lime
    • 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
    • fresh cracked pepper
    • ½ cup cotija cheese
    • ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro

    Instructions

    1. Add butter, pasta, cheddar, pepper jack, corn, half and half, veggie broth, chili powder, garlic powder, lime zest, salt, and pepper to a large pot.
    2. Stir to combine and turn heat to medium-high.
    3. Bring to a simmer, stirring every few minutes so the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
    4. Reduce heat to low or medium-low and gently simmer for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente and sauce is smooth and creamy. Stir every couple of minutes while it's cooking.
    5. Top mac and cheese with cotija and fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!

    Notes

    The cook time may vary depending on what kind of noodles you use. I used large shell noodles and 8-10 minutes of simmering was just right. If you find that your noodles are not quite done but your sauce is getting too thick, just add more liquid. Half and half, veg stock, or even milk will work to loosen it up in no time!

    Be sure to stir this one-pot mac and cheese every few minutes so that the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Some pans are stickier than others (I like to use my favorite large saute pan when cooking this mac and cheese because it can go from stovetop to dining table and still look nice). Stirring the noodles while they cook will also ensure that they cook evenly in the sauce.

    Feel free to use other kinds of cheese! If you like it spicy, try using more pepper jack in place of 8 oz. of habanero cheese. If your family isn't into heat, you can replace the pepper jack cheese with more sharp cheddar or even American or Monterey jack cheeses. 12 oz. of cheese is the sweet spot, but feel free to mix it up with whatever you've got on hand!

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 429
    • Sugar: 6.5 g
    • Sodium: 814.8 mg
    • Fat: 15.8 g
    • Saturated Fat: 8.8 g
    • Trans Fat: 0.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 46.9 g
    • Fiber: 2.4 g
    • Protein: 17.5 g
    • Cholesterol: 52.9 mg

    Keywords: Mexican mac and cheese, stove top mac and cheese, mac and cheese with corn, one pot mac and cheese

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie

      September 14, 2022 at 12:00 pm

      Does this travel well for a potluck?

      Reply
      • Kylie

        September 14, 2022 at 12:26 pm

        I think this would be delicious at a potluck! Perhaps bring it in a crockpot and add a splash of milk or heavy cream to loosen it up before serving. Great question, Julie!

        Reply
    2. Hannah

      March 24, 2021 at 6:16 pm

      Made this for dinner tonight and it's so yummy! I substituted some less spicy cheese because I am a wimp and it's still good 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Amanda

      April 24, 2020 at 6:10 pm

      Just made this and it was delicious and easy! I was a little concerned before making it that it might not be great because I haven't had a lot of luck with mac and cheese cooking like this, but the sound of it persuaded me into making it. And it was great! Super easy to throw together, it just took a little longer for the sauce to thicken enough.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        April 25, 2020 at 1:23 pm

        WOOHOO! So glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Amanda! I know what you mean - there's a lot of mac and cheese recipes out there, but this one is super easy and delicious! Thanks so much for leaving a review - I really appreciate it! 🙂

        Reply

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    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

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