You probably have had mac & cheese before but what exactly is Jollof Mac & Cheese? Jollof is one of, if not the most popular, West African dish. It’s a one pot dish with a reddish color derived from a stew base consisting of tomatoes.
I had jollof rice many times growing up in Nigeria and there was just something about the flavors that made it special. The staple ingredients in jollof are rice, tomatoes, cooking oil and spices. However, the one thing that leaves a mark is the heat from the habanero peppers.
If you are native to any of the West African countries, have visited or happen to have a friend who has graced you with this delicacy, you will understand. If you haven’t, this Americanized version using mac & cheese will atleast give you an idea.
I still crave Nigerian meals to this day, after having settled in the United States nearly 15 years ago. Joloff was always one of my favorites and of course, I’ve grown to love mac & cheese as well. So I figured, why not combine the two? The stew base used in jollof is tomatoes, onions and garlic, which are then blended to create a sauce. This sauce is cooked in oil with ginger, curry powder and thyme until the color changes a few shades.
After I made the stew base for this recipe, I made a cheese sauce using light cream, reserved pasta water and cheese. Then, I incorporated the two sauces and folded in the cooked pasta.
I always love to throw some buttered panko bread crumbs on top before baking the mac & cheese to add a cheesy, crunchy texture. Finally, it goes into the the oven and out comes delicious, cheesy, spicy goodness.
Jollof Mac & Cheese
Mac and cheese with the flavors of jollof
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1 spanish onion (small)
- ¼ green pepper
- 16 oz pasta (elbows)
- 1½ cup light cream
- ½ tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp thyme (powder)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 8 oz cheddar cheese
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese
- ½ tsp ginger paste
- 1½ tbsp tomato paste
- 1 habanero pepper or 1 tbsp habanero pepper paste
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (optional)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
Cook pasta according to the instructions on package, al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water before draining. Once the pasta is done and the pasta broth reserved, set the cooked pasta aside in an oven safe dish and cover to keep warm.
While the pasta cooks, add the tomatoes, green pepper, garlic and habanero (add more or less depending on your spice level) to a food processor and pulse until fully blended. Heat a medium pot to medium-high heat over the stove and add oil.
Once the oil begins to shimmer, add in the blended tomato sauce, ginger, curry powder, tomato paste, thyme powder and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Give it a gentle stir and let it cook for about 8 minutes until it becomes dark red in color as shown in the pictures above. Turn the burner to low to keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Begin making the cheese sauce in the same pot you used for the pasta. Set the pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the light cream and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until it begins to thicken. Do not boil. Add in the reserved pasta water, three quarters each of the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, as well as all of the parmesan cheese.
Take the pot off the burner and stir until the cheese fully melts. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf from the jollof sauce and add the jollof sauce to the cheese sauce. Stir until combined.
Add the pasta to the sauce and return it to the oven safe dish (greased). Top with the leftover cheese. If you are topping the dish with panko crumbs, quickly melt the butter in a skillet, remove from heat and stir in the bread crumbs. Top the pasta with the buttered panko bread crumbs.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, making sure the breadcrumbs brown.
Carefully remove and serve hot. Leftovers can be placed in a freezer after it cools down for about a month.
