Rotelli Pasta with Menonita & Pasilla Cream Sauce

This is a Mexican-Italian mashup that works because both cuisines love melted cheese. Menonita is a Chihuahua-region cheese from northern Mexico, similar in texture to mild Monterey Jack, with exceptional melting qualities and a gentle buttery tang.

Roasted pasilla chiles are what give this dish its smoky, mild-to-medium backbone. Unlike jalapenos, pasillas bring deep fruity-raisiny notes rather than aggressive heat, which is why they work so well in a creamy sauce.

Sour cream anchors the sauce with tang and body. Heated slowly (never boiled) so it doesn’t break, it provides the creamy carrier for chilies and cheese.

Rotelle (wagon wheel) pasta catches the sauce in its spokes like little dairy-and-chili cups. This is why the shape matters: it holds sauce differently than a smooth cylinder.

Kitchen Tips

• Char the pasillas over an open flame or under a broiler until skin blisters black, then rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes. The steam loosens the skins for easy peeling.
• Remove stems, seeds, and inner membranes from the chilies before blending. Those are where most of the lingering heat hides.
• Warm the sour cream sauce over gentle heat only. Sour cream will curdle fast on high heat.
• Cook the pasta just shy of al dente. It finishes cooking in the oven under the cheese blanket.

Variations

• Swap Menonita for Monterey Jack, Chihuahua cheese, or young asadero if unavailable.
• Add shredded chicken or poblano strips for a more substantial main dish.
• Stir a spoon of chipotle in adobo into the sauce for a smokier, hotter version.