Ingredients
This recipe uses a simple, hearty combination of meat, pasta, chile, and cheese to create a deeply comforting one-pot meal. Here’s what you’ll need:
- ½ pound spicy hot sausage
- ½ pound ground beef
- 1–1½ cups roasted Hatch green chile, chopped (adjust to taste)
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- ½ cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup dry macaroni
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup Velveeta or Muenster cheese, cubed
Instructions
This recipe comes together in a few simple stages: browning the meat, building the chile base, toasting the macaroni, and simmering everything together before finishing with cheese.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and ground beef, cooking until fully browned, breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula as it cooks. If there’s excess grease in the pot once the meat is cooked, drain it off before continuing.
Stir the roasted Hatch green chile, diced tomatoes, minced onion, and minced garlic into the pot with the browned meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture becomes fragrant and the onion and garlic have softened slightly. This step allows the chile and aromatics to bloom, building the foundation of flavor for the entire dish.
In a separate skillet, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat. Add the dry macaroni and toast it, stirring frequently, until it turns golden brown and takes on a nutty aroma. This toasting step is essential to the dish’s signature flavor — don’t rush it, and keep a close eye on the pasta so it toasts evenly without burning.
Add the toasted macaroni directly into the pot with the meat and chile mixture, stirring to combine everything evenly.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed much of the flavorful broth.
Add the cubed Velveeta or Muenster cheese to the pot, then cover and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes to melt. Once melted, stir gently until the dish becomes creamy and smooth, with the cheese fully incorporated throughout.
Give the sopita a final taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or green chile as needed to suit your preference.
Serve the Chile Verde Sopita hot, straight from the pot, for the best texture and flavor.