Mama Maggie's Kitchen

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat.

Add breadcrumbs and don’t stop stirring. Cook until it starts to brown. About 2 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.  Lightly grease a 3 qt baking dish (like a 9x13 pan), and set aside.

Boil a large stockpot of water and cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente.

Drain and toss pasta in a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

Add butter to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.  Add jalapeños and onion, and cook for 2 minutes.

Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often.

Add flour and stir to combine.

Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in milk, little by little, whisking to combine so lumps from the flour mixture are gone.

Cook for several minutes until thickened, stirring very often.

Add in cream cheese and stir until it's melted into the sauce.  Add in 3 cups of mozzarella cheese, stirring until it's all melted.

Add spices (salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano) and stir.  If the sauce gets too thick, add in a splash of milk and stir.

In a large mixing bowl, add cooked pasta and coat with cheese sauce.

Stir it all together and pour into the prepared baking dish.

Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

Sprinkle the top with the toasted breadcrumbs and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with additional sliced jalapeños, and chopped cilantro if desired.