Add a lot of kick to an old favorite.
1 (1 lb) box elbow pasta
1 (14 oz) pkg smoked sausage, sliced (I used McCormicks Grill Mates Montreal Steak)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbl season salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cups milk
6 cups shredded cheese (I used *Beechers No Woman and Sharp Cheddar)
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies, **drained well
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, drained
1 (2.25 oz) can sliced olives, drained
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta in large pot as directed on package. While pasta cooks, saute sausage and onion; set aside. Prepare cream sauce by melting butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over butter, mix and cook 2 minutes. Add season salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in milk, cook and whisk over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, remove from heat. In the large pot with pasta drained, throw in sausage, Rotel, green chilies, olives and cheese. Pour hot cream sauce over top of cheese and gently stir all together as cheese melts. Pour into sprayed 13″x9″ baking dish and bake about 15 minutes, just until heated through. Buttered bread crumbs or crumbled french fried onions can be added as a topping before baking if desired.
*Beechers is a Seattle based company but their award winning cheeses are sold in many locations including Costco. No Woman is flavored with Jamaican Jerk spices, so it adds a lot of flavor. You can substitute any flavorful cheese you like.
**Squeeze as much liquid out as possible so it doesn’t thin down the thickness & creaminess of the your mac & cheese.
Other flavorful main dish ideas:
Cookies Cakes Pies Oh My 