Today’s recipe is seasonal comfort food. Apples and hard apple cider add lots of Fall flavor to that quintessential comfort food, macaroni & cheese. This version also incorporates pork sausage into the dish. And a full pound of cheese, a mix of both mild and sharp cheddar cheeses. The pasta is partially cooked then mixed into the cheese sauce with the apples, pork, and cider. This is definitely not your average boxed macaroni & cheese dish. It takes some time to put together then bake, but it is so very worth it!
And it is exactly the type of recipe I like to make on Halloween. Most of the work for the dish can be done ahead of time, which I can do before the Trick-or-Treaters start to arrive. By the time the doorbell starts ringing, dinner will be in the oven, getting brown & bubbly. And we can leisurely enjoy it between handing out candy to the neighborhood kids while spooky music plays in the background!
Apple & Sausage Mac & Cheese
Apple & Sausage Mac & Cheese (adapted from saveur.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, 45 minutes, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes, Bake Time: 45 minutes, Cool Time: 10 minutes, Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 pound pork sausages (about 4), casings removed
- 1-1/2 tablespoon minced fresh sage
- 1 pound (about 3) red apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup hard apple cider
- 2-1/2 cups milk
- 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound pasta, small shells or elbows
Grate the cheese and . . .
. . . do all the chopping first.
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a 6-quart Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
Start with the onions.
Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small pieces, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Add in the sausage meat.
Add the sage and apple and cook for another 5 minutes.
The apples and sage are next.
Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the flour.
Add the cider and cook for 2 minutes, then add the milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, about 8-10 minutes.
Add in the cider, then the milk.
Stir in half of the cheese, along with the salt and pepper to taste. Continue to stir and cook until the cheese has melted.
Add half of the cheese and the salt & pepper to the sauce.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is halfway cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta.
Partially cook, then drain the pasta.
When the cheese sauce is ready, transfer the partially cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir it in well to coat.
Add the pasta to the cheese sauce.
Spread the pasta in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Top the pasta mixture with the remaining cheese.
Add the pasta mixture to the baking dish . . .
. . . then top it with the remaining cheese.
Transfer the baking dish to a baking sheet and bake it in the preheated oven until the macaroni and cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 40 – 45 minutes.
Bake until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbly.
Let the pasta cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional chopped sage, if desired.
Enjoy!
Seasonal & delicious! ~Linda
Apple & Sausage Mac & Cheese (adapted from saveur.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, 45 minutes, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes, Bake Time: 45 minutes, Cool Time: 10 minutes, Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 pound pork sausages (about 4), casings removed
- 1-1/2 tablespoon minced fresh sage
- 1 pound (about 3) red apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup hard apple cider
- 2-1/2 cups milk
- 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound pasta, small shells or elbows
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a 6-quart Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small pieces, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the sage and apple and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cider and cook for 2 minutes, then add the milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in half of the cheese, along with the salt and pepper to taste. Continue to stir and cook until the cheese has melted.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is halfway cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta. When the cheese sauce is ready, transfer the partially cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir it in well to coat. Spread the pasta in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Top the pasta mixture with the remaining cheese.
Transfer the baking dish to a baking sheet and bake it in the preheated oven until the macaroni and cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 40 – 45 minutes. Let the pasta cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional chopped sage, if desired.