Baked Macaroni and Gouda Cheese With Italian Sausage

Mommy Diva's Note:

From Feb 2007 RR magazine. I just love pastas, cheese and onions, oh my!!! Could be made with or without the sausage and any number of veggies added in!

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb macaroni
• 1 ½ lbs sweet Italian sausage , uncooked with casings removed
• 1 ½ cups onions , caramelized
• 1 quart whole milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• ¾ lb gouda cheese , aged preferred (about 4 cups grated)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes (or as directed on package).
3. Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl and wipe the saucepan clean.
6. Add the pasta and 1 cup caramelized onions to the sausage and stir to combine.
7. In a medium saucepan or a microwave oven, heat the milk until steaming.
8. Return the large saucepan to the stove, add the butter and melt over medium heat.
9. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes.
10. Whisk in the hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick and comes to a simmer.
11. Add 2 1/2 cups cheese, remove from the heat and whisk until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.
13. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the pasta mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 1 1/2 cups cheese on top.
14. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes.
15. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Reviews

[Jo-nana]

Yum, just don't overcook sausage which I've done. It makes it less flavorful. My kids love it!!

[Carolynn D's]

Very delicous and loved by all. Very easy to put together and not a ton of ingredients. Will make again.

[Annacia]

I made this for a small crowd and settled on 4 stars and it was the mid point in what everyone was saying. We had 6 for dinner some thought it couldn't be improved on and some thought it was bland and needed more seasoning. I used mild Italian sausage (to suite DH) and followed the recipe. It came out with a perfect consistency, that creamy but firm spot that is soft and moist but the cheese sauce isn't running. One person said that it was the Gouda that was flat and that it would have been perfect with old chedar. Personally I enjoyed the Gouda as a change.