Spicy Sausage Mac N Cheese

Seriously creamy, ultra cheesy, and topped with pan-seared, fiery sausage. Each bite delivers a buttery-rich blend of pasta, cheese, cream sauce, and spicy heat. It's downright mind-numbing.

I'm not kidding. Mind-numbing. After that first bite, you'll be like, "What just happened?" And then, "Can this be real?" I'm here to tell you that Spicy Sausage Mac N Cheese just happened, it's real, and it's ready in less than 30 minutes.

And if you think you can't make the world's best, creamy, cheesy mac n cheese, I'm also here to tell you that you're wrong. This dish is almost as easy as opening a box of the instant stuff. My sauce comes together quickly and effortlessly, and, since it's HOMEMADE, you can add extra seasoning to push flavors through the roof. I added onion, garlic, mustard, and paprika and, WOW, this mac n cheese rocks it. First, onion and garlic are essential flavor components for almost any dish, so they're always welcome. Second, mustard powder and paprika bring out the flavor of the cheese, something you'll be quite happy about.

About the sausage: I used spicy sausage links and cut them into 2-inch chunks. You can certainly use sweet Italian sausage for a milder dish. If you're not a fan of pork, chicken and turkey sausages work equally well.

Spicy Sausage Mac N Cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 pound spicy sausage links, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and ground black pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving
Fresh parsley leaves for serving, optional

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and cover with foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning frequently, until the sides are seared and the sausage is cooked through.
While the sausage and pasta cook, make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is bubbly, whisk in the flour until blended and smooth. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, and paprika. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a whisk. Fold in the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the macaroni and cook for 1 minute to heat through. Arrange the sausage over the mac n cheese and top with the parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve hot.
Serves 4