Sausage Mac and Cheese
This sausage mac and cheese pasta combines cavatappi or spirali pasta and savory herb-seasoned sausage with a rich three-cheese béchamel sauce, all topped with panko breadcrumbs and baked in the oven.
I love this for fall and winter get-togethers or cozy nights in with the family. It’s rich and creamy, and the perfect comfort food for cold evenings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To get started, you’ll need the following:
- Pasta – 1 lb of spirali pasta (also known as double-elbow or cavatappi). You can also use the classic mac and cheese shape: elbow macaroni.
- Sausage – 1 lb of herb-seasoned ground pork sausages. I went with sage-seasoned sausages in this recipe post. Pick something that’s mild and herb-seasoned (e.g., thyme, oregano). You want the added flavor but not to overpower the cheesy béchamel sauce.
- Cheddar – 8 oz sharp (mature) white cheddar. You can use white or yellow cheddar. Get a block and grate it at home, as the pre-shredded one would have starch/anti-caking agents that could prevent the cheese from melting properly in the sauce.
- Mozzarella – 4 oz mozzarella (low-moisture). Don’t use fresh mozzarella (it has too much water content). You want the low-moisture one, sometimes called pizza mozzarella or block mozzarella. Again, if you can grate it at home. Since it’s a smaller amount and sometimes harder to find as a block, it’s fine to use the pre-shredded mozzarella here.
- Parmesan – 2 oz parmesan, divided (half for the sauce and half for the topping). In the US, look for the Parmigiano Reggiano label for the authentic one. Buy it as a block and grate it at home. If you can only find the pre-grated one and it’s not the real Parmigiano Reggiano, it will often have many anti-caking agents and can make the sauce powdery. In that case, add it all on top of the mac and cheese alongside the breadcrumbs instead of in the sauce.
- Milk – 4 cups whole milk.
- Flour – 1/3 cup of all-purpose/plain flour.
- Butter – 5 tbsp butter, divided (4 tbsp for the béchamel and 1 tbsp for the breadcrumbs). Plus a bit of butter to butter the baking dish.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs.
- Salt – salt, to taste. Add salt to the water when boiling the pasta and a pinch of salt when making the béchamel sauce. After combining the pasta with the cheesy sauce and sausage, give it a taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference before baking it with the breadcrumbs on top.
- Pepper – ground black or white pepper.
- Garlic – 1 large garlic clove.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Cook the sausage. Take the sausages out of the casings and tear them into small bits. Put a large non-stick skillet/pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the sausage bits and let them get a bit of color for about 1-2 minutes. Then, you can start moving them around in the skillet with a spatula (non-metal so it doesn’t scratch the nonstick coating). Keep cooking them until they’re browned all over, moving them around the skillet (about 7-8 minutes, depending on your skillet & stove). Add the minced garlic and stir it around for about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl with a paper towel to absorb the oil/fat released from the sausage.
Step 2. Make the béchamel sauce. Put a large saucepan or pot with a thick bottom over medium heat. Add the butter for the sauce. Remember to save 1 tbsp for the breadcrumbs later on. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and a pinch of salt. Stir it in the pot with a spatula, combining it with the butter and allowing the flour to cook for a bit. Make sure it doesn’t burn.
Then, start adding the milk a bit at a time while stirring with a spatula at first. As you add more milk, you can alternate between a spatula and a whisk. The spatula is to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom, while the whisk is to break down any lumps. Continue cooking until all the milk has been added, checking with the spatula often that nothing is sticking to the bottom. If you have to, you can adjust the heat to a lower level to make sure nothing is burning/sticking to the bottom.
Once you’ve added all the milk, keep cooking for a couple more minutes, stirring all the time, until you have a thick enough consistency to coat the back of the spatula.
Take the sauce off the heat, and add the grated cheddar a bit at a time while stirring for it to melt. Then, add half the parmesan and grated mozzarella a bit at a time. Stir until everything is melted. The mozzarella will be stretchy, and that’s fine.
Step 3. Boil the Pasta. To a large pot of boiling water seasoned generously with salt, add the pasta and cook for the time indicated on the package minus one minute. Once you combine the pasta with the sauce and put it in the oven, the pasta will continue cooking, and by slightly undercooking it now, it will absorb more of the sauce. Once boiled, drain the pasta and add the drained pasta to the cheesy sauce.
Step 4. Combine the Pasta with the Sauce and Sausage. Combine the cooked pasta with the cheesy sauce and cooked sausage bits. Once well combined, give it a taste and add salt and pepper to your preference.
Step 5. Prep the Breacrumbs. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, combine with the breadcrumbs.
Step 6. Bake the Mac and Cheese. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter an oven-safe 13×9 baking dish. Add the mac and cheese and top with the breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan. Place in the preheated oven and bake until it’s bubbling on the edges and the panko breadcrumbs are golden and crisp (about 12 minutes, depending on your oven).
Once the mac and cheese is oven-baked, it’s ready to serve. You can bring the mac and cheese straight to the dinner table if you like, so that everyone can help themselves.
Here is a generous helping of the mac and cheese, served in a bowl. You can see the crispy breadcrumb coating and the glistening, rich béchamel sauce coating the macaroni and the sausage. This is a fun, flavorful, and comforting way to put a different take on a conventional mac and cheese. It’s great for those cozy fall evenings.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 lb spirali pasta known as double-elbow or cavatappi. You can also use the classic mac and cheese shape: elbow macaroni.
- 1 lb herb-seasoned ground pork sausages Pick something that’s mild and herb-seasoned, like sage, thyme, or oregano. You want the added flavor but not to overpower the cheesy béchamel sauce.
- 8 oz white cheddar sharp/mature. You can use white or yellow cheddar. Get a block and grate it at home, as the pre-shredded one would have starch/anti-caking agents that could prevent the cheese from melting properly in the sauce.
- 4 oz mozzarella low-moisture. Don’t use fresh mozzarella (it has too much water content). You want the low-moisture one, sometimes called pizza mozzarella or block mozzarella. Again, if you can grate it at home. Since it’s a smaller amount and sometimes harder to find as a block, it’s fine to use the pre-shredded mozzarella here.
- 2 oz parmesan divided (half for the sauce and half for the topping). In the US, look for the Parmigiano Reggiano label for the authentic one. Buy it as a block and grate it at home. If you can only find the pre-grated one and it’s not the real Parmigiano Reggiano, it will often have many anti-caking agents and can make the sauce powdery. In that case, add it all on top of the mac and cheese alongside the breadcrumbs instead of in the sauce.
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup of all-purpose/plain flour
- 5 tbsp butter divided (4 tbsp for the béchamel and 1 tbsp for the breadcrumbs). Plus a bit of butter to butter the baking dish.
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- salt to taste. Add salt to the water when boiling the pasta and a pinch of salt when making the béchamel sauce. After combining the pasta with the cheesy sauce and sausage, give it a taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference before baking it with the breadcrumbs on top.
- ground black or white pepper
- 1 large garlic clove
Instructions
- Cook the sausage. Take the sausages out of the casings and tear them into small bits. Put a large non-stick skillet/pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the sausage bits and let them get a bit of color for about 1-2 minutes. Then, you can start moving them around in the skillet with a spatula (non-metal so it doesn’t scratch the nonstick coating). Keep cooking them until they’re browned all over, moving them around the skillet (about 7-8 minutes, depending on your skillet & stove). Add the minced garlic and stir it around for about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl with a paper towel to absorb the oil/fat released from the sausage.
- Make the béchamel sauce. Put a large saucepan or pot with a thick bottom over medium heat. Add the butter for the sauce. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and a pinch of salt. Stir it in the pot with a spatula, combining it with the butter and allowing the flour to cook for a bit. Make sure it doesn’t burn. Then, start adding the milk a bit at a time while stirring with a spatula at first. As you add more milk, you can alternate between a spatula and a whisk. The spatula is to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom, while the whisk is to break down any lumps. Continue cooking until all the milk has been added, checking with the spatula often that nothing is sticking to the bottom. If you have to, you can adjust the heat to a lower level to make sure nothing is burning/sticking to the bottom.Once you’ve added all the milk, keep cooking for a couple more minutes, stirring all the time, until you have a thick enough consistency to coat the back of the spatula. Take the sauce off the heat, and add the grated cheddar a bit at a time while stirring for it to melt. Then, add half the parmesan and grated mozzarella a bit at a time. Stir until everything is melted. The mozzarella will be stretchy, and that’s fine.
- Boil the Pasta. To a large pot of boiling water seasoned generously with salt, add the pasta and cook for the time indicated on the package minus one minute. Once you combine the pasta with the sauce and put it in the oven, the pasta will continue cooking, and by slightly undercooking it now, it will absorb more of the sauce. Once boiled, drain the pasta and add the drained pasta to the cheesy sauce.
- Combine the Pasta with the Sauce and Sausage. Combine the cooked pasta with the cheesy sauce and cooked sausage bits. Once well combined, give it a taste and add salt and pepper to your preference.
- Prep the Breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, combine with the breadcrumbs.
- Bake the Mac and Cheese. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter an oven-safe 13×9 baking dish. Add the mac and cheese and top with the breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan. Place in the preheated oven and bake until it’s bubbling on the edges and the panko breadcrumbs are golden and crisp (about 12 minutes, depending on your oven).
Don’t forget to save this recipe to one of your dinner ideas boards, so that you can look it up at any time.
