It’s time for the newest episode of “quick Monday night blog!” Hooray! First of all, let me tell you, it’s been QUITE the Monday. It was like revenge of the Mondays today and I’m very, very glad that it’s over. Seriously, I was ready to stop at happy hour and ask for my martini in a to-go cup! No, I didn’t. That would be wrong. But, I thought about it!
Anyway, I’ve planned out a prospective menu for the week without assigning days to the specific meals. With today being a Monday and a half, I decided that I wanted something quick but still “comfort food.” So, I decided that it was time to make a different and new recipe of Mac and Cheese – Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese from the April 2007 issue of Cooking Light. Mac and Cheese fans, this is a good alternative to the blue box! Now, I’ve discussed macaroni and cheese before and my quest to make the perfect dish that equals my husband’s Grandma’s recipe. Well, unfortunately, this isn’t it. But it could be with some tweaking. The only problem, I didn’t have time to tweak. BUT, you will! Don’t get me wrong – it WAS good. It just wasn’t great. It WAS easy but it didn’t provide me that comfort feeling that I really wanted.
The sausage was pretty good. I must admit, I forgot to look at my list and couldn’t remember that it was supposed to be chicken and sun-dried tomato sausage so I bought sweet Italian chicken sausage. That was pretty tasty and added a nice freshness to the mac and cheese but it really needed the savory. So, first note – don’t buy the wrong kind of sausage! Second note – there is something missing. It’s definitely not the cheese. The cheese combination was pretty excellent, as a matter of fact. If you shop in a store that doesn’t carry mini cream cheese blocks, do what I did and buy the 4-pack of the little individual .5 ounce packs. Perfect and then you don’t have 2-6 ounces of cream cheese sitting in your fridge for an undetermined amount of time. If you’re anything like me, you’re nodding your head right now. That’s right – nod away. But, there’s definitely something missing with the seasonings. I will make it again (with the right sausage) but I’m going to mix up the seasoning blend. Onion powder and garlic salt do make a tasty combination but they don’t come through the cheesiness very well. I’m thinking black and/or red pepper would be a nice addition. Of course, you can add (or not add) whatever seasonings you desire.
Anyway, here it is. It was quick. It was easy. It was NOT my favorite but it has potential. Maybe it needs bacon.
Happy cooking, eating, and drinking!
Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese
4 ounces chicken and sun-dried tomato sausage (such as Gerhard’s), chopped
1 ¼ cups fat-free milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup (about 1 1/3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less fat cream cheese
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
5 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Heat a large, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in cheeses, onion powder, and garlic salt; cook 3 minutes or until cheeses melt, stirring constantly. Stir in pasta. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 ¼ cups)
Calories 433 (29% from fat); Fat 13.9g (sat 7.8g, mono 3.8g, poly 0.9g); Protein 23.6g; Carb 53.1g; Fiber 2.7g; Cholesterol 56mg; Iron 2.4mg; Sodium 538mg; Calcium 340mg
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