Macaroni And Cheese

This recipe is inspired by a former coworker and good friend of mine. She brought a dish of leftover macaroni and cheese for lunch one day, and it looked and smelled amazing. She was kind enough to share her recipe with me, and I have made a few modifications to it.

What You Will Need

8 oz macaroni, cooked and drained. (If you are cooking the pasta ahead of time, rinse it with cold water after it’s cooked to avoid it sticking together)

1/2 an onion, minced
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup of flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1 can of small cut tomatoes, drained well
1 1/2 Field Roast italian sausage, diced small (optional – my friend used diced ham. I have made this without the sausage and it is still really yummy)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

What You Do:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onion until it is soft and kind of see-through. Add the flour and stir into the onion. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly to cook out the floury taste.
Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until it has melted. Add your salt and pepper, stir in the drained tomatoes, and heat for 3 minutes on low heat to heat the tomatoes. Give your sauce a taste and season to taste, if needed.
Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix until well coated. Add the Field Roast sausage (if using) and continue mixing.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan (I have used an 8 x 8 pan in a pinch, but it’s a bit of a tight squeeze) and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until bubbly.

I like to keep it simple and just serve this with a green salad and some tasty bread – tonight I am trying some bread I bought at the local farmers market called Flaming Fig – Gay bread for the Straight Man from a local bakery.

This reheats really well, and while macaroni and cheese can sometimes be really heavy I find this to be a bit lighter.
When you put it in the pan it may look a bit soupy but the sauce will cook into the pasta.