Baked Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
4 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of smoked cheddar, fontina, gruyere, and parmesan)
6 slices bacon
1 lb italian sausage, removed from casing if necessary.
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
10 oz uncooked pasta

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the pasta according to package directions

Cook the sausage in a medium skillet, until cooked through. Remove the sausage from the skillet, and add the bacon to the skillet

Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from the skillet and drain. When cool enough, crumble the bacon.

In the same skillet, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the milk, and stir until smooth.

Stir in 3 cups of the cheese, a little bit at a time until melted.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, the sausage, bacon, and cheese sauce. Pour into a baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and remaining 1 cup of cheese. Sprinkle over the baking dish.

Bake, uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the topping is browned.

Remove from the oven and serve.

Serves 6-8

Recipe submitted by: Tim Sousa

This is an incredibly adaptable recipe. You can substitute any good melting cheese for the ones that I used. You can also try it with other meats, perhaps polish sausage, ham, or chorizo, instead of the italian sausage. Just use your imagination.