Photo: Apple-Sausage Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
- Kosher salt
- 3/4 pound medium pasta shells
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 6 ounces chicken-apple sausage, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups apple juice
- 1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded (4 cups)
- 1/2 pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 35 small butter crackers (1 sleeve Ritz), crushed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2 1/2 -quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage, mustard powder, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the sausage is golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the apple juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 8 more minutes.
Slowly stir about three-quarters each of the monterey jack and cheddar cheese into the sauce until smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pasta and sour cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the crushed crackers and the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Photograph by Kang Kim
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By esmith_16
on May 29, 2013
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This is soooo good! I really don't understand people giving it less than 5 stars when they didn't even make it the way the recipe calls.
I make it exactly as the recipe states and our family loves it! It's so good and a nice change from the regular boring mac and cheese.
By S.J.P.
on February 17, 2013
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This recipe is absolutely delicious! It's also really simple to make. I added a little bit more onion and chicken apple sausage than the recipe calls for, and it came out great... real hearty meal. Also, to tone down the sweet and add a tiny bit more kick, I chopped up a small jalapeno and threw that in the skillet when I added the spices and sausage. I used all three cups of apple juice. I think it really brings out the flavor of the apple in the sausage. I used 100% apple juice, and that may have helped keep it from being too sweet. I think this would really compliment a Thanksgiving or Winter Holiday Dinner. It will definitely be a dish I continue to make! If you like honey-cured ham or meats with a hint of sweet, then you will really appreciate the flavor in this dish!
By Julietoe
on October 12, 2012
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After reading the reviews I changed the recipe to 1 1/2 cups apple juice and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Everyone raved about the results. I will be making this many times in the future.
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