Sausage & Pepper Mac N' Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 lb cavatappi pasta
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 bell peppers, cut into 1/4 inch strips 2 inches long (red, yellow and green)
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced (we like garlic, you can use less if you like)
• 1 lb sweet italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups swiss cheese, shredded and divided
• 1 cup gorgonzola
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup garlic and cheese flavored croutons, crushed

Recipe

• 1 cook pasta according to package directions; drain and put back in pasta pot.
• 2 in a large saucepan, heat the oil and butter over me dium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic.
• 3 saute the veggies until they get soft and the liquid from the peppers starts to evaporate.
• 4 while this is cooking, take the sausage without casings and cook in a small skillet until cooked through, breaking up big pieces like you would ground beef.
• 5 when the meat is cooked add to the pasta in the pasta pot.
• 6 when the liquid in the veggies is almost gone and they are soft, a dd the flour and stir continuously for a couple minutes.
• 7 now add the milk and stir well.
• 8 stir the milk mixture occasionally until it thickens.
• 9 then add the 2 cups cheddar, 1 cup of the swiss and the 1 cup gorgonzola, and stir till melted.
• 10 add salt, pepper, and basil to the cheese sauce.
• 11 pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and sausage in the pasta pot and stir well.
• 12 pour mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
• 13 sprinkle the crushed croutons and 1 cup swiss cheese evenly over the top.
• 14 bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until browned a little on top.