Butterball Classic Smoked Sausage Mac and Cheese

This recipe makes a LOT! I had to use a 9x13 pan plus a smaller baking dish for the overflow. I didn't use the full 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, and skipped the extra butter on top. I used fat free half and half and used applewood smoked flavored Butterball Smoked Turkey Sausage (YUMM)! This is a super rich, comforting dish that makes for a wonderful meal to share with your family. You can mix in some veggies, or serve with a big green salad on the side to round it out. I think adding in a package of frozen broccoli would go great. The boys aren't big fans of Velveeta cheese, so they didn't really love the flavor of the cheese sauce, but other than that this was really good. I would probably use a little more meat or less sauce next time to get the ratio right for the way we like things. There was quite a bit of sauce, and it is creamy, cheesy, and very rich. I really liked the crunch of the breading interspersed with the cheesy noodles and meat. The Butterball sausage completely "makes" this dish - it is fantastic! I think I would use about half of the called for Velveeta next time and that might yield a better amount of cheesy sauce to noodles / meat and reduce the obviousness of the flavor of it, but still lend that creamy texture you get from the Velveeta. Overall this is a great meal, which you can adjust to your families preferences, and it is definitely true comfort food!!

Classic Smoked Sausage Mac and Cheese by Butterball on AllRecipes

Ingredients
1 pound cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta, uncooked
1 tablespoon butter
1 (14 ounce) package Butterball® Smoked Turkey Dinner Sausage, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 cup chopped onions
3 cups prepared Alfredo sauce
3 cups half and half (you can use Fat Free)
3 cups cubed pasteurized prepared cheese product (I suggest using about 1 1/2 cups and adding more to taste)
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/2 - 1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse and drain. Set aside.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Cook and stir sausage and onions 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in Alfredo sauce, and half and half. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute.
4. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in cheese and black pepper until cheese is melted. Stir in pasta and sausage mixture.
5. Pour mixture into lightly sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with combined bread crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter (if using). Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown and pasta mixture is hot and bubbly.