Baked Macaroni And Gouda Cheese With Italian Sausage

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 lb macaroni
• 1 1/2 lbs sweet italian sausage, uncooked with casings removed
• 1 1/2 cups onions, caramelized
• 1 quart whole milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 lb gouda cheese, aged preferred (about 4 cups grated)
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350º.
• 2 in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes (or as directed on package).
• 3 meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
• 4 add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
• 5 transfer the sausage to a large bowl and wipe the saucepan clean.
• 6 add the pasta and 1 cup caramelized onions to the sausage and stir to combine.
• 7 in a medium saucepan or a microwave oven, heat the milk until steaming.
• 8 return the large saucepan to the stove, add the butter and melt over medium heat.
• 9 add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes.
• 10 whisk in the hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick and comes to a simmer.
• 11 add 2 1/2 cups cheese, remove from the heat and whisk until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 12 add the cheese sauce to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.
• 13 butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the pasta mixture in an even layer. sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 1 1/2 cups cheese on top.
• 14 bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes.
• 15 remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.