Spicy Sausage Mac and Cheese

I made this last week, and put it this way: After my sister Tara and friend Kristy tried it, they asked for the recipe and they both made it the next night. This is how phenomenal it was. I adjusted the original recipe just a little bit, but stuck pretty close to the original one I read. Like most of my recipes, omit the sausage and you have an awesome veggie mac and cheese. Kristy did hers with diced ham and broccoli instead of sausage. Next time I make this I'm think I'm going to do totally veggie with maybe some cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. I was also thinking of shredded chicken and broccoli. The possibilities are endless- because this is just an awesomely yummy base dish to add whatever you want to it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes in 2 cups of water to make broth
• 1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 oz cavatappi pasta (you can use whatever you have on hand)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper- or to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup cubed velvetta cheese
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet, when it heats up add in the onions and sliced sausage sauté until they start to brown, then add in minced garlic. Cook for about a minute, until it becomes fragrant.

Add in broth, tomatos, milk, salt and pepper, and pasta- bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes- until the pasta is cooked.

Remove from heat and stir in the velvetta and 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar until the cheese is melted.

Transfer to a baking dish (or keep in the skillet if it is oven safe). Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 shredded cheese. Broil in the oven for about 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Remove from oven- sprinkle with green onions and serve.

This was my sister Tara's 

This was Kristy's

This was way to easy to be so damn flavorful. I'm so going to make this again this week with a few different ingredients. I highly recommend you trying this one out!  Cheers!

Adapted from:spicy sausage pasta