S-Mac-K 'N Cheese
Why I Love This Recipe
I love kielbasa sausage. This is where the S & K come into play in the title of my smack your mama good Mac 'n cheese! I love the flavor & the texture of it. Having an affinity for Creole food, I found the flavor didn't really POP when cooked with rice. Either the sausage was good or the rice was good it really didn't add to one another, kind of like an alright relationship where the 2 parties involved just settled. I'm NOT the settling type so I thought, hey what about Mac-N-Cheese? It's a crowd pleaser & I haven't had a party without it & have never had any leftover. This is great for potlucks, holidays & parties. A great conversational piece. Enjoy.
Ingredients You'll Need
3/4 bag of large elbow macaroni
1 polska kielbasa chopped (pork or turkey, depending on guest preference)
1 cup of diced cooked apple wood bacon
1 cup of diced red, yellow & green peppers (frozen fajita blend works best).
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
2 cups 4 cheese shredded blend
1/2 wedge of shredded smoked gouda
1/2 can of evaporated milk
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
4 packets of sazon goya con achiote (find in Latin/Hispanic section in Grocery aisle)
1/2 tablespoon of garlic salt
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/4 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of worstershire.
4 dollops of Light Mayo
Habanero hot sauce or Tabasco for taste
1 bay leaf
Parmesan
(Honestly I'm a big fat eye-baller so some of these are guess-timates so make sure to taste as you go along)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375
Boil the pasta with a tablespoon of oil, a pinch of salt & a bay leaf.
Cook bacon, dice bacon & dice uncooked kielbasa while pasta boils.
Strain pasta, throw away bay leaf, add to lasagna pan.
Mix pasta with 4 dollops of light mayo with a wooden spoon until mayo & pasta is completely mixed, then add, creole seasoning, sazon goya, tomato paste, hot sauce, worstershire garlic powder & garlic salt. The pasta should have a dark orange hue.
Add milk, kielbasa, bacon and cheese. Flatten out the pasta then add grated parmesan to the top, fully covering all of the pasta.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and serve.
