MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH SAUSAGE AND PEARS

Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage and Pears image

I developed this recipe from a basic mac-n-cheese recipe, adding pears which go well with the sharp Cheddar. For the sausage, we like Aidell's® Chicken and Apple or Roasted Garlic Gruyere sausages. They are fully cooked and very flavorful! To use as a side dish, leave out the sausage.

Provided by ShirleyB

Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Macaroni and Cheese Recipes Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

Time 1h5m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

cooking spray
1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
¼ cup butter
¼ onion, chopped
2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
ground black pepper to taste
1 (12 ounce) package fully-cooked sausage, sliced
1 pear - peeled, cored, and sliced
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup bread crumbs

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain macaroni and transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onions in the melted butter until partially translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk in flour until paste-like consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly stream in milk, stirring constantly, until flour mixture is incorporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese until completely melted and and sauce has thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.
Pour cheese sauce into macaroni; stir to coat. Season with black pepper. Stir in sausage.
Reserve 4 slices of pears; dice remaining pear slices and stir into macaroni mixture. Arrange the reserved slices atop macaroni mixture.
Stir 2 tablespoons melted butter and bread crumbs together in a small bowl; sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is bubbling and topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 443.3 calories, Carbohydrate 36.9 g, Cholesterol 70.9 mg, Fat 24.4 g, Fiber 2.4 g, Protein 19 g, SaturatedFat 15 g, Sodium 441 mg, Sugar 7.5 g