Cheesy Sausage Casserole

Take baked mac & cheese to a whole new level with this Cheesy Sausage Casserole. It is essential a scratch-made mac & cheese with some green chilies and andouille sausage tossed in to make it the main course. Casseroles and bakes are awesome for a weeknight because it’s easy to throw together some ingredients and then get other stuff done while it bakes.

To give this casserole a little something extra, I added a crunchy top to it – with some crushed-up garlic-flavored croutons. Really gives it another texture – which is always important for casseroles – as they can often come out sort of mushy. If you don’t have croutons, you could use panko crumbs mixed with melted butter and parmesan cheese. You could also use some crackers – just be mindful of how much butter is already in the crackers – too much oil and the top won’t crisp up.

This casserole is very filling – lots of pasta, cheese and sausage. So you probably won’t need a side dish unless you are trying to stretch it for more people or save some for leftovers. I would suggest a nice steamed or roasted veggie like broccoli or cauliflower or maybe even some summer squash.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Cheesy Sausage Casserole

A delightful cheesy pasta casserole with andouille sausage and a crispy topping.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword andouille, casseroles, cheddar, cheese, Pasta, pasta dishes, Sausage

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 lb Andouille Sausage cut into ½-inch coins
• 1½ lb Short Pasta elbows, macaroni, shells
• 1 7 oz can Green Chilies
• 1 cup Garlic Croutons crushed
• 4 tbsp Butter melted

For the Cheese Sauce

• 4 tbsp Butter
• 4 tbsp Flour
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400deg. Start water boiling from pasta.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter, garlic powder and salt. Once melted whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Then whisk in chicken broth and cook for 3 minutes. Next whisk in heavy cream and cook for 3 minutes. Finally, add cheese and whisk until melted.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain in colander and transfer to 13×9 baking dish. Add sauce, green chilies and sausage. Stir to coat.
• Combine melted butter with crushed croutons. Spread over top of pasta mixture. Place in oven for 20 minutes.