I haven’t made this in nearly three years, but it tasted better than I remembered it. The leftovers didn’t last long in our house and  we happily ate them for lunch two days in a row – yeah, it’s that good! 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Italian Mac and Cheese Ingredients – adapted from The Food Network

• 1 pound penne, ziti or rigatoni pasta
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 TBSP butter
• 12 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 3 – 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups shredded cheese blend ( I used Fontina, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and Asiago)
• 1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp hot sauce, optional *I used chili flake*
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions –

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and cook pasta to a chewy al dente, about 8 minutes.  In a large skillet, brown and crumble the sausage. Drain cooked crumbles on a paper towel lined plate. Return pan to heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, butter, mushrooms and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute about 5 minutes, until garlic is fragrant and mushrooms become lightly browned.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add flour to skillet and stir, cooking 2 minutes. Whisk in stock, then stir in milk. Bring to a bubble, then stir in 2 cups of Italian cheese blend. When cheese has melted into sauce, add tomatoes. When sauce comes to a bubble, remove from heat and adjust seasonings, adding hot sauce if desired.  Combine cheese sauce with sausage and pasta and transfer to a large baking dish.  Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbly.