When we were younger girls, I used to call my sister Cheese and she gave me this recipe. Even as adults, the nickname has stuck, and my kids still refer to her as Auntie Cheese. With a moniker like Cheese, it goes without saying that her baked mac & cheese is unquestionably the greatest available.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Additional Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package fully cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 (10 ounce) package sharp Cheddar cheese, cubed
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs, or more as needed
Instructions
- Cook and stir the cut-up kielbasa in a large skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until heated through and beginning to brown. Remove the sausage from the skillet, and set aside.
- Fill a pan with lightly salted water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the chopped onion for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook and stir the butter, onion and flour for 2 to 3 minutes to make a roux, and remove from the heat. Whisk in the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all the milk has been incorporated, and return to low heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to finish cooking the flour. Whisk in the Cheddar cheese, a few cubes at a time, until all the cheese has been incorporated and the sauce is hot and smooth.
- Pour the macaroni into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine. Stir in the cooked kielbasa, salt, and pepper.
- Spoon the macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crumbs are brown and the casserole is bubbling. Let stand for 15 minutes after baking, to set before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 600 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 39 g |
| Cholesterol | 101 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Sodium | 912 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 38 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
A little gritty but good
This turned out delicious. I was surprised that you made the cheese sauce with the onions already cooked in the butter. I think it added a taste that I hadn’t had in other recipes. The kielbasa was great .
Recipe was good.
I liked it my kid said he could have done without the bread crumbs. I added cheese on top before I put it in the oven.
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone raved about it!! The little bit that was left over was even better. I used Italian style bread bread crumbs instead of regular. Couldn’t even get a picture!!
This is by far one of the best recipes I have ever made. I have a few picky eaters in my clan and they loved it. Even went back for seconds. I did switch up the cheeses with mozzarella and extra sharp cheese which was delicious.
Added extra cheese, garlic powder
I’ve had this recipe in my favorites and made a version of it a few times a year since 2010 or so. My current adaptation has turned it from a “baked” mac & cheese to a crockpot version. As long as I’ve made it I’ve also subbed bacon for the kielbasa (I should actually use sausage one of these days!). I usually use a bit less than a full white onion. And now, reading some of the reviews, I may try and include some half & half in the Thanksgiving iteration!
We did not care for the roux. I usually make it without it. I will go back to my recipe.
Used tri -color rotini as I had no macaroni on hand. Made no other alterations. This was a very cheesy dish, quite rich. Great Mac and cheese recipe.
Mac and cheese is a highly anticipated dish in our home and this recipe looked like a good varaition on the theme. However, it was not a crowd pleaser. The common complaint was that there was too much kielbasa for the amount of pasta and cheese, though I used only 12 oz of the meat instead of 16. The rest of the recipe was spot on (though admittedly, I ommited the onions because, well, my marriage is more important than onions.
Yes I liked this recipe, but yes I changed it up a little here and there, I had 1/2 can rotel so I went ahead and used it with the small block of velveeta 🙂 and I doubled the recipe, I loved making your roughe lol and it came out perfect lol I even took little video of that part 🙂 . Yes Aunt cheeses macaroni was very Good. THANK YOU for the Dinner idea.
I read everyone’s comments about the roux and several commented that it was bland. My suggestion is to taste it as you are making it as I did. I used both velvetta and mild cheddar cheese and used more than the recipe. Also used about 1 1/2 TBS more of butter. On the topping I used Panko bread crumbs and a few croutons that were coated with butter and garlic.
Best mac & cheese I have ever had!
Best mac & cheese I have ever had!
Very good, definite comfort food…I did omit the onions…not a huge fan..added a little onion powder….easy to make…definitely will make when I need comfort
I think this is a GREAT base recipie. I have made in a few times now… the first time I made it as stated and it was pretty good… but then I tweaked it and it was great (per our liking 🙂 of course). So I am giving it a 4 star for as is. For the 5th star I made the following tweaks – and they really are minor. 1) In the Rue I add a tsp ground mustard. 2) I use 2 bricks of the cheese…. 1.5 go into the rue for the cheese sauce. The other half I sprinkle over the top once I put the noodle mixture into the baking dish and before I top with the crumbs. 3) For crumbs I got the the old tried and true Ritz crackers . Great recipe – we are adding it to the rotation 🙂 Thank you for Sharing!
Delicious!
I’ve been making my own version of this recipe ever since I found it almost 10 years ago. I don’t putnin kielbasa all the time, but sometimes I do. I add more cheese, and use different types dependent on my mood. I also use ditalini pasta onsitwad of elbows. Everyone who’s tried it says it’s the best Mac they’ve ever had and they force me to bring it to all the parties/gatherings/etc. Truly a gem of a base recipe that has been incorporated into a now long-standing family recipe.
Pay attention to the listed units. It calls for one 8 ounce package of elbows. The standard size for a package of elbows is 1 lb (16 ounces). If you just dump a whole box in the pot, you will be wondering why you don’t have enough cheese sauce!
I used whole grain penne pasta and crumbled potato chips for the topping.