Baked Italian Mac and Cheese

Recipe Inspiration

As my website turns 2, I realized I had many pasta recipes, but didn’t have a Mac and cheese recipe! And that needed to change.

So instead of a normal Mac and Cheese recipe, I added my own twist. Italian sausage, plenty of parmesan, garlic Powder and Italian seasoning all taste amazing in this cheesy recipe.

And my favorite part? The Panko breadcrumbs that get perfectly crispy in the oven.

Baked Italian Mac and Cheese Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you will need for this recipe:

• Small pasta - I used shells, but you can also use elbows or farfalle.
• Ground Italian sausage - You may use hot or mild, whichever is your preference.
• Butter
• Flour
• Whole milk
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Italian Parsley
• Panko Breadcrumbs
• Fresh Basil

Directions

First, cook your pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Make sure you salt your pasta water - it’s so important to flavor the pasta! When cooked, drain pasta and set aside.

Cook the Italian Sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. After this step, heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Next, add 1 tbsp butter to the skillet you used for the sausage. Melt over medium heat. Add flour and stir well.

Once the flour and butter are combined, add milk and whisk until there are no crumps of flour. This should take about 2-3 minutes. This creates a roux sauce. This sauce is commonly the base for Mac and cheese. It helps keep thicken everything up and it the perfect base to add cheese to.

After you’ve made your roux, add in mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Add your seasonings, turn heat to low, and mix until everything is combined and the cheese is fully melted.

Add cooked pasta, Italian sausage, and some Italian parsley to the skillet. Mix well, then transfer Mac and cheese to a greased oven safe baking dish. Top with panko breadcrumbs and a few pats of butter.

Cook for 10 minutes. If desired, you can broil for a minute or two to get the breadcrumbs super crispy. Garnish with Italian parsley and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy your baked Italian Mac and cheese!