Beer Cheese Cavatappi with Sausage

What can I say about this?

Its amazing! Not to mention great when you’re craving beer cheese soup but its 97 degrees outside… Mac and cheese is like the ultimate comfort food, but it can be so rich. This one is just right, somewhere between comfort and so much cheese, you’re sick.

I made this in the summer, because Lucy asked for it, but it would make the perfect meal on a cooler day too.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cavatappi pasta

• 2 rings of sausage- we used a garlic sausage from our local grocery store.

• 1 onion- diced

• 1 cup of milk

• 1 cup of cream

• 1 cup of beer- a more flavorful beer would be preferred, but we aren’t big beer drinkers so all I had on had was a Busch Light from when my parents visited a month ago. It did the trick!

• 2 cups of freshly shredded cheddar cheese- you guessed it, still using the Amish cheese here…

• 1 cup of parmesan cheese

• 2 tbsp flour

• 1 tsp ground mustard

• 4 tbsp butter

• Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to directions in a large stock pot.

• In a separate pan, on medium heat, heat oil and add onion. Cook about 3 minutes before adding sliced sausage. Cook together until sausage is cooked through, or hot if you are using a precooked variant. Remove from pan and set aside for later.

• Return pan to the stove and reduce heat to low. Add milk and cream and begin to heat. When they are warm, slowly add in the beer, stirring as you go. Slowly increase the heat to medium, stirring frequently. Whisk in ground mustard. Do this slowly so that it doesn’t end up clumping in the milk.

• Once mixture has reached a low simmer, reduce heat slightly. Then you can start to add in the cheese. The key to this whole recipe is pretty much low and slow- its no different here. Add cheese in batches and don’t add more until the previous handful has melted in. Its going to look runny, and like you made too much. Trust the process here!

• Your pasta should finish cooking about this time. Strain the water and return to the stock pot. Return pot to the stove on low. Add the 4 tbsp of butter. Stir until it is melted and the pasta is well coated.

• Next, sprinkle pasta with flour and give it a good mix.

• Add hot cheese sauce to the pasta and stir. Then add sausage and onions and stir again. Allow mixture to heat together about 5 minutes.

• Plate it and top with salt and pepper.

• So GOOD!

Always a bonus when it makes enough for some meal prep…