Sausage Macaroni and Cheese

This is my number one favorite comfort food recipe. We're snowed in today - and having this for supper tonight.

Sausage Macaroni & Cheese

1 pound roll sausage
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook macaroni as directed; drain. Pan fry sausage; remove and drain. Put sausage and macaroni in a 2-quart casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Prepare sauce: Melt butter, blend in flour and cook for a minute or two. Stir in milk and seasonings. Bring to a boil, stirring. Boil for 1 minute; remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until blended. Pour sauce over casserole mixture and bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with peas and baby carrots.

I use J.C. Potter Lite Country Sausage. It cooks up with no grease, no mess, no need to drain and it's much lower in fat than regular pork sausage, plus it's absolutely delicious.

I use the pan that I cooked the macaroni in to make the cheese sauce, adding the butter to melt while the pan is still hot from the macaroni water (no need to wash). While the casserole is baking, I can wash up that pan and the skillet that I cooked the sausage in, so most of the dishes are done before we even sit down to eat. Nice!