Sausage, Tomato, Mac & Cheese

I not only love food, but I love how it brings people together and I love the stories that are told around it. Mostly, I love the memories that it provokes, that sometimes have an unfortunate way going long periods of time, without remembrance.

Like, how my great-grandmother use to have the best {store bought!} ginger snap cookies in life. Just the thought of their deliciousness, I can now smell the aroma of lavender powered that always surrounded her, hear the creak in the step that led up to warmth of her home , and feel the softness of skin during her too small body's surprisingly strong hugs….

Great, now I miss my Gram…and am hungry for ginger snaps….

Anyways, the simple point I was trying to make, if I could attach myself to a dish that would provoke memories of warmth throughout the generations of my family, this would be the one.



1 pound Ziti (or any short cut pasta)
1 lb sausage
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
Salt & Pepper
3 cups stock
1 cup heavy cream {milk if you're a party pooper}
2 cups shredded cheese {Italian 4 cheese preferable}
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
Crackers for the top

Cook pasta according to package. Preheat oven to 350*. In the bottom on a large pan, brown sausage. Half way through sausage cooking, throw in chopped onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender, garlic is soft and sausage fully cooked.

Remove sausage from pan, onto plate… set aside

Add butter and flour to the same pan. Stir until flour has had a chance to absorb the butter and brown a bit in the pan.

While continuing to stir, slowly add in broth, don't pour too fast or you'll get clumps.

Salt & Pepper to taste.

Add cream.

Stir in cheese, let melt.

Dump in plate of sausage.

Add cooked/drained pasta.

Stir in tomatoes.

If you are using an oven safe pan, crumble crackers on top and throw in the preheated oven.
If you aren't using an oven safe pan, transfer over to a large casserole dish and top with crumbled crackers {the buttery the cracker, the better} and cook in the 350* for about 20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Side note: This makes a lot. You can also divide and freeze half for another time…..be the 'best' part in a friendship, by relieving a friend from dinner duty.… bring half to me….