Shakin & Bakin Foodie Blog

How To Make A Mediterranean Mac 'N Cheese Dinner With Recipe

Are you tired of the same old boring macaroni and cheese dinner? Looking for a new way to enjoy your favorite dish but with more added gourmet flavor? If so, I got the perfect recipe for you.

This Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese dinner recipe will take about 35 minutes to prepare and another 60 minutes to bake, so...I would say it is best suited for a weekend dinner. Once it is done baking, it will feed about 6 adults. It is great served with a fresh Italian salad and with Italian bread. If you have any left-overs, you will need to refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Ingredients Needed To Make The Recipe

8 ounce pkg. uncooked macaroni pasta noodles
8 ounce uncooked mild Italian pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened and cut into 1" pieces
2 cups stale Italian bread cubes (1" pieces)
1 cup black olives, halved
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon softened butter (not margarine)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk (we use whole milk)
1 large tomato, sliced thin
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions and then drain. While the pasta is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove casings from the Italian sausage. In a large frying pan, simmer the pork sausage until brown and no longer pink, drain off grease.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked macaroni, cooked sausage, softened cream cheese, Italian bread cubes, black olives and the Mozzarella cheese.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the all-purpose flour, sage, table salt, thyme and ground black pepper. Stir in the cold milk using a nonstick spoon. Turn up the heat on your burner to medium and continue stirring this mixture until it has thickened and is hot and bubbly. Remove from heat and pour sauce over the cooked pasta in your bowl. Using your spoon, gently stir mixture until it is well combined.

Spray a 2 to 3 quart casserole dish with nonstick vegetable cooking spray and let it sit for a couple of minutes before proceeding.. Pour pasta mixture into the casserole dish and cover. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top with your thinly sliced tomato slices and Parmesan cheese. Place back into the oven and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.