This creamy mac and cheese with smoked sausage is a quick, hearty stovetop supper the whole family will love—ready in about 30 minutes!
Busy weeknights and picky eaters can make mealtime a challenge. When my son Jack was little, he was a bit picky and wishy-washy with his food choices. One day, he’d eat salads with blue cheese on them and roasted Brussels sprouts. The next day, he wouldn’t eat the crispy end pieces on chicken fingers. Go figure.
One thing that we could always guarantee he’d eat was mac and cheese, so I set out to develop the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe, but with added sausage for a bit of protein. And boy, did it turn out delicious!
This recipe is easy to make and oh so good… even adults approve! The creamy base of this stove-top mac and cheese is the perfect complement to the smoky flavor of the sausage. And it’s SO easy!
You’ll have this dish on the table in about 30 minutes, which makes it perfect for those busy weeknights… or any night for that matter! Pair this with fresh veggies or a salad, and you’re ready to eat!
Do I have to use freshly shredded cheese?
I love the convenience of using the pre-shredded cheeses that come ready for you in the bag, but in this case, shredding your own cheese is best. The powdery substance they use to keep the shreds from sticking together in the bag can often make a cheese sauce like this grainy. To avoid that, grate it yourself. It’s an extra step, but I think it’s worth it.
Can you use the other stuff? Sure, you can. Just know it might make the texture a little different. But I also know that sometimes we can overlook something like that in turn for convenience. That’s cool. You do you.
Do I have to make a roux?
Yes, you’re making a roux, which will turn into a béchamel sauce, but don’t panic. The names are scary, but the process isn’t. This method is the best way to keep a stovetop mac and cheese nice and creamy. And seriously, don’t stress. Just follow my instructions, stir frequently, and you’ve got this.
Recipe Card
Creamy Smoked Sausage Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 (13-ounce) package smoked sausage, sliced
- 1 (16-ounce) block sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 (1-pound) box elbow macaroni
- 4 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Lightly brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
- Grate the cheese on a box grater. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instuctions and drain. Set aside.
- Pour the milk into a microwavable container and heat until warm – about 2 1/2 minutes.
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly until it has all been added. Cook, stirring very frequently to prevent scorching, until thick – about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and gradually add the shredded cheese, stirring constantly until melted. Add the salt and mix well. Add the pasta and sausage to the pot and mix well. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Robert L Jones
Wife never could make Mac and cheese, but this was so easy to make. Came out perfect! Delicious with kalbasa chopped and added in. Also a dash of cayenne, not to make it hot just highlight the flavor.
I’m so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! Adding a dash of cayenne sounds like a delicious twist.
Pissed off mom of 4 hungry kids wanting mac n cheese
oh nice auto-reply you got there. Maybe you should actually READ comments and LEARN from others the things that don’t work in the recipe!!!
I just wasted 12$ on a block of cheese for this recipe and it went down the drain -__-. SO UPSET ABOUT THIS. feeding a family is hard enough but to have to throw out food like that really grinds my gears. And no, if you ever read this and get to wondering…. my Rue was perfect so don’t blame it on that. The milk was EXCESSIVE and not needed.
Never again will I try your recipes and I advise others not to either.
You want kindness?!?!? stop wasting our money with your crap recipes, period!
Hey, Jennifer! I read your comments this morning and decided to give myself some time to process through your rudeness before I replied. Most of the time when I encounter someone who can’t comment without the vulgar language, I just delete the comment. But my general rule of thumb is that if a comment might be helpful for another reader, I leave it up. And I think there are a few things to be learned here. So here we go…
1. I’m not a lady. I’m a son, a husband, and a father. You might have noticed that from the “About Me” section of my website or from literally any page on the blog.
2. The “auto-reply” you referenced is not an auto reply, but simply text above the comment section that is always there before and after comments. It’s not an auto reply.
3. You can scan through the comments and see that I read and reply to nearly every single comment on this entire site. It’s something I pride myself on. Looking at the count right now, I’ve replied to nearly 16,000 comments.
4. You are 100% correct in that wasting expensive ingredients is frustrating. And with the price of groceries, it’s even worse.
5. It’s roux, not rue.
6. A quick Google search will show you that this ratio of fat to flour to milk is very common and 100% works. I’ve made this exact recipe countless times and have used this béchamel base for tons of other recipes, so I know it works. In your case, it sounds like perhaps you just didn’t cook it long enough or at a high enough temperature to get the starch molecules in the flour to thicken the sauce. But then again, it’s much easier to blame someone else.
7. My recipes are not crap. Just read some of the reviews. They are tried and true, tested recipes that do work.
Here’s the thing… I know you’re upset. I get it. But coming on here and cussing at me – who gave you a free recipe without having to buy a cookbook – isn’t going to make your mac and cheese thicken up.
Pissed offf mom of 4 hungry kids wanting mac n cheese
This recipe sucks!!!!!
OMG 4 CUPS OF MILK….. my cheese sauce was like fucking water….. ruined dinner entirely even though I followed your recipe to the letter and everything was measured exactly….. YOU SUCK AT THIS LADY1
Anonymous
This is the EASIEST sauce to make ever. I made it for many years with my homemade Mac and cheese. I am appalled that a complete stranger would come in here and comment in the way that you have, and to cuss at a complete stranger, whose given you the instructions to make a great sauce, LADY, maybe you need to take a step back and re-evaluate your choice of words, it’s a shame to be so angry towards someone like that, what does that teach your children… Maybe it isn’t the recipe, but rather the cook.
As to the author, great recipe. I was just looking for suggestions of things to mix with my Mac and cheese.
Appreciate you! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
gareth j schoenthal
First, the recipe said serves 6, its more like 12. Liked it but needs adjusting, either double the sausage or HALF the mac and cheese. Also was missing something, I would brown some onion in the roux for additional flavor, maybe even some diced green pepper. Its a very simple and quick recipe, great for weeknight dinners where you are already tired.
Glad you enjoyed it! The thing about servings is, of course, it depends on the serving size. In this case, I calculated large servings since it will most likely be served as a main course.
Kathryn Rowe
Great electric skillet recipe, I even boiled my noodles then Browned my sausage in skillet. I used the sausage fat along with butter to make my rouge. Keeper for Tiny House 🏡
Oh this trick sounds wonderfully flavorful!
Keith & Angella Lawrence
Happy New Years!!!
The Lawrence Worlds Famous Mac & Cheese Casserole was a huge success. There was more than enough for the eight people that attended the event. What could not be eaten at the table was taken home as leftovers.
As stated, I followed your direction according to the recipe and add a few extra steps. They Loved it… SO, Im back today to make a new version of the same.
Just wanted to say thank you for the recipe and your readers for their twists of perfection that they added to make our Christmas and now New Years Dinner Great!
Happy 2022 to all. We Made it!
Ha! So glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!! Thanks for letting me know! Happy New Year!
Keith & Angella
Every Christmas I am the desiginated Macarroni & Cheese guy. This year Im spicing it up a little. Thank you for the Great base recipe.
I alterted the recipe slightly by using your direction but added grounded honey maple sausage and for cheese I used Valvetta Cheese, Pecorino Ramano and Parmigiano Reggiano, then backed it for 20m thereafter.
It taste great to me and my wife. I’ll let you know what the party goers think of it.
Thanks again.
Sounds great! Looking forward to hearing back!
Michelle
Not quite sure why you have to grade your cheese on a box grader I prefer my KitchenAid is much easier. 🤷♀️
Well, not everyone has a KitchenAid. But yes, it would certainly be easier. 🙂
Clarissa
This was very good. I browned the sausage with garlic powder, slap ya mamas, and Italian seasoning. I also added about 1/8cp of parmesan, a 1/8cp of gruyere, garlic powder and mustard powder. Then I baked it with breadcrumbs and a little more cheddar.
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
Ellen Allen
I think the details (like grating your own cheese) make a big difference.
Do you use ‘spiral’ type elbows?? And do your elbows have ridges on the outside ?
I do and the ones I use do have ridges, but regular elbow macaroni will work just fine.
Barbara
Don’t worry about what the boy eats (or doesn’t) My oldest (now_59) ate one meal a day for her first 2 years and I never knew from day to day which meal it would be. Doc. said she’d eat when she was hungry and he was right. as she got older I told her she had to TRY anything new, if she didn’t like it she didn’t have to eat it but she did have to TRY it at least. She will try anything once even now and usually ends up liking whatever. Kids tummys are smart, he won’t starve so enjoy him and just always have him TRY the new.
Sue
You make your mac n cheese like I do! I think it’s worth making your own sauce, and like you said, really not that difficult. If I had time, I would actually put extra cheese on top then bake it to create a golden crust. Never thought to put sausage in it – will try that. Thank you!
I sure hope you’ll enjoy it!
Aileen
This looks so yummy, Stacey! I’ll have to try it.