Recipe Monday: Country Supper

This is one of my favorite meals in semi-monthly rotation. Warning: content is high in fat (but yummy!) This recipe comes from my mom's cookbook which she has kindly photocopied and shared with her daughters and daughters-in-law. For a single person, I have one meal and five-seven additional leftovers for lunches and dinner (depends on how much I crave the cheese). I do use two pots and a frying pan so there is some kitchen coordination involved, but in less than an hour, I have a satisfying meal that gives me a week's worth of lunches.

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked
1 lb smoked sausage, cut in 1/2" pieces (I get smoked sausage with cheese in it)
4 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped (I skip the green pepper and double the onion)
1/8 teaspoon minced garlic (I use one small clove fresh garlic)
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups milk
8 oz Velveeta, shredded (I use up to 12 oz)

Lightly brown sausage, and boil noodles. In medium saucepan, cook onion, green pepper, and garlic in margarine until tender (do no brown). Stir in flour, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Add milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir until melted. Add cooked macaroni. Serves 6-8.

Tips: I usually cook the sausage and noodles at the same time as I create the sauce. Since I use a 4 or 5 quart saucepan for the noodles, I put the cooked macaroni back in the pan, add the sausage and pour the sauce over when it is finished.

There is usually a good ratio of cheese to sausage to onions in this dish. However, I do cut the sausage pieces into quarters to get a better ratio. I love onions but dislike green pepper so I usually substitute more onion for the pepper. It is a hearty meal that satisfies the dairy craving and the sausage is a nice change from beef, chicken and fish. Enjoy!