Stout Mac and Cheese with Pronghorn Italian Sausage
Grown-up cheeseburger mac with a wild game twist. Cheesy goodness mixed with rich stout beer draped over chewy cavatappi noodles mixed with spicy pronghorn sausage and topped with crispy breadcrumbs. You can't go wrong!
Servings: 6
Calories: 777kcal
Ingredients
Italian Sausage
- 1 lb ground pronghorn
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon lard
Mac and Cheese
- 12 oz cavatappi pasta
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 10 oz medium cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 oz velveeta cheese
- 12 oz stout beer
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper, to taste
Bread Crumbs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Italian Sausage:
- Mix all spices together in a small bowl. Add to ground meat and add in red wine vinegar. Mix until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use, preferably overnight.
Mac and Cheese:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- While preparing cheese sauce, cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions. Pasta will continue cooking in oven.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add lard to pan. Once lard is melted, add in Italian sausage. Spread meat out in pan so it browns evenly. Cook 2-3 minutes, flip the meat, then cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in diced onions, mix into meat, and cook an additional 3 minutes.
- Add in flour and stir to combine. Cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Add in beer and stir to combine. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until mixture is bubbling and starting to thicken.
- Add in milk, stir to combine and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Add in cheeses and stir until melted, about 2-4 minutes.
- Pour sauce over cooked pasta and stir to combine.
- Grease one 9x13 pan or 2 8x8 pans. Pour mac and cheese into pan(s).
- Combine all breadcrumb ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over mac and cheese.
- Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and bread crumbs are browned. Enjoy!
To Freeze:
- Follow all preparation instructions except for baking. Pour mac and cheese into aluminum foil pan, cover with bread crumbs, and cover tightly with plastic wrap making sure the plastic wrap touches the top of the food. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
- When ready to bake, thaw overnight (or 2 nights) under refrigeration. Remove plastic wrap but save the foil. Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 375°F for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and bread crumbs are browned. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 777kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 1616mg | Potassium: 700mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1152IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 711mg | Iron: 5mg
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