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Cajun Mac and Cheese

overhead shot of Cajun mac and cheese in a white casserole dish

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5 from 2 reviews

Cajun Mac and Cheese is a spicy and zesty mac and cheese dish. Lots of white Cheddar cheese and seasoned with Cajun seasoning, andouille sausage, and red peppers, this is a perfect comfort food that will leave you wanting seconds and thirds!

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups uncooked elbow noodle pasta
6 andouille sausages, diced (you want to use the sausages that come in packs of 4 like this andouille)
1 red pepper, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 8oz blocks of white Cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt (you can add more if you’d like, but the Cajun seasoning has some salt in it too)
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
Smoked paprika

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, cook the elbow noodles according to package directions. In a large pan, heat the 1 tablespoons of olive oil of medium-high heat. Add the red peppers and and andouille and cook for 10-15 minutes until browned. Using a slatted spoon, remove the peppers and sausage and place in a bowl. Wipe the pan clean. At this time, preheat your oven to 350.

2. In the same pan, over medium heat melt the 2 tablespoons of butter, then stir in the flour and salt. Slowly stir in the milk, and cook until smooth and slightly thickened. Lower heat to low, then pour in 4 cups of the shredded cheese. Whisk until the cheese has completely melted, then stir in the Cajun seasoning.

4. To the cooked cheese sauce, add the noodles and the peppers and sausage. Stir together to make sure all noodles are coated, then pour into your baking dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheese then sprinkle the whole top with smoked paprika. Bake for 15 minutes, then place under the broiler for several minutes until the cheese is browned. Keep an eye on it when it’s under the broiler so it gets browned but not burned!

Allow to cool slightly then eat! You can also sprinkle a little extra Cajun seasoning over top before eating for some extra kick!