Kielbasa Mac & Cheese

What's better than homemade macaroni and cheese? Well, I'll tell you. Macaroni and cheese with a little kielbasa thrown in. Because these are two of our favorite things, I decided to combine them for an awesome dish. So good and so easy. You can bake this is a 9x13 inch baking pan if you want to be fancy, but I left it in my cast iron skillet because, yeah...I'm lazy like that. But you should try this soon! 

Kielbasa Mac & Cheese



1 16-ounce package cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2-inch "coins"
1 8-ounce package elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter ~ divided use
1 small onion ~ chopped 3 tablespoons  flour
2 cups whole milk
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook and stir the kielbasa over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Remove the sausage from the skillet, and set aside.

Boil the macaroni until al dente.  Drain.

Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet over medium-low heat, then add the chopped onion and saute for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the milk stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Whisk in the cheese and cook until sauce is smooth and hot.

Add the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine.

Stir in the cooked kielbasa.

In a small bowl, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and combine with the panko crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni mixture.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the crumbs are brown and the casserole is bubbling.

Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The list of ingredients.

Cook the kielbasa in a large skillet, then remove.

Add 5 T. of the butter and the onions. 

Saute for a few minutes.

Then add the flour and let it thicken a bit.

Then add the milk. Cook and stir until thickened.

Then add the cheese and salt 

and pepper to taste. Stir to smooth.

Pour in the cooked pasta.

Add the kielbasa. Stir to combine.

Mix the melted butter and the panko crumbs.

Sprinkle panko/butter mixture on

top and bake for a few minutes.

Allow to set for about 10 minutes 

before serving. So good!