Recipe(tried): Baked Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

This is my own version of the macaroni and cheese I grew up with. I have found Beorn will eat the included veggies more readily when they are included in the casserole, so this has become a 'one pot' meal. :-)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

1 lb. box medium pasta shells
1/2 cup each minced onion, carrot, celery, green pepper
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 TBS chopped garlic
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cans evaporated (not sweetened condensed) milk
1/4 cup pale dry cocktail sherry or white wine
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white or black pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
3 cups (12 ounces) grated Sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly whipped
1 package Jones frozen Dinner Sausage. (optional, Boca Brand frozen Vegetarian Dinner Sausages work well)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cook macaroni in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
While the macaroni is boiling, saut the vegetables in the olive oil until tender.
In a saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour. Cook and stir for one minute. Gradually stir in milk and then sherry. Add sour cream, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and mustard. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce bubbles and thickens. Stir in half of the Cheddar cheese until melted.
Pour a little hot sauce into the whipped egg and fold in to temper the egg, then pour the egg mixture into the hot sauce and stir. Pour all of the sauce through a china cap or mesh strainer if you have one. If not, it's not absolutely necessary.
Toss macaroni with 1/2 of the remaining Cheddar cheese and all of the saut ed vegetables. Pour sauce over macaroni and mix thoroughly. Layer sausage links on top of casserole.
Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
Sprinkle remaining Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses over sausage links and return to oven, uncovered.
Broil for 15 minutes, or until sausage links brown and cheese melts.
Yield: 6 servings.

This is a favorite for me to bring to pot lucks and picnics. For those occasions, I double the recipe and bake it inside my oven safe 6.5 quart crockpot insert. When done, I put it into the crockpot itself, attach the lid lock, put on the thermal cover and transport it that way. If there is an electrical outlet at the location, I take off the thermal cover and lid lock and, using an extension cord if necessary, plug the crockpot in and set it on LOW. If my crockpot had a WARM setting I would use that instead, but so be it. It's a hit everytime!

Pam
"Stressed is desserts spelled backwards!"

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Meddle thee not in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy and wouldst be tasty with ketchup.