[RECIPE]: Loaded Mac & Cheese

So before I even start...I have a confession about this mac and cheese recipe....

I've been cooking my entire life. Through my Nutrition degree I've had to take my share of cooking classes, like Meal Management and Food Science. I know for a truly classic mac and cheese recipe you need to make the cheese sauce with a roux (equal parts butter and flour to make the base of a sauce). But I do NOT use a roux in my Loaded Mac & Cheese recipe.

The cheese sauce for this recipe is actually cheese dip.

LOOK. I know all of the classically-trained cooks are dying right now, but hear me out - this. is. good.

Now that being said, I love this recipe. So much so that I'm not even going to fluff it up. I'm just gonna get right to it and share it. I will say this recipe makes a LOT so use it to feed a crowd or expect yummy leftovers!

What You'll Need:

• 8 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces DeLallo Farfalle Whole Wheat Pasta (or any whole wheat bow tie pasta)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped to bite-size chunks
• 1/2 pound white american cheese, cut into chunks or shredded (I use my Kroger brand from the deli)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup milk (may need more to thin out)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne red pepper
• 12 ounces turkey sausage, cut into rounds
• 1 bag microwaveable frozen broccoli florets (I use Bird's Eye steamables)

What You'll Do:

1. In a large stock pot, heat 8 cups of water with 1 teaspoon salt over high heat.
2. Bring to a boil and add farfalle. Cook until al dente (will take longer when using whole wheat version).
3. Add bell pepper and let cook in boiling water for 5 minutes.
4. Drain pasta and pepper and run cool water over to stop cooking process.
5. In a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat, add cheese, milk, butter, pepper, and cayenne. Stir constantly until melted and reduce heat to low.
6.  In a separate skillet, add sausage and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
7. Place broccoli in microwave and cook according to package directions. Remove and let cool.
8. Return pasta and pepper to stock pot.
9. Add broccoli and sausage to pasta mixture and stir to combine.
10. Slowly add cheese sauce over the pasta, stirring to coat evenly.
11. Serve and enjoy!

Yield: 8 servings. 1 serving (about 1 cup) contains 257 calories, 15g Fat, 16g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 1g Sugar, 15g Protein