SAN DIEGO — When I lived in Park City, Utah in the 70's and 80's for the Ski season the USDA came through a couple of times with food surplus distributions, butter, cheese, and honey. I lived with 2 other Freestylers and between the 3 of use we were able get 15 lbs. of honey, 12 lbs. of butter, and 15 lbs. of American cheese. We came up with a lot of ways to eat Mac 'n' Cheese and having the Kielbasa would have made for a special meal.
Secret Mac 'n' Cheese w/ Kielbasa
- 10-12 oz shaped pasta
- 8 oz Cream cheese
- 2 cups grated Sharp Cheddar cheese
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 8 - 16 oz. Riced Cauliflower
- 2 tbsp salt for cooking pasta
- 10 - 12 oz shaped pasta
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, you can use Italian or Panko
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 pkg Farmer John's Polish Kielbasa
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
Cook in advance your favorite shaped pasta following the directions. At the end, add in the cauliflower, sneak in as much as you think you can get away with. It's more than you think you can, drain and give a quick rinse.
Mix olive oil and breadcrumb, Panko or Italian and set aside.
Bring the milk to a slow simmer while mixing in the cream cheese. Once the two are combined add salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and turmeric. Bring the heat to a slow boil and begin adding cheese a 1/2 a cup at a time until all is blended and melted.
Mix in shaped pasta and transfer to a baking dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
Remove and let the Mac 'n' Cheese set for 5-10 minutes and then serve.
Towards the end while the Secret Mac 'n' Cheese is baking slice the Kielbasa on an angle and fry in a fry pan with 2 tbsp. of oil on each side 3-4 minutes until browned.
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