Mac-n-Cheese with Sausage Crumbles

Here's my second recipe using the Progresso Recipe Starters cooking sauces I got from BlogHer Food 2012 earlier this month.  You can read about these great sauces and get my recipe for Creamy Parmesan Basil Spaghetti with Pepperoni here.

This time, I used the Creamy Three Cheese sauce.  I made a variation of one of the dishes they served at BlogHer Food, Easy Weeknight Bacon Mac 'n Cheese.  Mac-n-Cheese is one my most favorite meals, and the sample I tasted at the conference was delicious.  They even gave us a handy recipe booklet to take home with our supply of sauces.

I made this on a Sunday evening when my brother-in-law Patrick was over visiting.  I used sausage, rather than bacon, but otherwise, I stayed pretty true to the recipe.  Patrick liked it a lot, particularly the sausage.  My husband Mike, who is a strict Kraft devotee, proclaimed it "very good", which made me so happy.  He's a hard man to please when it comes to cheese and pasta!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked penne pasta (I used Barilla Plus.)
• 1 18-ounce can Progresso Recipe Starters Creamy Three Cheese cooking sauce
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (The recipe calls for just generic "milk", but I generally only keep almond milk in the house.  In most cases, it's a great substitute for dairy.)
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
• 1/2 cup Velveeta, cubed
• 1 cup cooked sausage crumbles (I used Jimmy Dean's Hearty Sausage Crumbles.)

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Spritz a casserole dish with non-stick olive oil spray.
• Cook and drain pasta according to package instructions.
• In a large saucepan, heat cooking sauce, milk and garlic to boiling.
• Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted.
• Stir in pasta and sausage.
• Spoon into a casserole dish.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle with additional 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar.
• Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven, sprinkle with breadcrumbs or shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.

I'm linking up this recipe with It's a Blog Party.