Originally published on January 26, 2010
I came up with this recipe one day when I really wanted macaroni and cheese, but I wanted something different. And this one’s pretty good! The rice sort of takes on a creamy texture due to the sauce, and the spice of the Italian sausage adds a really good punch of flavour to it. And green peppers go so well with sausage, don’t they? Although there are quite a few steps to this recipe, it’s actually pretty simple, especially if you have some frozen rice that you can just thaw out for it. Good ol’ fashioned comfort food, in a slightly different way!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs, soaked in 2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 onion
1 green bell pepper, julienned
4 mild Italian sausages, cut into 1″ rounds
2 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoons canola oil
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add Italian sausage and brown.
3.) Meanwhile, place butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Wait until butter just starts to bubble and add flour, pepper, salt, and mustard. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Slowly add the milk while stirring and bring to a simmer. Continue simmer for 10 minutes. Make sure that you stir constantly while the milk is simmering or it will burn. Continue stirring until the milk has started to thicken, about 10 minutes. Once milk has thickened, remove pan from heat and add cheese. Stir the cheese until it has melted.
4.) Drain the sausage and place in a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
5.) Add the rice and green peppers to the sausage in the casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over the entire thing and stir until it is well combined. Sprinkle the butter-soaked bread crumbs over the entire casserole.
6.) Place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cheese sauce has started to bubble and the top is golden brown and crispy.
7.) Serve and enjoy!