Steak and Cheese Macaroni

I was at a graduation party a few years ago and someone made this dish, but I never got the recipe, so I made my own!  My Red loves macaroni and cheese but thinks its too bland with out something in it.  I use the base recipe and will either add burger, sausage, or Steak-Umm's.  I would add a picture of how mine came out, but honestly, the hyenas attacked it before I could get a good picture.


Ingredients:


1 box of shells pasta (I try to use whole wheat whenever possible)

• Salt and pepper
• 1 lb ground meat or 5-6 Steak-Umms
• 1 White Onion (cut into match sticks)
• 1 Green Pepper (cut into match sticks)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 cups milk, warm
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon Wistahshire Sauce
• 3 cups cheese
• Fried onions, bread crumbs, or crumbled potato chips

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Cook the pasta in salted, boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.  I always try to use whole wheat pasta to add something healthy to my dishes.  Red is a very picky eater and he has no complaints about using whole wheat.

3.  Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add meat and saute cooked.  Add peppers and onions until cooked.  I like to cook the veggies in the meat drippings so they suck up all that flavor, DON'T EVER THROW AWAY THAT FLAVOR!  Remove meat and veggies to another dish, place on a paper towel if you wish to drain some of the fat.  But why would you want to.

4.  Melt 6 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add flour, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a boil. Continue to whisk constantly. Stir while adding the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Stir in the cheese, meat, and veggies. The mixture will thicken as the heat increases.

5.  Pour the drained pasta into the cheese sauce and mix well. Add to a casserole dish. Top with  the fried onions, bread crumbs or chips. Bake for 35 minutes.  Please allow to cool before eating this dish or the roof of your mouth will suffer.  

This is a great meal that can be made ahead and then baked when dinner comes rolling around.  I have to make this with out peppers and onions because my honey doesn't like cooked veggies!