Date Published: Dec 10th, 2024 | Last Updated: Dec 10th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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Hello! I can’t believe it’s been nearly 5 months since my last published recipe. Where did 2024 go? We’ve been busy working, travelling, and cooking as usual, but I’ve stepped up my travel blogging lately (coming soon) and have unfortunately put recipes on the back burner to catch up. But not worry, and I have a looooong list of half-written recipes waiting to be polished and will be coming back in full swing.

This recipe came out of a failed attempt at making a brown butter mac and cheese. I could never get the brown butter flavour to shine, so I decided to put it in a crumb topping instead. Although the brown butter is still only subtle, the end result was worth a recipe on its own. I actually made so much test mac and cheese that weekend that I brought some to work and ended up being a hit. After repeated requests for this recipe (here’s looking at you, Jasmin 😉), this recipe jumped the queue and here we are!

This hearty and by no means healthy mac and cheese is indulgent, perfect for this cold weather. The smokiness of the kielbasa paired with the subtle spicy pickled jalapeños covered in a béchamel cheese sauce makes this the perfect comfort food. The addition of the brown butter crumb is optional, but it adds an extra layer of toasty flavour and texture.

What is kielbasa?

Kielbasa is a smoked Polish sausage that’s packed full of flavour. They’re sold in the sausage section and usually comes in a ‘U’ shape (or cut in halves) and vaccuum-sealed. Most commercially available kielbasa is sold already cooked and ready to eat, but double check the package just in case. This is my all-time favourite sausage. You can eat it on its own as a snack, serve it as part of a charcuterie board, throw it in a soup such as my kielbasa chili, or mix it into any dish for that added smokey flavour.

Do not use pre-grated cheese for this recipe!

I get it, grating cheese is tedious and can be messy, but you absolutely must grate your own cheese for this recipe. The pre-grated bags of cheese have an anti-caking agent mixed in to prevent sticking and to increase the shelf life. As a result, this added agent will cause your cheese to not melt properly and you’ll get a gritty/grainy/clumpy texture in what should be a luxurious smooth cream sauce. If you have a food processor, use the grating function or just pulse small blocks of cheese until it turns into small pieces to make your life easier.

Can I use fresh jalapeños instead of the jarred/pickled ones?

I prefer the pickled jalapeños for this recipe because not only does it have the flavour, but the tartness from the pickled jalapeños is a nice contrast to break up the heavy flavours of the cheese sauce and sausage. If you want to use fresh jalapeños, I’d cook it down a little first with the melted butter in the first step of the cheese sauce and when it softens, continue the rest of the recipe. You may want to add a splash of Worcestershire at the end to brighten up the dish.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

*Note: this makes a BIG pot of mac & cheese, enough for 6 portions. Halve the recipe if needed!*

• Brown Butter Crumb Topping:
  • 3 Tbsps (40g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 box (1lb/16oz/454g) of elbow pasta/macaroni
• Béchamel Cheese Sauce:
  • 3 Tbsps (40g) unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 3.5 cups whole milk
  • 3 cups sharp cheddar, grated (do not get the pre-grated cheese)
  • 2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated (do not get the pre-grated cheese)
• 1 whole (340g /12oz) kielbasa (Polish sausage), diced
• 70g jarred/pickled jalapeños, drained and diced (the exact amount is not important, 70g is for a mild heat – add as much or as little to your liking)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Make the brown butter crumb topping:

In a large deep pan on LOW-MED heat, melt 3 Tbsps of butter until it lightly browns, then add in 1 cup of Panko and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix together and cook until the Panko is toasted with a golden brown colour (~3-5 mins). Turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl until ready to use. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel to get rid of any residual Panko.

Make the béchamel cheese sauce:

In the same pan that was used for the Panko, melt another 3 Tbsps of butter on MED heat until lightly browned. Once melted, sprinkle in 1/3 cup of flour. Whisk for 2 minutes until the flour is incorporated, bubbles, and turns a light golden brown. Don’t worry if it gets a little clumpy at this stage.

Slowly add in the 3.5 cups of milk while whisking at the same time to ensure the flour and milk mixes well together and any clumps dissolve.

Let the sauce heat up and as it comes to a simmer, add in the 3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar and 2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese. Mix until the cheese has melted and you have a smooth creamy sauce. Turn off the heat. Mix in the diced kielbasa and diced jalapeños.

Cook the pasta:

Cook the pasta according to package instructions with a pinch of salt in the water. Strain the pasta but reserve a cup of the pasta water in case needed later.

Putting it all together:

If your cheese sauce has gone a little cold while you were waiting for the pasta to cook, turn the heat back on to warm it up then pour the strained pasta directly into the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly. If it’s a little thick, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.

Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or more jalapeños to your liking. Sprinkle the brown butter crumb (from step 1) over the top before serving. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe: