Pour broth, pasta sauce, and water into 6 quart Dutch oven. Put lid
on pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add seasoning to taste. Stir
well to combine.
While broth and pasta sauce come to a boil, brown the Italian sausage
in a skillet. Drain if necessary. Remove from heat, cover pan, and
set aside. Chop scallions, removing root tip and any dried stem
parts. Cut on bias into thin strips. Set aside.
When sauce mixture is at a rolling boil, add macaroni. Boil for
around 15-20 minutes uncovered. Stir occasionally. Taste test
macaroni occasionally to make sure it is not overcooked (mushy).
When macaroni is done, immediately remove Dutch oven from heat to a
trivet. Add copious amounts of Parmaesan cheese, Italian sausage,
scallions, and well-drained mushrooms; stir to mix well. Add as much
shredded Cheddar cheese as you like. Put lid on Dutch oven and let
sit for 20 minutes or longer.
* = The "Italian seasoning" I like to use is Kingsford Garlic & Herbs
Rustic Tuscan Style All-Purpose Seasoning.
NOTES:
~ A 6 quart stockpot can be used instead of a Dutch oven.
~ Make sure to keep an eye on the macaroni while it is cooking and to
stir to prevent clumping.
~ The 20 minutes rest time is to allow the pasta to completely absorb
the sauce and for the Cheddar cheese to melt deliciously all over the
top.
~ The pasta will not be fully cooked after 15 minutes but the rest
time will allow the pasta to absorb the sauce and still have a bit of
a toothsome feel.
~ Feel free to experiment with seasonings and toppings. That's one
of the best parts of the recipe!
~ This makes a LOT of food. Cut all ingredient amounts in half to
make a good dinner for two or one hungry individual.
Makes six quarts. This enough to feed quite a lot of people in one
sitting or one hungry Sean for about a week of leftovers.
Recipe created quite by accident in the kitchen of Sean Dennis
(1:18/200@Fidonet). MM'd by Sean on 29 January 2022.
