We found ourselves home alone. That spells trouble. Well, at our age, trouble carries different connotations. It means that we’re going to try a cooking experiment, maybe set the house on fire, definitely dirty a lot of dishes.
We’ve been craving homemade macaroni and cheese. Our significant other–God love her–has exercised her veto every time that we propose it. But, as they say, when the cat’s away, the mice will play. That adage works well here because mice love cheese (and so do we).
We can’t do straightforward. We added turkey sausage and bell peppers. We incorporated four varieties of cheese. And, we made it all in a pressure cooker. We use an Instant Pot. We love it.
Italian Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- One pound of ground turkey
- Two bell peppers, chopped
- 3 3/4 cups of turkey stock
- One teaspoon of ground mustard
- One teaspoon of dried basil
- One teaspoon of dried oregano
- One teaspoon of dried thyme
- One 16-ounce bag of elbow macaroni
- One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- Two tablespoons of butter
- Three cups of shredded cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Turn pressure cooker to “Saute” function. When hot, brown ground turkey. Add bell pepper, and cook for another two minutes. Add turkey stock, ground mustard, basil, oregano, and thyme. Mix in elbow macaroni. Secure lid. Cook on “High Pressure” for five minutes. Preform a quick release of pressure.
Stir in condensed milk and butter. In stages, folder in shredded cheese. Choose whatever cheese suits you. We used sharp cheddar, mozzarella, provolone and Asiago.
Season with salt and pepper. Top with panko.
