Fabulous homemade mac and cheese

I recently found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for the first time about a month ago. It was absolutely delicious! I tweaked a few of the instructions and added my own flair. If the weather is getting cooler where you are, then this is a great recipe to enjoy with your family. I especially appreciate that it uses all REAL food and nothing processed. Before we headed to WKU's volleyball game, I whipped this up for the fella and his kiddo. It was warm and filling and just a little bit decadent - everything a weekend dinner should be. :)

Here's the Pinterest link to Julia's website if you would rather use her original recipe:
juliasalbum.com/2015/05/mac-and-cheese-with-sausage-and-bell-peppers/

The ingredients:
1/2 - 3/4 box of pasta (I prefer either elbow macaroni or shells in the smaller size)
1 pound ground hot sausage (I buy the kind freshly ground in the meat department)
1/2 large jar pasta sauce (I like Prego or Ragu and choose the sundried tomato basil for this recipe - don't go with something super chunky; it might be weird in this dish) + same amount of water
Seasoning vegetables - celery, green pepper, onion, carrot all cut in a small dice (I use the frozen bag of Miraproix seasoning vegetables most frequently, but you could also just chop up your own in fresh form)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
Fresh parsley (I prefer the Italian style)
Salt, pepper, Italian seasonings

Variations:
Add mushrooms to the pasta sauce step
Add mozzarella either with whipping cream or when serving
Add red and yellow diced bell pepper with the other seasoning vegetables
Use green onions instead of diced, white onion


Directions:
Brown sausage and seasoning vegetables until cooked through and tender - drain any excess grease
Pour in 1/2 jar of pasta sauce, water, and seasonings to taste - allow to heat until bubbly, stir occasionally
Add box of pasta (1/2 box for 2-3 people; more if you are feeding more people) - cook according to directions until tender, about 12 minutes - stir to avoid burning/sticking
Slowly pour in 1 pint of heavy whipping cream and bring back to almost bubbling
Sprinkle with grated cheese and fresh parsley
Serve in bowls with crusty bread and a salad on the side - this is comfort food at its simplistic best

*I think it'd be easy to double this recipe. As is, I think it serves 3 people (grown-ups) as a main dish. If you wanted to double it, you'd just use a full jar of pasta sauce, the same amount of water, a full box of pasta, and maybe a bit more sausage. I have a tendency to use a lot of veggies, so whether or not you'd need to increase that is up to you.