This is the time of year to combine two of our favorite comfort foods and turn them into one delicious and easy dinner! Pizza mac and cheese is cozy and comforting and sure to be a family favorite. This recipe was actually my husband’s idea, as someone who loves both pizza and mac and cheese and truly, they make sense together! You can incorporate your favorite pizza toppings into this recipe, but here I’m choosing peppers, black olives, and pepperoni. You could also add onions, browned Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, or jalapenos! One bite and you’ll wonder why you didn’t combine these flavors years ago.
You’re going to start this recipe by boiling pasta and making a roux. Melt butter and then whisk in flour and milk. To give this mac and cheese pizza flavor, the cheeses we are adding to the roux are mozzarella, gouda, fontina, and parmesan. You’re also going to whisk in salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Now it’s time to mix in your pizza toppings! I set some aside to add on top, but most of them will be mixed right into the sauce. You can use your favorite pizza toppings but I’m going to use black olives, green pepper, and pepperoni. For the pepperoni mixed into the sauce, I’m chopping it into pieces. I’m also leaving a few pieces whole to add to the top of the pizza mac and cheese.
The perfect meal to enjoy on a chilly evening or after a day of playing in the snow. You simply cannot beat this take on two comfort foods combined together.
- 1 lb. elbow macaroni
- 3 tbsp. butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. salt + more to taste
- 1 tsp. black pepper + more to taste
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- ¾ cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup chopped pepperoni + some whole pepperoni slices for topping
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, melt the butter. Then whisk in the flour and pour in the milk, still whisking. Bring to a simmer and allow the roux to begin to thicken. Add in all your cheeses along with the oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Add in the bell pepper, olives, and pepperoni. You can set aside some of the toppings to place on top of the mac and cheese, but mix the rest right into the sauce. Fold the noodles into the sauce.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add the noodle mixture. Top with the reserved pizza toppings and bake for 35-45 minutes until bubbling.
- Enjoy!
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