Pizza Mac and Cheese turns two family favorites into one easy dinner. Boxed mac and cheese gets a quick upgrade with Italian sausage, pepperoni, pizza sauce and plenty of melty mozzarella cheese.
Best of all, this shortcut dinner is ready in about 20 minutes, making it a good one to keep in your back pocket for busy weeknights.
Why You'll Love This Pizza Mac and Cheese
There are nights for making macaroni and cheese from scratch. And then there are nights when a couple boxes from the pantry are exactly what dinner needs.
This is one of those recipes.
- It's flexible. Change the meat, cheese or pizza toppings based on what your family likes and what you have on hand.
- It's quick. Start with boxed macaroni and cheese and dinner is on the table in about 20 minutes.
- It's filling. Italian sausage and pepperoni add protein and turn mac and cheese into a complete main dish.
- It's kid-friendly. Mac and cheese + pizza is a pretty easy sell.
We like to pair pizza mac and cheese with 4 ingredients roasted Brussels Sprouts with bacon!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Boxed macaroni and cheese: I like three-cheese shells, but regular boxed macaroni and cheese works just fine. Prepare it according to the package directions.
- Milk and butter: Use the amounts needed to prepare your macaroni and cheese. The amounts listed in the recipe are what I use for two boxes.
- Italian chicken sausage: Fully cooked sausage keeps this recipe especially quick. Slice it into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the pasta.
- Pepperoni: Quartering the slices makes sure you get a little pepperoni throughout the casserole instead of one big piece in each bite.
- Marinara or pizza sauce: Either works. If you're using marinara, Italian seasoning gives it more of that familiar pizza flavor.
- Mozzarella cheese: Because if we're calling it pizza mac and cheese, we need that melty cheese on top.
How to Make Pizza Mac and Cheese
- Make the mac and cheese. Prepare both boxes according to the package directions with milk and butter.
- Add the pizza ingredients. Stir in the sliced sausage, pepperoni, marinara and Italian seasoning.
- Transfer to a baking dish. Spoon the mixture into a medium casserole dish and sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until everything is heated through and the mozzarella is melted.
That's it. Dinner is done.
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Make It Your Own
Think about your family's favorite pizza and go from there. Try cooked and crumbled Italian sausage or ground beef instead of chicken sausage, or leave out the sausage and add extra pepperoni.
You can also add diced bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives or onion. Just sauté fresh vegetables first so they don't release extra moisture into the mac and cheese.
Have leftover cooked chicken? That works, too.
What to Serve with Pizza Mac and Cheese
This is a pretty hearty dinner on its own, so I keep the sides simple. Add roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts, a green salad or some fresh fruit and call dinner done.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover pizza mac and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave until hot. Mac and cheese thickens as it sits, so adding a small splash of milk before reheating can help bring back some of the creaminess.
Other family favorite recipes you'll love:
Recipe
Skillet Pizza Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare 2 12 ounce boxes Shells and Cheese according to package directions, using the ½ cup milk and 4 Tablespoons butter called for on the package.
- Stir the sliced 12 ounces fully cooked Italian chicken sausage, 3 ounces pepperoni, 1 cup marinara or pizza sauce and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoninginto the prepared macaroni and cheese.
- Sprinkle 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid.Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted.Remove from the heat and serve hot.
Farm Girl Tips
- Vegetable add ins - like I said, we have some picky eaters, so even the Italian sausage was a stretch here. But you could add all sorts of veggie toppings from bell peppers to black olives, diced onion to mushrooms!
